Posted: 9/17/22 at 2:52pm
Sometimes, a traveling production can look like a cheap knockoff of the Broadway original. Not ''Moulin Rouge!'' The national tour is a knockout. Over the previous weekend, it opened at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco to rave reviews. Lily Janiak in the S.F. Chronicle called it ''the musicaliest musical ever.'' And it looks just as flashy and as splashy as the 10-time Tony-winning version in New York. It's an explosion of music, scenery, costumes and lighting. It even features a big red, rotating windmill and addresses the blue elephant in the room.
Alex Timbers' dynamic direction coordinates it all into one spectacular stage picture, which frames an incredible cast. Austin Durant dazzles at Harold, the entertaining emcee, and Courtney Reed shines and shimmers as Satine. But to me, the real standout is Conor Ryan as Christian, whose beautiful voice soars in his solos and adds mellifluous riffs. Plus, he has such a sexy chemistry with Reed. And the dancing is on fire, set to Sonya Tayeh's sizzling choreography.
I've now seen ''Moulin Rouge!'' multiple times on Broadway, but this tour still wows me with its showmanship and fun pop-music mashups, which range from the Beatles to Beyonce. It's such a crowdpleaser. My audience shot up from their seats the second the curtain call began and stayed on their feet, roaring and cheering all the amazing actors. ''Moulin Rouge!'' sure knows how to paint the town red. Bravo!
P.S. Below is video of Conor and the touring cast performing ''El Tango de Roxanne'' on James Corden's ''The Late Late Show.'' Conor recently posted on his Instagram that he won't be doing Sundays to save his voice. However, I've also heard terrific things about Jack Cahill-Lemme, who's gone on for him. Small world, but Jack was a finalist at the 2016 Jimmy Awards, for top high-school musical-theater performers, and one of their coaches was Karen Olivo, the future Satine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ2unmcgfW4
Updated On: 9/17/22 at 02:52 PM
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