Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a type of musical called a "jukebox musical," which uses popular songs in its performance. The story was written by John Logan. It is based on the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge!, directed by Baz Luhrmann and written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. The musical takes place in Paris during the Belle Époque period. It tells the story of Christian, a young composer, who falls in love with Satine, a courtesan and the main performer at the Moulin Rouge cabaret.
The musical first opened on July 10, 2018, at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston. It later began performances on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in June 2019, with an official opening on July 25. The production received 14 Tony Award nominations and won 10 awards, the most of any show that year, including Best Musical. Moulin Rouge! The Musical continues to be performed in New York and has had long runs in other parts of the world, including the West End, starting in 2021.
Background
By 2016, a stage musical was being created by Global Creatures, with Alex Timbers as the director. In 2017, a workshop featuring Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo took place. The workshop ran from October 30 to December 15.
Plot
In the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France, near the beginning of the 20th century, the Moulin Rouge cabaret club, described as "where all your dreams come true," is operating actively under Harold Zidler's leadership. Christian arrives with fellow artists Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Santiago the Argentinean. The Duke of Monroth, who is interested in money, is introduced ("Welcome to the Moulin Rouge"). Christian interrupts Zidler to begin a story "about love," which involves a woman named Satine.
The story begins in 1899, as Christian arrives in the Montmartre district of Paris from Lima, Ohio, where he meets Toulouse-Lautrec and Santiago, who are working on a play with songs. They are impressed by Christian's musical and songwriting talents and ask him to help them produce their work at the Moulin Rouge. The three celebrate bohemian ideals ("Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love"). At the Moulin Rouge, Zidler introduces Satine, the club's star performer and a courtesan ("The Sparkling Diamond"). After Satine performs, Zidler prepares for her to meet the Duke of Monroth, who might invest in the Moulin Rouge and save it from financial trouble. However, Satine mistakes Christian for the Duke and invites him to her dressing room in "the Elephant" outside the club ("Shut Up and Raise Your Glass").
Dancers at the club share their worries with Satine backstage about the Moulin Rouge's financial future. Satine, who is hiding her worsening consumption from her colleagues, decides to stay strong for them ("Firework"). Christian visits the Elephant hoping to impress Satine with his musical talent, while Satine plans to seduce him, believing he is the Duke. Christian's true identity is revealed ("Your Song"). The Duke interrupts them; Christian and Satine claim they were practicing lines for a new show, Bohemian Rhapsody. With Zidler's help, Christian, Satine, Toulouse, and Santiago pitch the show to the Duke with an improvised plot about an evil gangster trying to win the heart of an ingenue who loves a poor sailor ("So Exciting! (The Pitch Song)"). The Duke agrees to support the show, and Zidler reminds Satine that her duty is to keep the Duke happy for the Moulin Rouge's sake. She rejects Christian, the Duke returns, and he and Satine spend the evening together ("Sympathy for the Duke").
In Montmartre, Toulouse tells Christian that he fell in love with Satine many years ago, when she was living on the streets. Though impressed by her spirit, he was too shy to confess his love over the years. He encourages Christian to fight for Satine, telling him, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return" ("Nature Boy"). Christian returns to Satine to persuade her that they should be together. Eventually, she agrees to his feelings ("Elephant Love Medley").
Two months later, rehearsals for Bohemian Rhapsody are underway. Christian and Satine continue seeing each other secretly, and Santiago falls in love with dancer Nini ("Backstage Romance"). Tensions grow between Toulouse and the controlling Duke. Nini warns Satine to be careful about her relationship with Christian and to keep the Duke happy, as he once threw a vial of acid in the face of another woman who betrayed him. Satine tells Christian that their relationship risks the show and the Moulin Rouge, but he writes a secret love song to prove their love ("Come What May").
In the Champs-Élysées neighborhood, the Duke tells Satine that he wants every part of her, including her heart. When Satine protests that she does not "fit in" with his upper-class Parisian society, he changes her image against her wishes ("Only Girl in a Material World"). The Duke continues to influence Bohemian Rhapsody's creative aspects, frustrating Toulouse. It becomes clear that the show is a metaphor for Christian, Satine, and the Duke, who, upon realizing this, threatens to stop funding the show entirely. Zidler reminds Satine that she alone can satisfy the Duke. Satine's illness worsens, but she urges her colleagues not to share that she is sick; she wants to fight to keep the Moulin Rouge and the play alive.
