Harold Zidler, your host for the evening of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” peeks his rouge-stained face out from between the large red curtain.
A maniacal cross between the Wizard of Oz, a Cirque du Soleil clown and the cynical emcee from “Cabaret,” Zidler extends his welcome to the audience (his “chickens”), who have been thrust into his Paris club (which is on the verge of bankruptcy) late in the 19th century.
“Welcome, you gorgeous collection of reprobates and rascals, artistes and arrivistes, soubrettes and sodomites. No matter your sin, you are welcome here.”
Amid a cacophony of thumping music, Zidler intones: “This is where all your dreams come true. You are the Moulin Rouge!”
This “Moulin Rouge!” version, which the national touring company has brought to Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday, March 17, is more of a trip down memory lane — the mixtapes of a recent (not current) present, of decades past and then even further back. A mashup of 70 songs (some performed in full, others only snippets) spanning 160 years of music.
Using the same formula as Baz Luhrmann’s iconic 2001 film, the musical has updated its catalog. The Broadway show opened 18 years after the movie, so a revise was in order.
It retains some of Luhrmann’s soundtrack, including Jacques Offenbach’s “Can Can,” Madonna’s “Material Girl,” and “Roxanne” and “Every Breath You Take” from The Police. But “Like a Virgin” is out.
Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade / Courtesy
The cast of the North American Tour of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” which is part of the Broadway in Fort Lauderdale season. (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade/Courtesy)
Elton John’s “Your Song,” which has a reprise, is one of the constants. The storyline gives the lead character credit for having penned the lyrics as he sings to his beloved: “How wonderful life is while you’re in the world.”
There’s a trio of Rolling Stones hits, but Nivana is out. Plenty of updates up the ante on the surprises: Katy Perry’s “Firework,” Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” Sia’s “Chandelier,” Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” and Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.”
(As of yet, no Taylor Swift songs, despite the Eras Tour phenomenon. But with the popularity of both the musical and Swift not abating anytime soon, we wouldn’t be surprised. May we suggest “Champagne Problems”? After all, this is set in Paris.)
While “Moulin Rouge!” borrows from virtually everything — “La Bohème,” “Rent,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “West Side Story” (plus a mistaken identity twist that goes back even further than Shakespeare), the musical remains an eye-popping original. There’s spectacle at every turn. Catherine Zuber’s costumes and Derek McLane’s sets assure that.
The story follows an aspiring American writer/composer named Christian, played in the national tour by Christian Douglas, who is every bit a leading man with a tenor range that can sing everything from a Broadway classic to rock ‘n’ roll.
In Paris to pursue his dreams, he ends up quickly finding his muse at the Moulin Rouge! nightclub. Satine (Gabrielle McClinton) is a courtesan and the club’s main event, “The Sparkling Diamond.” McClinton gives the character a depth of vulnerability as she hides her illness from everyone who is depending on her, and she handles the pop score with ease. If only there were more sparks between her and Douglas.
Of course, there’s a mix-up. Satine thinks she’s meeting the Duke of Monroth (Andrew Brewer), who Zidler (Robert Petkoff) hopes will invest money and save the club — but it’s Christian she takes up to her elaborate boudoir, one of McLane’s many splendid set creations.
There’s also a subplot about a group of Bohemians who are trying to put on their own show led by Toulouse-Lautrec (a hauntingly good Nick Rashad Burroughs) and the Argentine tango dancer Santiago (the scene-stealing Danny Burgos).
Santiago has also taken up with one of the Rouge dancers, Nini, played by Sarah Bowden, who leads the magnificent ensemble. All 18 deserve a mention for each is called on to perform spectacular feats, and they deliver. They wow at every turn, with splits, flips and provocative moves.
Bowden’s tango pas de deux with Burgos is breathtakingly sultry. Both make magic out of Tony Award-winner Sonya Tayeh’s choreography.
Many in the ensemble double in the singing ensemble, which also calls for vocal acrobatics.
A note: At the theater, while you’re chatting with friends or gathering for a selfie before the lights go down, don’t miss what’s already happening onstage. Some of the characters come out to play before the show, including two showgirls who perform a sword-swallowing act.
It’s a glimpse of what’s to come in the madcap “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.” And frenzied fun it is.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
WHEN: Through Sunday, March 17
WHERE: Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
COST: Tickets start at $45
INFORMATION: 954-462-0222; browardcenter.org
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