MOULIN ROUGE! Reopening Night Thread- Page 6

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 5/10/22 at 8:22pm

Updated On: 5/10/22 at 08:22 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/10/22 at 8:25pm

Any intermission reports on Derek Klena as our new Christian?

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 5/10/22 at 8:33pm

Break a leg to Derek Klena! I'll hope he can-can-can captivate everyone as the new Christian in ''Moulin Rouge!'' Klena is joined tonight by Ashley Loren as Satine, Declan Bennett as the Duke of Monroth and Caleb Marshall-Villareal as Santiago.

On Sunday night (May 8 ), ''Moulin Rouge!'' had a stellar sendoff for Tony winner Aaron Tveit, Natalie Mendoza, Ricky Rojas and Tam Mutu. For Tveit and other original cast members, it was a 5-year culmination of workshops, tryouts, COVID and a triumphant return to Broadway. Here's video of their curtain call!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDbhuiV2ZqI

Updated On: 5/11/22 at 08:33 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/10/22 at 9:39pm

Their Instagram page is live for "More More More!".

[OldTheatreLover]

Posted: 5/11/22 at 4:58am

As Danny Burstein said, he's NEVER heard a voice more clear, powerful and faultless (paraphrasing) as Aaron Tveit's, so those are big shoes for Derek to fill.

[inception]

Posted: 5/11/22 at 9:29am

Looks like moderators removed two posts mentioning leaked audio of Derek Klena's first performance where he had vocal failures.

Before I spend $250+ to sit in the orchestra to see this again, I for one want to know if the new lead can actually sing.

I hedged my bets months ago when I bought Funny Girl tickets, & went with cheaper seats in the front Mezz for that.  But if it is the new standard for Broadway producers to hire people who can't carry a tune...

Updated On: 5/11/22 at 09:29 AM

[WesternSky2]

Posted: 5/11/22 at 9:55am

It's funny that those messages were deleted when many people discussed the leaked audios of Beanie on Twitter at length in the Funny Girl thread, and the moderators didn't bat an eye.

Derek Klena is a gifted performer who can more than carry a tune, but IMO, his voice type isn't a natural fit for this score. (From what I may or may not have heard, he's also singing at least one specific song a full step lower.) There is of course lots of time for any performance to improve! 

[Alyssa213]

Posted: 5/11/22 at 11:38am

I was there last night and it was rough. I'd wait. Maybe it was some first night jitters of him trying to replicate Aaron too much, but kind of baffled on the excellent comments he is getting on social media. He has been great in other things, but this just didn't do it for me. 

Ashley was phenomenal. The new Duke was good as well.  

[bwaylady3]

Posted: 5/11/22 at 1:19pm

No doubt, Derek had the jitters last night. No one can blame him there. It was a big night for him. But he will find his way.

Like the other actors playing this role have done, he just needs to take a step back, sing the role according to his strengths and not try to emulate what Aaron Tveit did. This includes trying to do the Roxanne opt up. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 5/11/22 at 1:25pm

inception said: "Looks like moderators removed two posts mentioning leaked audio of Derek Klena's first performance where he had vocal failures.

Before I spend $250+ to sit in the orchestra to see this again, I for one want to know if the new lead can actually sing.

I hedged my bets months ago when I bought Funny Girl tickets, & went with cheaper seats in the front Mezz for that. But if it is the new standard for Broadway producers to hire people who can't carry a tune..."

1)  Orchestra seats can be purchased starting at $69

2)  No, you do NOT have the "right" to view/listen to bootlegged materials before you purchase a ticket to anything.  Perhaps dial back the :"entitlement factor" by a few notches?

 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/11/22 at 2:14pm

WesternSky2 said: "Derek Klena is a gifted performer who can more than carry a tune, but IMO, his voice type isn't a natural fit for this score."

lol, these are still just pop songs. It won't destroy the integrity of "the score" to lower the keys.

