The jukebox musical of all jukebox musicals. Moulin Rouge at the Al Hirschfeld theatre is a very fun show that truly delivered grandiose and let the audience feeling good after, even with its (slight spoiler alert) tragic ending.
From the moment you walk into the theatre, you can feel the ambience and will have a very good idea how the next two and some hours will go. And when they say “rouge”, they weren’t kidding. The whole place is red – lighting, decors, even the incidental music playing before and during the pre-show.
The show itself is way better than I anticipated. The general feel is something I don’t think can be captured when seen in a pro shot if ever there are plans to. It’s a little immersive and translated very well in the intimate theatre.
Performance wise, I cannot be more blessed to have attended the show with the (almost) full line up of the original cast plus Natalie Mendoza who played a very enjoyable Satine. While the principals (Aaron Tveit, Tam Mutu, Eric Anderson, Ricky Rojas, Sahr Ngaujah, and Jessica Lee Goldyn) have been fantastic, my favourite was the ensemble who gave such a dynamic performance they just livened up the stage, and I just couldn’t help but feel excited whenever I can sense a full blown number.
Moulin Rouge was a show that I didn’t expect to like a lot, and I am so glad I did because from the moment I entered the theatre, to the first number and forward, I found myself having the time of my life. Because I can can.
the real /darryl 