After an impressive four years in the West End, and an incalculable number of can cans, Karis Anderson (of well-earned Tina – The Tina Turner Musical fame) and Alistair Brammer (Wicked, Miss Saigon) now lead this polished cabaret as lovers Satine and Christian, and they do not disappoint. Both offer flawless vocal performances in challenging roles and do miss a note in the ever-moving soundtrack.
The soundtrack itself is another matter. For those seasoned Moulin Rouge audience members, a new cast offers a glorious excuse to enjoy another guaranteed night of slick showmanship and sound in their favourite tunes, but what for newcomers?
Whilst Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film beautifully blended pop songs with film score, the musical feels less cohesive somehow. From Gaga to A-ha, the jukebox switches one too many times, the underlying musical themes lost amidst the speed of change.
The story is well drawn, keeping reasonably faithful to its cinematic predecessor. Sickly Parisian dancer falls in love with penniless songwriter, whilst trying to save her beloved bohemian family of misfits from impending penury and the wrath of their patron The Duke (played with delightfully sexy overtones by Ben Richards).
Every scene was choreographed to the nth degree, the set was firing on all cylinders, bustiers were flying high, but for me it lacked an undercurrent of desperation, of threat. The proportion of showmanship and camp was too high, and the artists weren’t raggedy enough for the mean Parisian streets. One would have preferred to see touches of venereal disease, scurvy, and bitterness. I felt like all these dancers were going home to loving families, and that’s not right.
Costume design was first-class and could be seen and enjoyed from the floor of the stalls to the ceiling of the grand circle – as it should be. Satine was particularly divine in a black number with a sheer dressing gown, but in some scenes the designs for the larger cast veered towards costume shop, more akin to the likes of the Moulin Rouge club in Paris as it exists now, minus the live snake and nudity (such a shame).
Ultimately, the spirit of Moulin Rouge is camp and cheesy, but this is no bad thing. Against the abyss of London’s pitch-black winter sky, the red glare of the Piccadilly Theatre is always a welcoming and warming sight to theatre goers braving the cold. As a jukebox musical, the whole thing feels strangely forgettable, but the production value is so high it’s never going to be a bad night out.
Moulin Rouge runs at The Piccadilly Theatre, booking into May 2026.
Book: John Logan
Music Orchestrations, Arrangements: Justin Levine
Scenic Design: Derek McLane
Fight Director: Sam Lyon-Behan
Tickets can be purchases from nationaltheatre.org.uk online.
