The stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 sweeping musical drama that celebrates Freedom, Beauty, Truth and Love: Moulin Rouge! took New York by storm when it opened in 2019, winning a mammoth 10 Tony Awards. It opened in July that year, and came into my life two months later. As I lay in bed on the 4th of September 2019 and pressed play on the Original Broadway Cast Recording, incredibly familiar, frustrating feelings reared their heads: here I was, yet again, falling hard for a show it would be impossible for me to see, it always stings where this happens, but this one cut a little deeper as one of my favourite performers currently plays The Duke on Broadway (not that I’m still not ridiculously proud of and pleased for him!) I just miss him and seeing him perform so much.

How lucky am I then, that Moulin Rouge! has finally made it over to our side of the pond, and now officially had its opening night (delayed twice due to COVID) I’ve been desperate to share my thoughts after seeing it last week as my first theatre outing of the year!

I remember how intense the speculation got about whether the show would open in the West End, and waited with bated breath as these conversations seemed slowly to be morphing into a matter of when, not if and then, most importantly from my point of view at least as a disabled patron: where would it make its theatrical home and would my view be good?

Close friends of mine will know that I spent a lot of my theatre time at the Piccadilly over the years Jersey Boys called it home. I love the space, and being really honest whenever I hear about a theatre being renovated to welcome a show, I’m slightly nervous as, in my experience these renovations can come at the expense of the really great wheelchair space (Victoria Palace, I’m looking at you, for example!), so when I phoned up to book my tickets for Moulin Rouge! and was told they had space in Row D of stalls, I snapped them up; and I can’t even fully articulate what it meant to me and how cool it was to experience this show from such a close vantage point.

The scenic design from Derek McLane made my jaw drop the second I wheeled into the auditorium: it’s so lush and opulent and feels like you’re actually transported back to the infamous nightclub. I had a bit of a giggle when I potentially figured out why the wheelchair spaces are now where they are: there’s a windmill up in one of the options! The elephant is truly a sight to behold, too, and there’s a catwalk around the stage that performers can use that really heightens the sense of intimacy, I get such a thrill being so close to a cast and knowing they can see you – as well as Nini, Babydoll & the Duke, I had a moment with Zidler that made my heart fit to burst with joy and grin like a masked Cheshire Cat!

Also from a design perspective, I adored Justin Townsend’s lighting- it’s really atmospheric and so full of character and colour, adding even more depth to some of my favourite moments: Roxanne, Chandelier and Rihanna’s Only Girl chief amongst on this score!

The entire production is definitely a feast for the eyes, and while no doubt I definitely found myself at a bit of a loss to know where I wanted to focus as there’s so much going on, I found it impossible to resist and just surrendered to the ride. The question now is, does it sound as good as I think it looked?

For me it did. I know jukebox musicals aren’t everyone’s cup of tea – two of my all time favourite shows fall into that category, and I think they can really work well. What I especially love about Moulin Rouge! musically is two fold: firstly, the sheer chutzpah at play: there’s I think somewhere around 75 songs encompassed in the piece, all from different eras and genres. That’s an incredible feat and I enjoyed seeing how many I recognised from the snippets & medleys throughout.

Fans of the film needn’t fear, the beloved Come What May remains, as does the iconic Elephant Love Medley (albeit with some fresh additions), and I got a chill hearing the opening riff of Lady Marmalade!

Secondly, some of the choices the team have made musically pure and simply captured me and I loved hearing them and seeing them play out in context: Harold Zidler bursting into Chandelier was the moment I never knew I needed, and a mashup of Adele & Gnarls Barclay: Crazy Rolling hit me right in the gut.

For someone who has wrestled with a love/hate with dance most of her adult life because of how her disability impacts her life and the frustrations that gives me, it never fails to amuse me that choreography is often the thing I look forward to when seeing shows, and Sonya Tayeh’s blows my mind. The energy, the sensuality, everything about it. For me, the act two opener: Backstage Romance is worth the ticket price alone, as is the opening number, and I’m a little sad I’ll never get to experience the rush of seeing these danced for the first time again!

I’ve said on record here and on the podcast numerous times that I consider myself a “plot fiend” – I thrive on and really connect with theatre that has a strong plot. I think it’s fair to say that the plot of Moulin Rouge! is rather thin – the glamourous Satine, star of the Moulin Rouge falls in love with Christian, a romantic idealist composer. Enter the manipulative Duke, who wants Satine for himself: classic love triangle ahoy… but where I felt the musical manages to elevate things is in terms of character, dare I say I found them to be a lot more interesting than their film counterparts! Part of that is down to Alex Timber’s direction that ensures every scene is packed with energy and vibrancy, and he knows how to get the best out of the cast: they are a tremendously talented bunch.

Though I had an actor I could see in my mind’s eye as Christian, I’m so thrilled the casting team went down the route of a West End debut: I connected with Jamie Bogyo’s spirited and endearing take on the character far more than I did in the film, and I look forward to seeing his career skyrocket. I loved his acting choices and there were moments for him vocally in the second act that gave me delicious chills and gasp in awe!

Starring opposite him is Liisi LaFontaine as Satine, the Sparkling Diamond of the Moulin Rouge. I didn’t get to see Liisi when she starred in Dreamgirls here, so immediately was struck by her charismatic, steely Satine, she has great presence, but there’s a determination and grit there that served the character well, and I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic she shared with Jamie’s sweet, impressionable Christian.

Clive Carter’s Harold Zidler came completely out of left field for me in the sense that I just didn’t know what to expect given that it was a total departure from the previous two roles I’ve seen him play; and I freakin’ adored every second of it. There’s an incredibly joyous, larger than life quality that Clive brings, and he definitely knows how to work and play to a crowd, but what I loved most is the balance he finds with warmth and sensitivity, particularly in his scenes just with him and Liisi’s Satine.

On record now, The Duke has my favourite song in the show, and I completely love the direction the musical takes the character in: I always found him a little bit oddly comedic in the film and couldn’t really take him in the spirit he’s probably meant. Simon Bailey brings a swagger and dark edge to the character that I fell completely in love with, and I love waiting for the “switch” from one element of his personality to the other, Simon’s wonderful at it and I got the sense he’s really enjoying playing the villain, which made me love his take all the more. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to come and see Simon work, so that means a lot too.

Elsewhere, I fell utterly head over heels for Elia Lo Tauro’s sensual yet wonderfully silly Santiago (his chemistry with Sophie Carmen Jones’s fiery, feisty Nini is a complete joy, plus a lovely full circle moment as Sophie was my Francine in Jersey Boys here!) and Jason Pennycooke shines as the revolutionary with a troubled soul, Toulouse Lautrec.

Rounded off by one of the strongest, most energetic and talented ensembles I’ve seen in a long time, Moulin Rouge has set the bar incredibly high for everything else I see this year: the joy and sheer buzz I got from it is still with me as intensely as it was at the time, and it’s the week after the event. I will have confetti in my lap, my wheelchair’s footplate and my handbag for days on end, (in fact at time of writing this last paragraph we just changed the cover on my wheelchair’s seat and were still finding pieces!) and I couldn’t care less... I’ll be spending as much time supporting this show as I CAN, CAN CAN!

For details and tickets:https://www.moulinrougemusical.co.uk/