Go to content

Moulin Rouge Review - Greasepaint and Stage Lights - Theatre Radio Show

Broadcasting on  Countywide Radio - Mondays at 4pm Acacia Radio - Mondays 9pm Affinity Radio - Mondays at 11pm Cirencester - Tuesdays at 2pm HWD Radio - Tuesdays at 6pm Forest FM - Tuesdays at 7pm South Devon Sound - Wednesdays at 11pm Cabin FM - Wednesdays at 6pm JHR Radio - Thursdays at 12pm Drystone Radio - Thursday at 12pm Islands FM - Thursdays at 8pm Red Road FM - Thursdays at 9pm Radio Hillingdon - Thursday at 9pm Sounds of Broadway - Various USA times South Devon Sounds - Fridays at 2pm Dover Radio - Saturdays at 2pm Elastic FM - Sundays 2pm Crystal Radio - Saturday at 5pm Cabin Fm - Saturdays at 5pm Image Radio - Saturdays 6pm Coast and County - Sundays at 9am Whaley Radio - Sundays at 10am Arrowesound - Sundays at 10am Barts Radio - Sundays at 11am West Norfolk Radio - Sundays 12 Noon KGH Radio - Sundays at 2pm Hereford Radio - Sundays 2pm West Surrey Radio - Sundays 2pm Humberwave Radio - Sundays 5pm Chiltern Voice - Sundays at 5pm Islands FM - Sundays at 6pm Canalside FM - Sundays at 6pm Beverley FM - Sundays at 6pm 3T FM - Sundays at 6pm Ribble Radio - Sundays at 6pm Meridian FM - Sundays at 7pm L35 Online Radio - Sundays at 8pm Guernsey Radio - Sundays at 9pm The Beat of South Texas - Various Times Phantom Radio - Sundays - 6pm West Wiltshire Radio - Sundays at 11am Conquest Radio - Sundays at 9am West Norfolk Radio - Sundays 12noon Shire Extra - Sundays 10am Swindon HBO - Sundays at 2pm Veteran Radio - Sundays at 2pm Beacon Radio - Sundays at 3pm Chiltern Radio - Sundays at 3pm County Sound - Sundays at 3pm ABC Radio - Sundays at 4pm Derwent Sound - Sundays at 3pm Hereward Sound - Sundays at 3pm Invicta Sound - Sundays at 3pm K-CBC - Sundays at 3pm Leicester Sound - Sundays at 3pm Marcher Sound - Sundays at 3pm Mercia Sound - Sundays at 3pm Penine Sound - Sundays at 3pm Radio Broadland - Sundays at 3pm Radio Hallam - Sundays at 3pm Radio Mercury - Sundays at 3pm Radio Victory - Sundays at 3pm Radio West - Sundays at 3pm Saxon Radio - Sundays at 3pm Souther Sound Radio - Sundays at 3pm Swansea Sound - Sundays at 3pm

Access menu ->
Skip menu

Broadcasting on  Radio Hillingdon - Thursday at 9pm Countywide Radio - Mondays at 4pm Coast & County - 97.4 - Mondays at 11pm Carillon Wellbeing Radio - Tuesdays at 5pm Cirencester HBO - Tuesdays at 7pm Forest FM - 92.3 - Tuesdays at 7pm UK Radio Network - Tuesday at 9pm Cabin FM 96.4FM - Wednesdays at 6pm Hastings Radio - Wednesdays at 9pm South Devon Sound - Wednesdays at 11pm JHR Radio - Thursdays at 12pm Drystone Radio 103.5 - Thursday at 12pm Red Road FM - 102.4 - Thursdays at 9pm Sounds of Broadway - Various USA times Illuminate Radio - Saturday at 4pm Crystal Radio - 107.4 - Saturday at 5pm Conquest Radio - Sundays at 9am Coast and County - Sundays at 9am Whaley Radio - Sundays at 10am South Wales One - Sundays at 4pm Barts HBO - Sundays at 11am KGH HBO - Sundays at 2pm Hereford HOB - Sundays 2pm Storm FM - Sundays at 7PM West Hull FM - 106.9 - Sundays 5pm Islands FM - 107.9 - Sundays at 6pm Canalside FM - Sundays at 6pm Meridian FM - 107 - Sundays at 7pm Rural Radio UK - Sundays 7pm Basingstoke Radio - Sundays at 8pm Guernsey Radio - Sundays at 9pm LCR FM - 103.6 - Sundays at 11pm South Devon Sound - Fridays at 1pm HWD Radio - Tuesdays at 6pm KGH - Thursdays at 7pm London Wide Radio - Various Times Islands FM - Thursdays at 8pm South Devon Sound - Friday 2pm JHR Radio - Fridays at 4pm