Toulouse and Santiago urge Christian to forget Satine and move on. Christian drinks absinthe, imagining Satine as The Green Fairy ("Chandelier"). He expresses jealousy and anger that Satine is with the Duke instead of him, ignoring Zidler's warning that loving a prostitute "always ends badly" ("El Tango de Roxanne"). At his castle, the Duke tells Satine that he will have Christian killed if she chooses him. Christian tries to convince Satine to leave with him, singing their secret song. Knowing that Christian would be killed if she says otherwise, Satine tells him she does not love him. Christian leaves.
In despair, Christian loads a prop gun with real bullets, planning to commit suicide on stage during the show's opening night. Meanwhile, Satine's illness worsens. Together, she and Toulouse confront the Duke, who leaves the Moulin Rouge before the performance begins ("Crazy Rolling"). As Satine performs, Christian enters and asks her to face him as he turns the gun toward himself. Satine sings their secret song, saving his life by revealing that she loved him all along. After a final song in which they confirm their love, Satine tells Christian to "tell our story" and dies in his arms ("Your Song" (reprise)). Christian declares that his and Satine's story will be remembered forever ("Finale (Come What May)").
Changes were made when adapting the film for the stage. The show-within-a-show is no longer the Bollywood-inspired Spectacular Spectacular but the more subdued Bohemian Rhapsody. Christian, now American rather than English, is the leading actor in the show and also composes it. Satine is portrayed as older and mentors her coworkers. She dedicates herself to the club's survival and finds the (now charismatic) Duke's offers
Productions
Moulin Rouge! was planned to begin preview performances on June 27, 2018, at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston. Delays during the theatre’s renovation caused the premiere to be moved to July 10. The production was directed by Timbers, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh, and included sets by Derek McLane, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting by Justin Townsend, and sound by Peter Hylenski. The cast included Tveit and Olivo as Christian and Satine, with Danny Burstein as Harold, Tam Mutu as the Duke, Sahr Ngaujah as Toulouse-Lautrec, and Robyn Hurder as Nini. The show closed on August 19, 2018.
The musical later opened on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre with the same cast and crew. Previews started on June 28, 2019, and the official opening was on July 25. The production was paused on March 12, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. At least four cast members later tested positive for the virus. Broadway shows remained closed until mid-2021.
To protest the lack of action regarding allegations against producer Scott Rudin, Olivo chose not to return. Natalie Mendoza, who played a can-can dancer in the original Luhrmann film, took over as Satine when the show resumed on September 24, 2021. Other cast members who replaced roles included Eric Anderson, Tituss Burgess, Robert Petkoff, Wayne Brady, Bob the Drag Queen, and Megan Thee Stallion as Zidler; JoJo, Solea Pfeiffer, and Meg Donnelly as Satine; Derek Klena, Casey Cott, Jordan Fisher, and John Cardoza as Christian; and Declan Bennett, Andy Karl, and Taye Diggs as the Duke.
The show is scheduled to close on August 30, 2026, after 24 previews and 2,297 regular performances.
The first Australian production began in Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in 2021. It moved to Sydney in May 2022 and returned to Melbourne in August 2023. The cast included Des Flanagan and Alinta Chidzey, with Simon Burke as Harold and Timomatic as Toulouse. The show closed on February 4, 2024.
The musical officially opened in the West End of London at the Piccadilly Theatre on January 20, 2022. Previews began on November 13, 2021. The production was delayed from March 2021 due to the pandemic in the UK. It received five Laurence Olivier Award nominations in 2022, including Best New Musical. The cast included Jamie Bogyo and Liisi LaFontaine, with Clive Carter as Harold, Jason Pennycooke as Toulouse, and Zoe Birkett as Arabia. Other cast members who replaced roles included Jamie Muscato, Natalie Kassanga, Alistair Brammer, and Dex Lee.
After pandemic delays, the first North American tour started at Chicago’s Nederlander Theatre on March 19, 2022. The cast included Conor Ryan and Courtney Reed, with David Harris as the Duke. Other replacements included John Cardoza, Kevyn Morrow, Robert Petkoff, and Jay Armstrong Johnson.
A Dutch production by Stage Entertainment began on September 19, 2024, at the Beatrix Theatre in Utrecht. The cast included Carlo Boszhard as Harold Zidler. The production won five awards at the Dutch Musical Awards Gala and was nominated for nine. It is scheduled to close on August 2, 2026.
