4 reasons why Moulin Rouge! The musical will surprise even fans of the template [.]

On November 6, 2022, Moulin Rouge celebrated! The musical had its big German premiere in the Musical Dome in Cologne. The story of Baz Luhrmann’s romantic musical masterpiece Moulin Rouge sang and danced its way into the hearts of audiences worldwide in 2001. Now, 21 years later, the stage musical revives the epic love story in its own way. And there are 4 good reasons why a visit to the theater is worthwhile for newcomers and die-hard film fans.

You can watch the trailer for Moulin Rouge here! see the musical

Director Baz Luhrmann created many epic works with Romeo + Juliet, The Great Gatsby and most recently Elvis. But the film about the penniless Christian (Ewan McGregor) who falls in love with the star courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman) at the eponymous Moulin Rouge in Paris in 1899 is probably his best-known work. So what else can the stage musical add to the world-famous film love story? A whole lot.

1. A musical explosion: Moulin Rouge extends its songs into the present as a musical

Already created as a film Moulin Rouge immortal musical moments, which of course should not be missing on stage. As soon as Lady Marmalade sounds at the beginning, the musical inevitably draws us into the world of the renowned Parisian nightclub. When the lovers later recite their touching duets in clear voices, there is a crackling over the theater hall. With Roxanne’s tango rhythms, the enthusiasm in the audience is unmistakable.

While the film was already an unbeatable medley of well-known love songs, the new interpretation in Cologne is a love song explosion. Because in the last 20 years the music world has changed and this is also reflected in Moulin Rouge! The musical again. Well-loved classics meet new songs in a surprising combination. Elton John, Madonna, David Bowie and Nirvana are now joined by hits by Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, fitting seamlessly into the mix that so easily spans 160 years of pop music history. Whether jealousy, the pain of separation or melancholy: the whole spectrum of sung love is unleashed here.

That too German ear does not come off badly. Because Moulin Rouge may have been first adapted in English as a stage musical by John Logan in 2018. But at the latest when a musical GZSZ allusion is woven in to the great amusement of those present in Cologne, it should be clear that the German interpretation has its own flourishes. This is not only reflected in the German song lyrics.

2. Moulin Rouge! The musical gives Satine and Christian a new spin

Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor are unforgettable in their roles as Satine and Christian. Trying to copy them would be the wrong approach. Fortunately, Sophie Berner and Riccardo Greco differ noticeably from their film role models. With that, the musical two well-known characters a fresh reinterpretation. It’s a remake that lets its protagonists go their own way. The musical satine, for example, is far less over the top than Nicole Kidman’s Duke seduction, and Christian is allowed to grow from a shy dreamer to a man who knows what he wants.

This is also reflected in the story: what if Christian wasn’t English but an American? What if the duke had funded Satine’s play not about an Indian maharaja but about a gangster antagonist? Moulin Rouge answers these questions! The musical after and gives to its characters like that new space to develop.

3. Theater, theater! As a story, Moulin Rouge was always made for the stage

Baz Luhrmann began his cult musical in 2001 with a rising curtain behind which a flickering film transported us back to Paris 100 years ago. There, the nightclub of the Moulin Rouge turned into a theater in the course of the action. Actually bringing this stage story to a stage gives the story one tongue-in-cheek meta-level. Because as a visitor in the Musical Dome of Cologne, we are now there live as a second stage show is brought to life directly on stage.

Also in the staging open up as a result exciting differences between film and theater musical: while Baz Luhrmann’s work recreated the state of intoxication and chaos of the Moulin Rouge in song numbers with fast cuts and a moving camera, the musical adaptation has the freedom to bring impressive choreographies completely to the stage and thus with light , movement and colors create an astonishing dynamic of a completely different kind.

4. Stunning design: Taking part is everything in Moulin Rouge! The musical

Last will be Moulin Rouge! The musical, unlike the film, at one Event that we experience first-hand. As soon as you arrive in the Musical Dome, chandeliers flash from the ceiling and Art Nouveau posters create the atmosphere of another time. Finally, entering the auditorium takes our breath away as we stumble in wonder into a red velvet dream, brought to life by myriad lights and giant statues of windmills and elephants.

We don’t just see the Moulin Rouge on the screen: we enter it by buying a ticket. When the curtain rises, impressive scenery and costumes do the rest personal time travel contribute, one has no choice but to applaud the bohemian slogans of freedom, beauty, truth and love. Even after 21 years, a well-known story can be experienced in a new way and still have surprises in store.

As film fans, what do you expect from the Moulin Rouge musical in Cologne?