Skip menu

Moulin Rouge Review

Moulin Rouge (New Cast)
Picadilly Theatre - West End
(Review complete)

Will it be as good as the film? Do you have to have seen the film to ‘get it’? Will it translate onto the West End stage? All questions floating around in my head as I sat in my theatre set. Before me was a ravishingly, spectacular set and a massive Moulin Rouge neon sign, bright red facing me and the audience. I look up to my left and there is the front end of a very large grey Elephant towering over the stalls. And to my right a working windmill, with spinning blades.  As I settle down, the cast come onto the stage while a repeated sound riff brings the ambience of a Montmartre night club. The audience gather and the cast roam the stage looking glitzy and intense. Then suddenly a young man, Christian (Jamie Muscato) appears on the stage. The music stops and the narration begins and so does the show!
Firstly, a little bit of context – The musical has been adapted from the Baz Luhrmann 2001 Twentieth Century studios film. Some of the songs from the film have been included such as the Love medley, Sparkling Diamonds and Your song from Elton John. But there are lots of new ones that pop into conversations at the drop of a hat. The story is about a Night club, that is on it’s last legs. Quite a few musicals seem to have this similar theme. Harold Zidler (Matt Rixon) is the owner and Satine (Melissa James) is the main singer. Christian has come from America to find fame as a song writer in France and falls head over heels in love with Satine on first sight. He attends one of the shows, with a view to audition one of his songs and therefore get the club to put on his musical. On his arrival to France, he meets up with two struggling artists and frequent visitors to the Moulin Rouge Toulouse-Lautrec (Ian Carlyle) and Antonio (Elia Lo Tauro).

Another frequent visitor to the club and a love interest for Satine is the Duke (Ben Richards). As Christian and the Duke sit either side of the stage watching the performance Harold Tells Satine that the Duke is the one to impress and that he could invest in the club and save it from closing. But as he is looking at the Duke stage right telling her to impress him and get to him invest in the club, she is looking stage left and sees Christian. And so the plot unfolds.
 
Harold invites the Duke to Satine’s dressing room in the Elephant (Strange place to have a dressing room). But Christian arrives first and as the confusion unfolds Toulouse-Lautrec and Antonio climb into the Satine’s dressing room through a balcony, there as moral support for Christian, to convince Satine to listen to Christian audition his song. But shortly after arrival, Harold comes in with the Duke and it gets evenmore confusing. However Christian and Satine, all team up to say that they are putting on a new show that they want to audition to the Duke and persuade him to invest in the show.
 
However following a subsequent conversation with Harold. The Duke states that to invest he wants to control the club and what goes on Including Satine. You following this? Harold has no choice but to accept his offer to save the Moulin Rouge.
 
As the show continues Toulouse-Lautrec becomes the Director, Antonio the Choreographer of an awful play. Over the top in it’s acting and soon artistic differences appear between Toulouse-Latrec and the Duke.
The Duke also finds out that Satine and Christian have become lovers and have been meeting secretly behind the Dukes back. He give Satine an ultimatum  end with Christian or he will to end her lovers life. She does so finish it with Christian. And then another twist.
 
Just before the show is about to have its first performance Satine is struck down with Consumption and has days to live. But she wants Christian’s music to be heard. She battles on, but dies on stage confessing her true love for Christian who holds her in his arms as she passes away.
 
Time passes by and the widow Christian, along with Toulouse-Lautrec and Antonio end up writing successful plays and helps Harold and saves the Moulin Rouge! That’s it in a nut shell.
I found the staging lavish, classy, in places over the top. The Choreography was sublime. The costumes were stylish and the songs OK in the sense that I could sing along, under my breath of course. Other reviewers seem to not rate it so high. Can’t see why. I enjoyed it for what it was 2 hours of complete escapism.
I enjoyed every minute of the show and so did my fellow audience members. The acting was superb, the singing of Christian was exceptionally impressive. What a voice! Harold Zidler was over the top and I loved his performance. The Duke was class, but was so enjoying himself at the end.
 
All in all a fantastic night out and I would go back again and again in a heartbeat.
Well done the new cast, musicians and crew. You have fitted in well and have made each performance your own. Long may it run.
 
If you get a chance to go to London, please do pay a visit to the Moulin Rouge! You will not regret it.

 
for me! 6 stars if I could.

Reviewer: Mark Bilsby
 
Greasepaint and Stage Lights

Email: musicals@btinternet.com
website: www.greasepaintandstagelights.co.uk
Skip menu
Back to content