Moulin Rouge! The Musical at Piccadilly Theatre

The Piccadilly Theatre rocks and pulses with the energy of this raucous extravaganza. Moulin Rouge! finally returns to theatre lovers’ lives, this time not in the form of a movie but a West End musical. It’s the role it was born for. 

American writer and composer Christian (an outrageously big debut from Jamie Bogyo) arrives in Paris to make his name. He comes across the shining diamond of the Moulin Rouge, Satine (played by the shining diamond of this show, Liisi LaFontaine), and they fall in love. But the venue is in dire straits financially and, in order to save it, Satine must allow a wealthy duke to practically own her. 

Moulin Rouge!: The Musical strips the story back to its barest form – man and woman fall in love but can’t have each other – then it fills the gaps with music, music and more music. A few numbers from the original movie remain, but this iteration is modernised with a host of newer numbers, incorporating the biggest hits of the last couple of decades from the likes of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Adele and more. Every new song is a surprise punchline for the audience that has them cheering or laughing upon realising what it is.

The set packs just as much punch as the music with its showstopper pieces and hypnotic lights; not many productions can boast a giant windmill on the left and a huge elephant on the right. From the moment the audience steps into the Piccadilly Theatre, there’s breathless wonder at the sights.

It’s dazzling, it’s fun, it’s loud, it’s energetic, but it could have been more. The story falls away a little in between the big numbers, becoming oversimplified, and the characters plain and lacking nuance. It’s difficult to really care about Christian or Satine because there’s barely a chance to get to know them before they break out into a super-mega-pop-mashup-sexy-dance spectacle. The tender, raw, emotional love story is just a little lost.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a big, eccentric, extravagant party with a great playlist. It’s impossible not to have a fantastic time watching this show, but it’s the fun and the energy and the songs to go for, not the story.

Jim Compton-Hall

Moulin Rouge!: The Musical is at Piccadilly Theatre from 12^th November until 28^th May 2022. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.