Moulin Rouge (professional) reviews- Page 5

[djoko84]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 12:48am

dmwnc1959 said: "I’m still about two weeks from my third trip to NYC and I’m slowly getting VERY excited about this.I’ll also need to start listening to the Hadestown OBCR again since I’m seeing it too. It’s a shame that the Moulin Rouge! cast recording won’t come out until after I’ve seen the show. Ah, but it’ll make for good memories! Not sure how many souvenirs I’ll buy but I’m not digging the window card at all. Do love the coffeemug and shot glasses though. :)"

Why is it a shame if you haven't seen the show yet? You don't know if you'll like it. Unless, you're like the rest of the fangirls on here who will like anything they see.

[djoko84]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 12:50am

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "So disappointed I missed Nicole by a day.

Moulin Rouge was "spectacular, spectacular" and everything I was hoping for it to be.Aaron was the perfect and cutest Christian. Karen's Santine is so much more outgoing than Nicole, so it took a while to get used to it.Karen's voice is incredible. Legit the best voice I've heard on Broadway. Her Diamond Medley blew me away.But, Danny Burstein and Sahr Ngaujah were my favorite parts of the show. Danny is so stunning as Zieglerand will hopefully finally get his Tony next year. Sahr was so warm and comforting as Toulouse. His scenes with Tam and Aaron were great. I can easily picture him getting nominated.

Roxanne and Bad Romance were just as incredible as they were hyped to be and I had the biggest smile during the former. Aaron nailed it.Also, an additional scene has a great reference to the movie. So surprised they crammed that one movie part in how minor it was. Those who have seen it know what I mean.

So sorry about early Tony predictions, but I can easily picture Moulin Rouge sweep all of the creative design Tony nominations, along with Best Cherography and possibly Best Featured Actor for Danny or Sahr."

Didn't you start the Page Six thread calling that article slut-shaming and then every single person commented that you were totally wrong and out of your mind? Yeah, I'll take this with a grain of salt.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 5:42am

djoko84 said: "Why is it a shame if you haven't seen the show yet? You don't know if you'll like it. Unless, you're like the rest of the fangirls on here who will like anything they see."

 

I’ll assume you’re talking about my mention of the OBCR.

There’s been reference to some songs in the show of which I’ve never heard before (Firework, Chandelier, and Bad Romance, for example).

In the past I’ve always enjoyed listening to cast recordings before the show (this is MY personal preference, and there’s already been a thread where it’s been discussed ad nauseam) so that I can better understand the lyrics, since sometimes the enunciation and diction are quite lacking. Or maybe the orchestra (sound tech) plays loudly over the songs, or there’s someone talking behind me and I miss a line. 

This helps me enjoy the show much easier when I’m not straining to understand what’s being sung, and I can focus more so on the sets, acting, spectacle of the show.

 

And I’ll edit this post to add that the more I read...

Unless, you're like the rest of the fangirls on here who will like anything they see...

...that I completely resent the phrase and your attempted grouping of me into something called fangirls.

You don’t know me.

And the complete undertone of your post, casual reference, insinuation, and slur are personally insulting. 
 

Updated On: 8/13/19 at 05:42 AM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 8/19/19 at 3:41pm

Surprise! John Simon gives ''Moulin Rouge!'' a rave review.

''If you like splash, “Moulin Rouge!” is the show for you. Even more than the Baz Luhrmann movie, on which the musical is loosely based, it can hold your wonderment without abate from start to finish. … This is a show to make the young feel mature, and the old blissfully young again.''

http://uncensoredsimon.blogspot.com/2019/08/moulin-rouge.html?m=1

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/21/19 at 11:07pm

Saw this tonight. Pro tip: if you want to see this show and not break the bang, hang before right before curtain and get on Stub Hub! Got a great seat for $70. And was totally worth it.

Alex Timbers nails the direction. And I thought Danny B was quite entertaining. But other than that, eh? I found the two leads rather wooden and boring. There was no excitement, no connection. Olivia at least, I thought, delivered a great performance acting and singing and dancing. Aaron...oof. He’s got a great voice, but his acting is just painful. The show starts with this huge number and then the show comes to a halt during his monologue. He was just sooooo low stakes. I mean the ending was almost laughable at how small he played everything. It was baffling. Did he not know it’s a melodrama?

I also think the use of songs keeps the audience at a distance instead of wanting to emotionally invest in the show. But totally worth seeing. The ensemble is fantastic. And gorgeous design and direction. It almost feels like every song is trying to be a show stopper and some fail: “shut up and dance with me.” But still would recommend!

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 8/21/19 at 11:12pm

djoko84 said: "Didn't you start the Page Six thread calling that article slut-shaming and then every single person commented that you were totally wrong and out of your mind? Yeah, I'll take this with a grain of salt."

Fair enough, even though the article was awful in my eyes. I respect this post.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 8/28/19 at 5:59pm

I’m first in line at the Al Hirschfield and the line is already long for the 7pm performance. Yea!!! They’re going to let us in around 6:20pm. Want to take LOTS of pictures. Didn't sign up for the VIP room experience. Oh well. I’ll try and peak in there at intermission. I have seat G1 in the mezzanine. VERY EXCITED!

