By Jody Tuso-Key

Ok—so Moulin Rouge doesn’t really need a review written after 5 successful years, so I’m going to write an anniversary article instead.

I won the Lucky Seat lottery and was excited to see the show as Aaron Tveit and JoJo Levesque have reprised their roles as Christian and Satine. If you see this show during Aaron’s run, you are in for a Tveit!! (See what I did there? 😉 I said that to the usher, and he told me they should use that in their marketing materials; so if you see it, I’ll take credit for coining the phrase.

First off, I want to thank the staff at the Al Hirschfield Theater for their disability accommodations. I broke my cuboid bone in my foot in early May and it hasn’t healed properly, so I’m still in a boot. They gave me a chair to sit in the box office before the show so I didn’t have to stand in line. At intermission, an usher noticed my boot and directed me to the disability bathroom.

I got to the theater and found my pot-luck ticket was Orchestra W Center–last row yet center and still not bad at all. I was in my seat for about 5 minutes when a beautiful lady named Joanne from Florida asked me if I wanted her spare ticket. Not only did I win the lottery—I WON THE LOTTERY! The ticket said E4, but that is a FRONT ROW seat in Orchestra Right. I could have touched the performers (which I didn’t). From this vantage point, I enjoyed an immersive experience as I took in the beautiful costumes and felt the swoosh of air from the can-can skirts. I even got a whiff of that familiar theater costume smell–that’s how close the seat was. What a way to spend an afternoon!

Of course, Moulin Rouge is entertaining from start to finish. For those of you non-musical folks or anyone who has been living under a rock for the last five years, this story is adapted from the 2001 film starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. The movie was a box office flop turned cult sensation due to DVD releases and has been arguably called the best musical of the 21st century.

The show is a jukebox musical set at the turn of the century paired with a modern mash-up of pop songs from the 70s to the present with a sensational love story. It has all the elements of a great story: an ingenu songwriter coming to the city to make his fortune; a beautiful performer afflicted with consumption who catches the young man’s eye; a wealthy benefactor who is also a power-hungry villain standing between the love of the ingenu and the performer. Christian (Aaron Tveit) is our protagonist and Satine (Jojo Levesque) is the woman he falls for. The Duke of Monroth (David Harris) is the evil benefactor. Christian meets up with fellow bohemians Toulouse-Lautree (Andre Ward) and Santiago (Ricky Rojas). The three work together to write a musical they wish to have produced at the Moulin Rouge. Meanwhile, Harold Zidler (Austin Durant), Master of Ceremonies and owner of the Moulin Rouge is plotting to save the lavish nightclub from bankruptcy by introducing the wealthy Duke of Monroth to his star performer ‘the diamond’, Satine. By a comedy of errors, Satine mistakenly thinks Christian is the Duke and invites him to her dressing room. They fall in love but have to keep their affair secret as the Duke has agreed to finance the bohemians’ show in exchange for Satine as his own. The story ends tragically with Satine dying of her illness in Christian’s arms. We don’t leave the theater sad, as the energetic curtain call invites a sing-along.

While the film is enjoyable, the Broadway musical takes the story and moves It along at a faster and more energetic pace, adding more contemporary musical mash-ups. The musical opens with Christian narrating the story and moves into a high-energy opening number which sets the tone for the entire show. The phenomenal performances, creative choreography, captivating costumes, lavish lights, and sensational sound accented by an outstanding orchestra all come together to create a sensational show!

So, a hearty HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Moulin Rouge. Surviving on Broadway for 5 years is quite an accomplishment. Here’s to many more successful runs. With repeat customers like my new friend and seatmate, Krystin, who came to see the show for the 116th time, the show is destined to continue on Broadway for many years to come!