The show began a world tour in the UK on April 22, 2025, at the Edinburgh Playhouse. The original cast included Verity Thompson and Nate Landskroner as Satine and Christian, Cameron Blakely as Harold, Kurt Kansley as Toulouse-Lautrec, German Santiago as Santiago, James Bryers as the Duke, Kahlia Davis as Nini, Summer Priest as Arabia, Ellie Jane Grant as La Chocolat, Scott Sutcliffe as Baby Doll, and Patrice Tipoki as the alternate Satine. The production uses the same creative team as the original. Stops outside the UK include Dublin and Zurich. The tour is directed by Timbers and choreographed by Tayeh, with sets by McLane, costumes by Zuber, lighting by Townsend, and sound by Hylenski.
On November 6, 2022, the first non-English production opened at the Musical Dome in Cologne, Germany, with dialogue and most songs translated into German by Ruth and Johannes Deny. As of 2025, over 1.1 million people have seen the production. A South Korean production ran in Seoul from December 2022 to March 2023. Hong Kwang-Ho and Lee Choong-joo alternated as Christian, while Ivy and Kim Ji-Woo shared the role of Satine. A Japanese production ran at Tokyo’s Imperial Theatre from June 24 to August 31, 2023. The double cast included Yoshio Inoue and Shouma Kai as Christian, Nozomi Futo and Ayaka Hirahara as Satine, Satoshi Hashimoto and Yuki Matsumura as Harold, Kanata Irei as the Duke, Masataka Nakagauchi as Santiago, and Kaede Kaga as Nini.
A Norwegian production opened on August 30, 2023, at Chateau Neuf in Oslo. It starred Sondre Lerche and Heidi Ruud Ellingsen, with Anders Baasmo Christiansen as Harold. A Danish production opened at Falkonersalen in Frederiksberg on September 7, 2023, and toured to Vejle and Holstebro. It starred Silas Holst and Sara Viktoria Bjerregaard, with Rasmus Bjerg as Harold and Andy Roda as Baby Doll. The production was planned to return to the Copenhagen Opera House in July 2025. A Swedish production played at Chinateatern in Stockholm, premiering on September 14, 2023, with Andreas Wijk and Marsha Songcome as leads, and Anton Ewald as Santiago. A Finnish production opened at Helsinki City Theatre on August 29, 2024.
Musical numbers
The musical's score combines original songs with well-known music. It includes songs written in the 17 years since the film's premiere.
† Songs from the 2001 film
‡ These songs are not on the cast recording
Moulin Rouge! The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) was released digitally on August 30, 2019. A CD version was released on October 25, 2019, and a vinyl version was released on December 13, 2019.
Reception
The Broadway production received some good and some not-so-good reviews.
In a very positive review, theater critic John Simon wrote, "If you enjoy exciting shows, Moulin Rouge! is the one for you. It is even more amazing than the Baz Luhrmann movie it is based on. The show keeps people amazed from beginning to end. It makes young people feel grown-up and older people feel young again." The New York Times named it a Critic's Pick, with Ben Brantley describing it as "a fun and energetic production."
Diane Snyder of The Telegraph praised the show's scenery, dance moves, and costumes. She said, "Moulin Rouge! may not be as deep as some other Broadway musicals, but it is fun, musical, and entertaining. That is exactly what people need right now." Erin Strecker of Mashable called it "the best example of a jukebox musical," which uses popular songs, and said it is full of color, music, and exciting ideas. Adam Feldman said the show looks and feels very expensive. Some critics liked the changes made from the movie. Patrick Ryan of USA Today said using recent pop songs helped make the characters more interesting and the love story stronger. David Cote of The New York Observer wrote that Logan's changes to the movie script were helpful and needed.
In a review that had both positive and negative points, Rolling Stone’s Brittany Spanos said the show felt disconnected in parts but praised its exciting moments. Charles Isherwood of Broadway News said the show is full of bright lights and big musical numbers, but it hides a weak and old-fashioned emotional story. Alexis Soloski of The Guardian said the main actors did not have good chemistry, but the show is still full of excitement, good dance moves, and colorful costumes.
According to Playbill, Moulin Rouge! earned about $2.2 million for the week ending October 13, 2019. By September 11, 2022, the musical had earned about $135.5 million, with 371,285 people attending 260 performances.