Moulin Rouge the Musical is a visually stunning, extravagant musical. With amazing songs, staging and performances, it’s an amazing experience. Here’s my Moulin Rouge the Musical theatre review.
Overview of Moulin Rouge the Musical and Plot Synopsis
Moulin Rouge the Musical is first and foremost a love story. But there’s a lot more to it as well. My Moulin Rouge the Musical theatre review will give some plot spoilers – but the stage show is based on the famous film, so if you’ve seen the film then you’ll already be familiar with the plot.
Set in the bohemian heart of Montmartre, Paris, at the turn of the 20th century, Moulin Rouge the Musical follows Christian, a young American composer who arrives seeking artistic inspiration. He quickly befriends a group of eccentric performers and becomes entangled in the dazzling world of the Moulin Rouge cabaret – a famous night club in Montmartre, Paris. There, he meets Satine, the club’s star courtesan. The two fall in love. However, she is promised to the wealthy and possessive Duke of Monroth, whose financial backing is vital to saving the struggling venue.
As Christian and Satine secretly pursue their romance, they collaborate with the bohemians to stage a musical within the Moulin Rouge, cleverly disguising their love story as fiction. Tensions rise as the Duke grows suspicious, demanding Satine’s loyalty and creative control over the show. Meanwhile, Satine hides her worsening illness. And Christian becomes increasingly jealous and desperate, leading to emotional confrontations and dangerous stakes for everyone involved.
On opening night, the truth erupts on stage as Satine defies the Duke and reaffirms her love for Christian through their secret song. Their triumph is short-lived—Satine dies in Christian’s arms, leaving him heartbroken but determined to honor their story. The musical ends with Christian vowing to immortalize their love, echoing the bohemian ideals of truth, beauty, freedom, and love that defined their journey.
What I liked about Moulin Rouge the Musical
A visually spectacular show
I really enjoyed Moulin Rouge the Musical. From the moment you walk into the theatre, you know the show is going to be visually stunning. The theatre is decorated, with a giant elephant and windmill covering the boxes on either side of the stage. And the stage itself is a vibrant, decadent red colour. It’s one of the most impressive theatre decorations I’ve seen in any show.
Moulin Rouge the Musical starts with a really visually impressive opening scene as well. The show starts with the Moulin Rouge nightclub, with energetic songs and dances, including the famous can-can dancers. It’s a visually spectacular, high energy opening to the show. And you instantly know that the set and costumes in this show are going to be amazing. The costumes throughout the show are stunning, and you can see how much time and effort has gone into the costumes and set for this show. Satine’s entrance, on a swing high above the stage, is so impressive as well.
Songs and music
I really enjoyed the songs and music in this show as well. Moulin Rouge the Musical doesn’t have truly original songs. Instead, it uses popular songs, or mixes up a few different popular songs. The songs from the film are in the stage show, but there are lots of extra songs as well.
My favourite moments in the show were the romantic songs between Christian and Satine. I always love the romantic elements of shows, and this musical delivered these perfectly. The song ‘Your Song’ was just beautiful, and the ‘Elephant Love Medley’ at the end of the first half was beautiful. The set for this song was brilliant, and it was a great ending to the first half. In the second half, the song ‘Come What May’, which was performed in Christian’s apartment, was beautiful as well. And the reprise of these songs in the final scene was heart-breaking – I definitely had tears in my eyes in this final scene.
I also really enjoyed the fun, high-energy songs. The song ‘Shut up and dance with me’, near the beginning of the show, was great. This was followed by a beautiful performance of the song ‘Firework’ by Satine.
In the second half, I really enjoyed the performance of the song ‘Chandelier’. It’s sung when Christian’s friends are trying to cheer him up with some absinthe. It’s a really fun scene, perfectly showing the comedy duo that is Christian’s friends. There’s a subtle change to the song lyrics, and they sing ‘1,2,3 Drink!’. It’s funny, and I definitely won’t listen to that song in the same way again. The staging of this song is also really good, with lots of green light around the stage. And there are cool effects as well, where their drinking glasses have a green light when ‘full’, and then the light goes out when they do the shot. It was a really good, and memorable, scene.
What I wasn’t so sure about
I really enjoyed Moulin Rouge the Musical. There wasn’t much about the show I didn’t like. But the show does have a slightly weird style of humour, which some audience members might find a bit confusing. It’s a confusing show to put into a genre. In some ways, it’s a classic love story with a heart-breaking ending. But then there’s also a lot of humour, and it’s very funny at times. And there’s also quite a lot of weirdness and weird humour. It’s hard to describe it.
To me, it just about works – the weird humour is just about ok, and the beautiful songs and love story make up for any parts of the weirdness that I’m not so keen on. And I can see that the weird humour makes it a fun and slightly different show – it’s a bit different from the classic love stories on stage. But some people might find the weirdness a bit jarring and confusing.
The opening of Moulin Rouge the Musical is visually stunning. The opening scene, with all the dancers in the nightclub, is definitely an eye-catching opening of the show. But, if you’re not familiar with the plot of the show or the film, it could be quite confusing. The opening scene lasts quite a while. And it’s only after this that Christian addresses the audience and explains how he came to Paris, and what the Moulin Rouge really is. I think this opening scene works well, but only if you’re familiar with the plot and you’re not trying to work out what’s happening at the start of the show.
Would I recommend Moulin Rouge the Musical
My Moulin Rouge the Musical theatre review is really positive overall, so I would definitely recommend this show. It’s not a show that’s suitable for children, but it’s a great night out for adults of all ages. Moulin Rouge the Musical is a really visually stunning, extravagant show with amazing songs and a beautiful love story. And there’s some weird humour in the mix as well. It really is a great night out.
Hope you enjoyed my Moulin Rouge the Musical theatre review! Check out my other theatre reviews for more shows in the West End, across the UK and the world.
