It was announced last week that the Broadway smash hit Moulin Rouge would be making its way to this side of the pond; and though we have to wait until 2021, I was overjoyed by the news, for two reasons: its at a theatre I really like in terms of my seat and as is common with many shows I come to love and adore, their being on Broadway means I can’t see them anymore as I’m unable to fly there – one of the things I hate most about my disability.

I love the 2001 film of course, but I think what they’ve managed to do with the musical is massively exciting – the mix of music, how the chosen songs seem to fit the story really well and so on. Just looking at stills from the Broadway version, it strikes me as a really bright and lavish production (seriously just google the set design in the auditorium, it’s STUNNING!) and I cannot wait to spend many a happy Saturday celebrating Freedom, Beauty, Truth and Love!

A note before I reveal my dream cast: the Broadway Cast album sparked off so many ideas for performers I love for these roles that some will feature two choices or honourable mentions, forgive me for my indecisive nature…

Christian

This is the role I struggled with the most, my choice of leading man changed with every listen! Eventually, I settled on: Matthew Croke

Matthew was most recently seen playing the titular role in the West End’s production of Aladdin. Ironically I saw his brilliant understudy Antony Hewitt in the role both times I visited Agrabah, but I firmly believe Matthew would be an incredible fit for our young idealist writer who falls for Satine. For me, his voice is wonderfully warm and rich and he has a wonderful gift for storytelling that I’d love to see in context, just listening to his debut album I go through so many intense emotions and he takes me right to the heart of the lyrics, or that moment in the show. I’ll leave this here to further my case, too 😉

 

Satine

Our leading lady, a courtesan and cabaret performer. Sassy, seductive and passionate, she prefers to be in control and certainly doesn’t plan to fall in love! Around Christian, she lets her guard down and shows she can be vulnerable, and that dynamic fascinates me. My choice for Satine: Shanay Holmes, came into my life very recently thanks to The Bridges of Madison County, where she played Marian. Though her role in that show was minor, she sang the hell out of her number and I think her voice is phenomenal; I’d love to see her as the “Sparkling Diamond”, a role I sense she could have a lot of fun with and get her teeth into!

The Duke

As is my custom, I find myself drawn to the villains in musicals, I just find them more exciting and in my opinion they have the best tunes! The Duke is no exception to my rule, on both counts. He’s incredibly suave and charming, but dangerous if crossed. Over on Broadway, he’s currently being played by one of my absolute favourite performers, Tam Mutu. I miss him being on the West End terribly, but I’m always proud to see him doing well across the pond!

My first thought for the Duke is Dan Burton. I last saw Dan playing Tulsa in Gypsy, forever ago; and I’d love to see him sing a different style of score – the Duke has the likes of the Rolling Stones & Rihanna to sing, after all! Having also seen him play Earl in The Pyjama Game, I know for a fact he can pull off charming with complete ease, but I’d love to see him go to darker and edgier places.

My other thought for the Duke is the “obvious” choice to anyone that knows me: Hadley Fraser. He’s wonderful at darker roles in my opinion and it’d be fun to see him show the Duke’s swagger, and like Dan, to hear him sing a totally different music style!

Henri de Toulouse Lautrec

The very first time I heard “Nature Boy” as it is here, my mind went to Waylon Jacobs, who I last saw as Burr in Hamilton. I think he has an incredible voice and as a performer I love watching him as he’s so expressive; the smallest gestures mean so much and it’s a joy watching him play off and react to other actors. The first time I saw Waylon was when he was understudying the role of Gator in Memphis, and I was astonished by the depth and sensitivity he gave to a role that was relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, his performance actually was one of my favourite things about the show. I think he could bring real warmth and wit to the role of one our beloved Bohemians!

 

Santiago

Aside from The Duke, Santiago has some of my favourite musical moments in the entire show. This choice was again an easy one for me – Cameron Blakely. I adore Cameron’s comic timing and think he’s incredibly charismatic, and I learned recently after seeing him in The Addams Family as Gomez that he can Tango with best of them!

 

Harold Zidler

This is another where I’ve doubled up – I couldn’t choose between these two for the life of me! My instant thought for the role of Harold Zidler, the larger than life owner of the Moulin Rouge is Peter Polycarpou – not only do I think he is incredibly funny, but he’d bring depth and layers to the character that would make him so much more than he first appears.

 

Technically I can’t take credit for my other choice of Zidler, my friend Olivia mentioned him to me and now I literally can’t get the idea out of my head! Douglas Hodge, who I last saw in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a fair few years ago now, I miss seeing him on stage so much! I think his stage presence is second to none and him singing Zidler’s songs would be worth the ticket price alone!

As always, these are just a bit of fun, but who knows? One of my Waitress picks came true very recently…