I was originally supposed to see Moulin Rouge pre-Christmas. However, COVID scuppered those plans. So I was thrilled when I finally was able to see it. I tried to keep my expectations low as Moulin Rouge was my favourite film growing up and Ewan McGregor was my biggest crush for years.
It was with equal parts trepidation and excitement that I took my seat in the theatre. The Picadilly Theatre had undergone a fantastic transformation and Derek McLane’s set and Catherine Zuber’s costumes were one of the highlights of the night. I had the misfortune of seeing the first show after the Olivier Awards – the cast seemed low energy across the board, leading me for one, to speculate if they were all hungover.
Spectacular, spectacular the show was not. Its biggest downfall was trying to modernise the iconic soundtrack with more recent hits. Most of the time the updates fell flat. Sometimes you just should not mess with a good thing. Underneath the jukebox mashup, we plod through the romance of the club’s doomed, beautiful star performer Satine (Liisi LaFontaine) and penniless American writer Christian (Jamie Bogyo). LaFontaine and Bogyo are very watchable, but lack chemistry.
Undoubtedly, it is Jason Pennycooke who gives a standout performance as Toulouse-Lautrec. However, I think the production hit a wrong note when they inserted a sub-plot of Toulouse having unrequited love for Satine, and Satine being full of self-disdain at her past as a sex-worker, instead of exuding self-confidence as Kidman did twenty years ago.
The detractions aside, it is a fun night out – more like a camp karaoke night than a trip to the theatre. But I could think of few giddy, prosecco-filled activities in London that would be more enjoyable with a group of friends other than watching the lavish set and hearing some excellent singers performing some recent bangers
2 out of 5 stars. The show runs 2 hours and 45 minutes, including the interval.
The Picadilly Theatre is at 16 Denman St, London W1D 7DY. You can get your tickets here.