[inception]

Posted: 5/11/22 at 5:32pm

JSquared2 said: 

1) Orchestra seats can be purchased starting at $69

Front center orchestra can not be had for $69


2) No, you do NOT have the "right" to view/listen to bootlegged materials before you purchase a ticket to anything. Perhaps dial back the :"entitlement factor" by a few notches?

I didn't say I want to listen to a bootleg.  But I don't like reports about how he can't sing the score being deleted.

How about you dial back, you...well just know that in my head I'm calling you all kinds of things that are inappropriate to post



"

 

[WesternSky2]

Posted: 5/11/22 at 7:43pm

VintageSnarker said: "WesternSky2 said: "Derek Klena is a gifted performer who can more than carry a tune, but IMO, his voice type isn't a natural fit for this score."

lol, these are still just pop songs. It won't destroy the integrity of "the score" to lower the keys."

Oh, absolutely, my note about the key being lowered was more just a point of interest, didn't mean to imply otherwise. My opinion on his voice type would stand even if the keys remained the same. I just don't think his voice is the right fit for a more pop/sometimes rock-inclined score. (That's just my opinion, though! I felt similarly when I saw him in JLP, though some of Alanis's music lent itself a little better to a more traditional musical theater sound.)

I agree with the other posters - he'd better serve the role if he sang to his strengths instead of trying to do exactly what Aaron did. 

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 5/11/22 at 10:05pm

Derek Klena's a Tony nominee for ''Jagged Little Pill'' and was the leading man of ''Anastasia'' on Broadway and ''Carrie'' Off-Broadway. ''Moulin Rouge!'' will be Klena's fifth Broadway credit, so, of course, he can carry a tune. ...

But the Tony-winning Aaron Tveit is a tough act to follow. Aaron's spent about 5 years on ''Moulin Rouge!'' from the workshops, Boston tryout and over 400 performances on Broadway, before and after COVID. The show was tailored for Aaron's vocals. And he was such a powerful performer and workhorse who seldom missed a show. In fact, Satine has an alternate in ''Moulin Rouge!,'' but I've always felt that Christian had the heavier workload, and HE oughta have an alternate. 

Surely no one expects Derek to master Christian's Herculean role impeccably on his first night! If keys need to be adjusted to show him off at his best and brightest, go ahead. I'd be happy to root for Klena's success: ''Rah, rah, rah, rah, rah!''

Updated On: 5/11/22 at 10:05 PM

[Noideawhatimdoinghere]

Posted: 6/3/22 at 3:02pm

Wait when/where did Danny say that?

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 6/3/22 at 3:38pm

Has anyone seen this lately? I’m wondering if Derek has settled in now since the early reports were saying he seemed to be struggling a bit vocally. 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/3/22 at 6:47pm

I saw the show recently and I’d say he’s settled in vocally. There seemed to be no struggle anywhere in the show.

His costumes and the Paris setting made it look like he was in Anastasia all over again.

[ATerrifyingAndImposingFigure]

Posted: 6/3/22 at 7:24pm

Wayman_Wong said: "Derek Klena's a Tony nominee for ''Jagged Little Pill'' and was the leading man of ''Anastasia'' on Broadway and ''Carrie'' Off-Broadway. ''Moulin Rouge!'' will be Klena's fifth Broadway credit, so, of course, he can carry a tune. ...

But the Tony-winning Aaron Tveit is a tough act to follow. Aaron's spent about 5 years on ''Moulin Rouge!'' from the workshops, Boston tryout and over 400 performances on Broadway, before and after COVID. The show was tailored for Aaron's vocals. And he was such a powerful performer and workhorse who seldom missed a show. In fact, Satine has an alternate in ''Moulin Rouge!,'' but I've always felt that Christian had the heavier workload, and HE oughta have an alternate.

