Moulin Rouge (professional) reviews- Page 9

[IAMREADING]

Posted: 11/24/19 at 11:52pm

finally won the lottery. an extremely entertaining spectacle!

the opening number was WOW! it reminded me of the opening of the cher show in which you’re kind of in the audience of a cher concert and not a show about cher.. moulin rouge at times felt just like you were in the audience of the moulin rouge cabaret burlesque type show at the workplace musical centers around. it was very entertaining. i loved the dancing. not since chicago has there really been dancing i enjoyed watching this way and it made me excited for west side story.

when karen came down for Diamonds I was just in awe. really great. i also really enjoyed the act 2 opener and toxic. and when karen came into chandelier was so good. she’s a great dancer! this role seems exerting.

the audience did laugh at the beginning of almost every pop song sung seriously but it quiets down quick and it’s nice to hear these talented voices singing.

i agree that the ending is anticlimactic then the post ending number is wow high energy all over again.

i didn’t think about it during the show but reading your posts, i agree the stars don’t have much chemistry. but i found their plot to be the b plot to all of the pizaz.

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/22/20 at 12:49am

Saw it last night. (Tuesday) It was Burstein's first night back after surgery. I have always loved him and he did not disappoint.

I don't know if it was just this performance but the show, to me, lacks energy (in a lot of places), camp, bawdiness and playfulness. It has its moments. The Act II opener is a lot of fun. The Elephant Medley fell flat for me.

The sets and what they did to the theater are wonderful. The lighting is great also. I noticed that whenever they sang Lady Marmalade the music was always just a hair ahead of the cast's singing.

Every last person on the stage is talented. We had Amber on for Satine and I didn't miss Olivo at all. By mid Act I I was thinking I was not sure if I would even like Olivo in the role. Amber was excellent. Iam still scratching my head over Tveit's performance. It was one note all the way through. There was like zero chemistry between him and Amer. The man has golden pipes and you can see that he can move but there was just no emotion. In a few numbers he swiveled those hips and that was the most exciting his character got for me.

It already was not high on my list to see but I got invited to go and was certainly not going to pass up the chance! I do have to say I like what they did arrangement wise with some of the songs. I like the toned down version of Firework. And I was not looking forward to hearing that song! Chandelier was a lot of fun also. Allin all itwas just ok for me. I left the theater a little numb from the lack of energy but the sensory overload of the sets, lights and music. JMO

We had VIP room invitations. I had no idea this room existed in the theater. It is in the mezz at the end on the left. Really nice room with private bathrooms. So no lines at intermission. A drink and snacks were included.

If you don't want to get screamed at, put your phone/camera away as soon as the cast comes out pre-show. They encouraged pictures prior to them coming out, at intermission and at the end where they said you could film the final number if you wanted. They also didn't really rush you out of the theater at the end as people were taking tons of selfies with the stage in the background.

Updated On: 1/22/20 at 12:49 AM

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/19/20 at 2:12am

Saw Moulin Rouge! tonight. Ashley Loren was in as Satine.

This time I was Row E Center Orchestra thanks to dynamic pricing and it being February. Last time I was left mezzanine. It was thrilling to see the show from so close but I think it’s best viewed on your first trip from the mezzanine as it offers a better view of the grandeur of the production. Still, from the preshow through Truth Beauty Freedom Love, I was in pure euphoria.

Regarding performances, I found Loren’s Satine too vanilla, especially during Act 1. She was more Grease’s Sandy when she needed a bit more Sally Bowles. She sings lovely, but I missed Karen Olivo’s powerhouse vocals as well as her ferocious fierceness. Not for one second, did I believe this Satine had been pimped out by her father at 13. Doing a small survey in the line to the men’s room and at stage door, it seemed others who’ve seen Olvo agreed.

From Row E, it is more apparent that Aaron’s performance isn’t over-the-top like everyone else’s (minus Loren’s). This muted his performance at first. However, his (and Loren’s) Your Song still elicited tears (some may recall my personal reaction to this song), but nowhere near the uncontrollable tears during my first viewing. I also loved their Elephant Love Medley more than the first time. I was in the minority in that I did feel Tveit/Olivo did have chemistry on my previous visit, but as Act 1 built, I did feel Tveit/Loren also had chemistry.

Before I move on to Act 2, a note about Danny Burstein. Just give the man his damn Tony now. He was over-the-top in full emcee mode when the show called for it, but also gave a smaller, more grounded, nuanced performance when called for. Given what we know he is dealing with in his marriage, I just couldn’t love him and his committed performance more.

