In general, I'm not a fan of movie-to-musical adaptations, but Baz Lurhmann's 2001 film
Moulin Rouge! was crying out to be a stage musical. Everything about it is big, bold, and theatrical, and it cleverly weaves pop songs into the storytelling (it's one of my favorite movie soundtracks). The only surprising thing is that it took 18 years for it to get to Broadway, where it won ten Tony Awards in the covid-shortened 2020 season, including best musical. And now, three years later, it has finally arrived on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis for a three-week stay. It's a successful adaptation of the movie, staying very close to the storyline of the passionate but doomed love story, and the group of misfits trying to save their community from the rich and powerful Duke. Like the movie, the stage musical also cleverly weaves pop songs, from a single line to the whole song, into the storytelling. Most of the songs from the movie are still there, with some fun additions. Like it was on the screen,
Moulin Rouge! on stage is big in every way - big emotions, big songs, big dance numbers, big hats, big set pieces - and the audience just laps it up. Visit the Moulin Rouge in Minneapolis now through June 5 (
click here for the official ticket site).