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 8/28/19 at 6:54pm

I’m glad I got here really early. Being first in the door allowed me to take lots of pics from the Orchestra and Mezzanine sections. About 20 minutes before the show begins they actively begin asking people to take no more pictures. Then the cast started coming out in lingerie and corsets. Wow.

The droning music being played is actually more annoying than what I heard at Beetlejuice! Sort of. lol  

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 8/28/19 at 6:56pm

Another quick note: from my seat (Mez G1) I can see about 2/3 of the runway that leads out to the passerelle thing. Is that what’s it’s called?

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 8/28/19 at 10:24pm

Mixed feelings about this show. I’m waiting for the bus to arrive that’ll take me back to Pittsburgh. Been an incredible 16hrs of non-stop sightseeing and picture taking. Had a superb day. Will definitely write more about the show once I getting my thoughts together. This was my last trip for 2019 and a great day to go out with a bang! Other than the rain, of course. :)

[IHeartNY2]

Posted: 8/28/19 at 10:29pm

dmwnc1959 said: "Mixed feelings about this show."

lol, I saw this coming a mile away.

 

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 8/28/19 at 11:10pm

IHeartNY2 said: "lol, I saw this coming a mile away."

 

I heard that. lol Am I that transparent? 

Heading our of town. Looking forward to getting home. 

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 7:16pm

The sumptuous, extravagant, grandiose, lavish, over-the-top set design and lush interior decor of the theatre house for Moulin Rouge! are definitely the MOST visually stunning and impressive I have ever seen. When you walk into the theatre for the first time heading for your seat all you can saw is WOW! Just WOW! The windmill and elephant are so eye-catching you can’t help but admire how they, and everything else - the walls draped in gorgeous deep-red fabric, everything trimmed in gold and lights, the chandeliers, fanciful cherubs, and everything bathed in a red glow - all come together to make a first impression that blows your socks off.

I arrived at the Al Hirschfield way, way too early with the sole intent of being first in the door and taking a LOT of pictures from the mezzanine and orchestra levels - panoramics of the house, close ups of the trademark Moulin Rouge! spinning windmill and whimsical blue elephant from eye-level and below, that neon sign (that commands your attention from everywhere in the theatre), and of the Can Can tables. There’s even an insert in the program that welcomes you to take pictures. And the staff allow you to walk very freely about and take all the pictures you want until about 20 minutes from start-time...

...at which time female cast members dressed in the most erotic of lingerie, men in corsets walking arm in arm, some of them in tuxedos with long slender, fashionable cigarette holders gazing out into the audience, all of them not quite interacting but meeting eye-to-eye with you on occasion, aimlessly wondering about the stage and hanging around the cages set beside the windmill and elephant. Then out comes Aaron Tveit. And the show explodes in a barrage of sights and sounds that make your body come alive with energy.

Danny Burnstein is astounding as Harold Zidler, Moulin Rouge’s owner and impresario. It was simply a delight to watch him. Tam Mutu as Duke of Monroth really put on a show, almost second to none, with a cockiness and strut that outshined everyone when he was in stage. Karen Olivo as Satine and Aaron Tveit as Christian sing well enough, but they just never impressed me in their acting. Neither did Sahr Ngaujah (Toulouse-Lautrec), he was just annoying. So were Ricky Rojas (Santiago) and Reed Lumplau (Pierre). The acting in some parts was just bad. And I’m not talking about the pieces when they were rehearsing the play. That was actually funny. There was something about Karen Olivo and Aaron Tveit that just seemed like they were reading lines or telephoning in their performances. They just never really clicked with me. It was the first time in any show that I’ve never felt some sort of emotional connection to the lead actors. And with the amount of stage time they had, making some kind of connection is important. I know this isn’t a full blown dramatic play, and more a jukebox musical, but I expected some feelings. Nothing. 

Moulin Rouge! however still had quite a few scenes, sets, and musical number highlights that were simply amazing and fun. Satine’s descents from above were thrilling to watch, anytime the Can Can girls were kicking it, the set inside the Elephant was opulent, and the pitch to get the Duke to finance the new fake play was like watching an old Keystone Cops routine. Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!, The Sparkling Diamond, Firework, Backstage Romance, and El Tango De Roxanne were all extraordinary to see and hear. There is a lot going for this show.

But there just seemed to more more misses than hits. Personally I thought the constant, never ending tidbits of pop music songs and reference inserts grew really tiring really fast. I wanted to leave at the end of Act 1 but stayed just in case I missed something later, you know, especially the death scene ending.

About that ending. 

It was like a bad movie where a character just spills their guts and then flops over dead. There’s was no soul, passion, or intensity in that scene. She just flopped over dead. And I was sort of glad because it meant the show was over. But it wasn’t. The show closes with a speech about Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love. And then it doesn’t even stop there.