Now Act 2: Wow. Just Wow. Backstage Romance is the most euphoric moment, especially from Row E, I’ve ever experienced in a theater. El Tango De Roxanne isn’t far behind. Also, Loren’s different take on Satine played better in Act 2. I started off with controlled sobbing then uncontrolled sobs (this is more than I recall last time) at Satine’s death/Your Song reprise/Come What May. Maybe Loren's less gritty perfect is the reason. I don’t know.

Obviously, we still have shows yet to open (I see Six next Friday), but I still think one shouldn’t rule out Moulin Rouge’s chances of winning more than technical awards at the Tony Awards in June.

Merchandise Booth: I bought the bracelet and for $5 more they threw in the L’Amour necklace.

Stage door: Robyn Hurder, Tam Mutu, Ashley Loren, and one member of the ensemble came out and signed.

Audience behavior: i think the show encourages laughter at recognition of known songs, so that doesn’t bother me so much. When things get more serious in Act 2, this stopped. However, the talking to their seat mates whenever these songs began did bother me a lot. Unfortunately, these people were invariably in the rows behind me and I can only hear them during the quiet moments so if I said anything there’s a chance the cast members would’ve also heard. Also the lady and her boyfriend who kept eating their red licorice during quiet moments in Act 1 out of a wrinkly package needed to stop. Being so close to the stage, it was tempting to mouth along to the lyrics early on in act one but I soon controlled myself. However when I talked to a couple and their daughter at stage door, they were sitting next to people who were singing fall out especially during Crazy Rolling.

Glad I saw it again tonight. Even missing Olivo’s grittier performance, I still had a great time.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 2/19/20 at 2:35am

Hadn't seen this thread in a little while, but if anyone missed Aaron Tveit playing a game of Song Association with Elle, here it is. I'm surprised the word ''song'' didn't prompt him to sing ''Your Song,'' but he does do snippets of other tunes from ''Moulin Rouge!''

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apE9FzI0VXQ

Updated On: 2/19/20 at 02:35 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/19/20 at 8:49am

I caught Moulin Rouge! for the third time a few weeks ago. The show has only gotten better and better with each time I have seen it. The first 2 times I saw it, I found Olivo to be serviceable as Satine, but she did not wow me. When I saw the show for the third time, she was firing on all cylinders. She was sexy, sultry, and just delectable. I'm not sure what changed, but it truly felt like an entirely different performance.

[ellbellthomps]

Posted: 2/26/20 at 9:26am

I saw the show the 19th, and Karen was out. (FYI, I saw her in it back in august). I loved Ashley. The only gripe is that she seemed too young & beautiful for this to be her "last" shot at making it. Karen reads much older, because she is, so it makes more sense. 

[rkade21]

Posted: 4/15/20 at 10:51pm

I saw it on the first night of previews and disliked it quite a bit, just starting to get interested in giving it another shot in case of changes made during previews, when shutdown hit.

Way way wayyyyy to many songs. And corny. I don’t need to hear a big emotional climax break into Katy Perry’s Firework, and I never needed to hear Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy again. I loved the movie and thought all of Your Song, Elephant Medley, Roxanne, and Come What May fell flat and were without heart. They made the show so campy and stuffed woth so many “Now! That’s What I Call Music 1-73” greatest hits that i longgged for more story and dialogue.

Burnstein - Great
Olivo/Tveit - flat performances
Rest of principals were solid
Ensemble/Dancing and overall spectacle was the best part
Stage incredible

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/15/20 at 11:37pm

Kinda sounds like you don't want to see it again.....

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/17/20 at 12:59pm

rkade21 said: "I saw it on the first night of previews and disliked it quite a bit, just starting to get interested in giving it another shot in case of changes made during previews, when shutdown hit.

Way way wayyyyy to many songs. And corny. I don’t need to hear a big emotional climax break into Katy Perry’s Firework, and I never needed to hear Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy again. I loved the movie and thought all of Your Song, Elephant Medley, Roxanne, and Come What May fell flat and were without heart. They made the show so campy and stuffed woth so many “Now! That’s What I Call Music 1-73” greatest hits that i longgged for more story and dialogue.

Burnstein - Great
Olivo/Tveit - flat performances
Rest of principals were solid
Ensemble/Dancing and overall spectacle was the best part
Stage incredible
"

see something new when BWAY reopens after Labor Day