'Moulin Rouge!' stage musical wows theatergoers with visual splendor
A scene from the stage musical adaptation of “Moulin Rouge!” / Courtesy of CJ ENM
By Dong Sun-hwa
The stage musical adaptation of “Moulin Rouge!” is eye-popping from beginning to end.
As soon as theatergoers set foot into the performance hall at Blue Square in central Seoul, they will be dazzled by its stage awash in red colors, with a huge red heart in the background welcoming them. Before the 170-minute musical starts, some dancers do a lively performance of the can-can on stage, giving a view of Moulin Rouge in Paris, a cabaret with a red windmill on its roof that was founded in 1889. Moulin Rouge is the place where the modern form of the can-can dance was first brought to life.
There is a beautiful mock-up of the Moulin Rouge on the upper left side of stage, and opposite of it stands an elegant elephant statue representing the dressing room of Satine, a dancer and courtesan at Moulin Rouge, who has the nickname “Sparkling Diamond.”
Although “Moulin Rouge!” caused a stir for selling VIP tickets at 180,000 won ($127.60) ― which is almost 20 percent more expensive than most other musicals ― its visual splendor partly explains why production company CJ ENM had to raise the price. Concerning the price hike, CJ previously said it was unavoidable, as the company had to pay a “tremendous amount of money” to bring all set props from outside of Korea and pay royalties for some 70 pop songs featured in the show.
A scene from the stage musical adaptation of “Moulin Rouge!” / Courtesy of CJ ENM
“Moulin Rouge!” is a jukebox musical based on the 2001 movie of the same name, which premiered on Broadway in 2019 and won 10 awards at the Tony Awards in 2021. Set in Paris during the Belle Epoque (1871-1880), it is a tragic love story of Satine and Christian, a penniless composer from the U.S. It had its Asian premiere in Seoul in December, and is scheduled to run through March 5.
Singer-musical actress Ivy alternates the role of Satine with actress Kim Ji-woo, with actors Hong Kwang-ho and Lee Chung-ju playing Christian in turn.
Ivy, who first appears on stage with the number, “The Sparkling Diamond,” portrays Satine with subtlety, showing the audience why she has to have a relationship with the Duke of Monroth despite her love for Christian. Ivy and Hong are a perfect pair, who boast their matchless performing skills in the performance of the number, “Elephant Love Medley,” among others.
The musical is appealing to young people as well, since they can hear familiar songs and melodies throughout the show. “Moulin Rouge!” features some of the most popular pop songs of the early 2000s and 2010s, including Britney Spears' “Toxic” (2003), Lady Gaga's “Bad Romance” (2009) and Sia's “Chandelier” (2014).