Out comes Harold Zidler and YES YOU CAN CAN CAN and the show EXPLODES all over again, like it was making up for a crappy ending. Then come the curtain call bows and final can-can dances which lead to a final explosion of confetti and streamers that actually have you leaving the show on an impossible high. Thirty minutes later I’m asking myself what the heck did I just see?

The Spectacular Spectacular was definitely all that. But when it sagged, it was just boring. Even the guy sitting next to me yawned and seemed impatient for the show to end.

I bought the souvenir program, magnet, and coffee mug (which is gorgeous). I’ll have to order the window card from Playbill or Triton Gallery since I couldn’t take it on the bus without risking damage.

And I guess the best souvenir of all are the pictures I have. The memories of the show however are just clouded in a sea of mind-boggling confusion. Would I see it again. Maybe. But only for the eye-popping visuals, and definitely not for the majority of the acting.

Updated On: 8/29/19 at 07:16 PM

[Impossible2]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 7:26pm

OUCH...

I'll wait til it's on TKTS x

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 8:24pm

Dmwnc1959 - While I agree with a few points you made (especially regarding the poor handling of Satine's death at the end), I still think I had much more positive reaction than you did both times I saw the show. I went in expecting an over the top spectacle jam packed with current and classic pop hits, and that's exactly what was delivered to me. There is not doubt that the show is all spectacle over substance, but I still found it to be very successful in what it set out to be - a fun, bombastic, and wildly entertaining evening.

 

[IHeartNY2]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 8:34pm

Like I said, saw this coming a mile away. There's definitely a trend on BWW...someone who thinks Hadestown is the second coming won't care for this. 

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 8:41pm

IHeartNY2 said: "Like I said, saw this coming a mile away. There's definitely a trend on BWW...someone who thinks Hadestown is the second coming won't care for this."

Why do you feel the need to swoop in and defend the show whenever anyone has something critical to say? You loved it, we get that. I didn't think Hadestown was the second coming, and it has nothing to do with the fact that the ending of Moulin Rouge! is HOT GARBAGE. If anyone is predictable, it's you, with your constant need to hear yourself talk.

Updated On: 8/29/19 at 08:41 PM

[IHeartNY2]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 8:42pm

Honestly, because I like to annoy you!

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 8:47pm

IHeartNY2 said: "Honestly, because I like to annoy you!"

Great reason. Thanks for clearing that up.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 8:49pm

IHeartNY2 said: "Like I said, saw this coming a mile away. There's definitely a trend on BWW...someone who thinks Hadestown is the second coming won't care for this."

I loved both Hadestown and Moulin Rouge! for different reasons.

[Azbroadway16]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 10:22pm

I saw both (Hadestown and Moulin Rouge) last Wednesday and loved both. They are both very different and that doesn’t mean one is more enjoyable than the other. I think it’s a great thing to see 2 shows and have a different great feeling for both. That is what entertainment is all about!

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 10:24pm

IHeartNY2 said: "Like I said, saw this coming a mile away. There's definitely a trend on BWW...someone who thinks Hadestown is the second coming won't care for this."

 

I didn’t say Hadestown was the second coming. I’ve enjoyed all sorts of shows: from Beetlejuice and The Book of Mormon to The Play That Goes Wrong and Harry Potter, The School of Rock to Something Rotten, and An American in Paris to Kinky Boots. I don’t think The Band’s Visit was the second coming either. But I enjoyed it a LOT more than I did My Fair Lady. 

Yes, Moulin Rouge! is most definitely style over substance. I probably should have remembered that fact going in the door. And the fact that I said I’d maybe probably want to see it again but only based on the stye and not substance indicates I didn’t hate it. The show is hot, and the ending (you know, the third to last ending, the death scene) is hot garbage. It can be both. It’s flashy with bad acting. And it can also have both of those factors. It’s an over the top spectacle that achieves spectacle. And that’s what it’s there for. Not to inspire me and evoke deep soul-stirring feelings. 

Hadestown was simple, sublime, and poetic. It was brilliant. And it achieved something Moulin Rouge! could never do: Have a soul without selling it. But there’s nothing wrong with whatever show you like. Just don’t mock me or my taste for the ones I do. 

 

 

Updated On: 8/29/19 at 10:24 PM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 11:11pm

I agree with Azbroadway16 AND Bwayphreak234: I love ''Moulin Rouge!'' and ''Hadestown'' … for different reasons. They excel and soar in their own ways. And I don't feel I need to pit them against one another. For me, they also are showcases of fine acting and visual and vocal virtuosity. 

As for the person who's waiting for ''Moulin Rouge!'' to appear at TKTS, don't expect that anytime soon. It's a hot ticket that's currently the second highest-grossing Broadway show, topping $2 million. It's second only to ''Hamilton,'' and doing 114% of its gross potential. Its average ticket price is $200.

Updated On: 8/29/19 at 11:11 PM

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/29/19 at 11:33pm

I agree: great spectacle but some of the worst acting I’ve seen on a broadway stage.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 8/30/19 at 12:18am

The OBCR is officially out!