‘Moulin Rouge’ Review: Raise a Glass

metroweekly.com:

For a jukebox musical stage adaptation of a jukebox movie musical inspired by an opera based on a novel, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (★★★★☆) stands as its own spectacular spectacle, while staying vividly true to its myriad origins.Currently repped by a vivacious touring production of Alex Timbers’ Tony-winning — and still running — Broadway hit, the show most vividly recreates the maximalist visual and musical style of Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar-winning 2001 film (a personal favorite).Derek McLane’s multi-layered scenic design, dipped everywhere in red and tantalizingly lit by Justin Townsend, stirs a lush, tactile fantasy of the famed Moulin Rouge cabaret in Belle Époque Paris.And from the first sight of two scantily-clad sword swallowers beckoning us inside the club, to every last high-kicking chorine on the can-can line, Catherine Zuber’s costumes accentuate that atmosphere and inform each character.The colorful corseted frocks and bohemian-chic duds also boldly accentuate the performers’ lines and curves dancing Sonya Tayeh’s sultry choreography.

Tayeh earned a 2020 Tony Award for her electrifying work in Moulin Rouge!, as did McLane for the sets, Townsend for the lighting, Zuber for the costumes, and Timbers for directing — among 10 total Tony wins, including Best Musical.Those theatrical thrills have made the trip to the Kennedy Center Opera House, where Timbers’ direction still creates intimate moments against the large-scale backdrops of McLane’s sweeping City of Love sets, and the high-energy, song-a-minute soundtrack.One of the film’s most fabulous features, the collection of pop and rock covers used to tell the star-crossed love story of dreamy writer Christian (John Cardoza) and worldly Moulin Rouge star Satine.