Surely no one expects Derek to master Christian's Herculean role impeccably on his first night! If keys need to be adjusted to show him off at his best and brightest, go ahead. I'd be happy to root for Klena's success: ''Rah, rah, rah, rah, rah!''"

Given Karen Olivo’s known disdain for the Broadway workload, I’m guessing the decision to give Satine an alternate and not Christian wasn’t because they determined the former was the more demanding role, but just because she pushed for it while Tveit didn’t.

[THDavis]

Posted: 6/5/22 at 11:44pm

Saw the show this evening. My only other time was pre-COVID with Tveit and Olivo. 
 

I thought Klena and Loren were fantastic. Klena brings a similar eagerness and wholesomeness to Christian as he does to many other roles, but it gives him a level of likability that I never felt with Tveit. He did sound a bit sick tonight with a slight raspiness every now and then, but he sang with tremendous power and control. 
 

Loren - WOWZA!! What an incredible talent. I didn’t recall Satine having as much presence or power onstage when I saw the show prior. 
 

By no means my favorite show (while I enjoyed it this evening, I find myself rolling my eyes often), I have to say it’s in great shape and the touristy audience eats it up. 

[FamilyBroadway09]

Posted: 6/6/22 at 9:09am

We watched the show in London last night -- and yikes. Liked the show on Broadway but that WE cast really managed to kill all the emergy the show had on Broadway

[Philly Theater Girl]

Posted: 6/6/22 at 3:16pm

I think it was at Broadway Con 2020 that Danny said something like he's never seen anyone like Aaron. He's always been very complimentary when speaking of Aaron and the rest of the cast but I don't recall him saying anything in particular about Aaron's voice.

[singer234]

Posted: 6/6/22 at 5:05pm

I love this show but was pretty disappointed seeing the new cast. Ashley and Derek’s chemistry is literally non existent. Like…I can’t even describe it because it just wasn’t there. At all. I almost forgot it was a love story. I felt more of a connection between Satine and the Duke. I actually sort of felt bad for the Duke at the end-Declan was incredible. Ashley can sing her face off, but her performance was basically dead eyes 100% of the time for me. Derek sounded great but was doing “cute boy” shtick until the end when I guess he decided making a pained face and holding his head in his hands was acting. I hate to be this negative-like I said, I’m a big fan- but…this show does not work without a spark between the two leads. Felt like two actors who just got thrown together without even ever reading a scene opposite each other. Yikes.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 6/6/22 at 11:12pm

I'm looking forward to the new pairing of Ashley Loren and Derek Klena, and can't wait to hear them sing together. However, I also remember some folks on this board whining that Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo didn't have any chemistry, or that Aaron and Ashley didn't have it either, and I couldn't disagree more. 

As for Aaron's voice, here's a video in which Karen raves about his perfect pitch. There's also a snippet from the BroadwayCon session on ''Moulin Rouge!'' One of the panelists says of Aaron: ''He's got a unicorn [voice]. He never ever falters. ... It doesn't crack.'' And Danny Burstein adds: ''I was about to say that.''

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg4UYoA8WLw

Updated On: 6/6/22 at 11:12 PM

[florida theatre kid]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 4:27pm

Caught the show this past Saturday night June 18 for the first time since January 2020 and I have to say I think I loved it even more this time around. The original cast is still bringing it - especially Sahr who is just mesmerizing. Shoutout to the Lady M’s and especially Arianna Rosario who was on for Arabia. Ensemble is fire and the spark is still there. 

Eric Anderson puts on an incredible performance and I absolutely adored Derek Klena and Ashley Loren. I thought everything was there. They had excellent chemistry, they sound amazing together and both look like they love what they are doing. I loved Aaron and Karen but these 2 brought something new and special to the show for me. I’ll still be recommending the show to everyone going to the city for a long time now!

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 6/27/22 at 1:13am

New York Live: Meet Derek Klena and Ashley Loren in ''Moulin Rouge!''

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBQRwGo1IXg