Moulin Rouge Colonial Theatre Previews — Page 23

Ladybug101 said: "Dramamama611 said: "Chemistry isnt about whether they can cry, nor should it only be viewed from front row seats the entire theater would see/feel it."

I feel if someone like Rich found Karen and Aaron magical and moving -- then it is special. It may not be "chemistry" in the generic sense but here was a person who 1. a. loved the film so he was very invested in seeing what the musical could offer b. you have said previously you didn't like the film 2.a. he and his wife flew from Dallas, Texas -- he could have lots of money or just a goodly sum but he was willing to put out. You can't negate his feels.

A poster on this threadsaid something that really resonated with me. I think it was ahe who said that he thought they were fans of each other. Since I do backstories let me offer this. Both AT and KO said how much they really liked singing with each other; that onedidn't always have the opportunity to sing with someone that pushed you. Aaron also said he felt they had good chemistry. Oh, well.

A few posters have said KOhad better chemistry with the Duke and without seeing MR I probably agree. I have seen photos with Tam and Karen. As far back as the Lab she called him boo. In group activities (boat trip, Tony watching party, etc.) she and Tam would hang out while Aaron was with Sahr and Ricky as the 3 amis. At the Gala when people had a posed modulated smile for officialphotos, she and Tam were laughing together. They are great friends and I guess it comes thru in the performance.

Here are 2 more people from a different source than BWW that I found interesting in chemistry comments:

a.ElainefromMaine -- As a theatre director, and avid theatre goer, sadly the chemistry between Tveit and Olivio was sorely lacking. While Tveit shone brighter than Olivio, both of them needed a firm directors hand.

b. Ricky 6102 -- I felt no chemistry between the leads. The male lead was working it but his costar didn't bring it.

Of course, the above two are subjective but on those review boards, those others who mentioned chemistry (and many did not) it was the two actors in tandem. So I think Karen should work it more as Ricky 6102 would say and Alex should have a firmer hand like Elaine says.

Aaron was castfirst -- do they do chemistry tests in the theater? For Grease Live! he had to duke it out with 3 or 4 other guyssinceJulianne Houghhad already been hired. Plus he said he was surprised that GL was interested in him for that role but I do think he is a good fit Christian so.....

And why do I know all the backstory stuff -- I read AT's twitterand pubs attach their interviews, etc. plus photos. Plus he has a non-official fan twitter who dig up things. I look at instagram accts. and a few other things like review boards. It's easy and fast. Plus I was ahistory major and I like knowing past things and reading -- how retro."

The thing about chemistry is that it’s strange alchemy that cannot be put into a workable formula. A pair of actors liking each other, loving singing together or calling each other boo doesn’t equal chemistry on stage. Married couples with incredibly chemistry in reality can have zero stage chemistry together. People that loathe each other in real life can have the most extraordinary chemistry on stage. It’s not something that can be understood, you put two people in final auditions together and hope you see it. Why that hasn’t happened, who knows but I can’t commebt as I haven’t seen it.

The only thing that direction can cure is connection but that is different to chemistry.

Ladybug101 said: "https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/first-look-moulin-rouge-musical-1131252

The Hollywood Reporter has just releasedan article with a pretty passionate looking photo of Satine and Christian. Since I haven't seen the show. this is as close as I can get."

Olivo looks repulsed by Tveit's greasy long locks in the photo. Not a good look. I say that with love.

I'd like to see a Passing Strange reunion of Rebecca Naomi Jones and Daniel Breaker, even though he might be slightly too old for the part.

Robbie2 said: "I wish it were: Phillipa Soo and James Snyder"

Wait, Phillipa as Satine would be sensational.

I hate to say it, as I'm an Aaron fan, but I didn't think his acting was very good. Parts of this felt really cheesy to me in ways that the movie did not. I think the mashups/medleys were just too overdone. Agreed with others that it was strange how the Duke wasn't addressed at the end and it wasn't clear to me how/if Harold dealt with the betrayal.

What was super annoying was how the audience felt compelled to participate because they knew all the songs. I didn't pay big bucks to hear the women next to me singing loudly- I paid to hear Karen and Aaron sing (which they did wonderfully). Also, the two women behind me- who were in their 60s- kept talking loudly. The woman next to them told them to stop talking several times. But there were loud discussions of the lemon in their drink and they felt the need to provide dialogue and movie quotes. When Harold says, "The sparkling diamond........Satine!" they loudly supplied "Satine" in the pause, so that they said it before Burnstein did.

I saw the show for the second time last night and loved it a second time. This is not to say that it des not need some work. Some Random thoughts.

-- The Diamonds number just isn't good enough. It is good, but it needs to be great. I also thing the Diamonds set is the only one that is not spectacularly good...every other set is brilliant, including throwaways.

I just didn't like the Roxanne number very much. Did not think it was bad, just too dark. Have to admit that I was not familiar with the song and couldn't get the lyrics, which didn't help.

-- As with the first time, I thought that Karen Olivo -- whose performance I actually enjoyed more this time -- just didn't seem the right physical type for me. Sabine is dying of Consumption and Karen looks like she is going to get into a kick-boxing cage. I will probably always have Nicole Kidman emblazoned, although Olivo clearly sang better. There is also too much of an age difference between her and Tveit. It doesn't help that he still looks like a college student, at least from the 12th row of the orchestra. As for Tveit, he is great looking, has a terrific singing voice, but does not have charisma. I think he would be more than acceptable to lead any touring company, but not sure that he is good enough to open it on Broadway. What about Jonathan Groff or Corey Cott (with a much younger Satine)? I think either of them could bring the sweetness that Ewan McGregor brought to the role, both are attractive, and they have excellent voices.

-- Don't want to botch spelling his name, but Sahr / Toulouse was really excellent in the role -- he brought real emotional depth -- but I thought that he was off-key for a good chunk of 'There Was a Boy', his big number. Also, in one of the bombastic numbers that Olivo / Tveit had, they were so pitchy for about 15 seconds that it almost hurt the ears. This happened the first time also...I think in trying to build the song to a crescendo, they became shrill.

-- Does the show have to be quite as loud as it is? I know it is supposed to be over-the-top, but I don't remember another show being anywhere near as loud...lower the sound just a little. (I did not see Hedwig).

--I personally thought the book was quite good; sure, it could use a little work, but I thought it was much stronger than many of the posters here.

-- Give Danny Burstein his own number in the show. It was clear that the audience loved him and he appeared to be having the time of his life. Cut Roxanne and give him a number at that point instead.

-- Finally, the theatre itself is part of this show...the Colonial is an incredibly beautiful, opulent theatre...it is almost (not really) hard to tell where the set ends and the theatre begins. It needs an ornate auditorium to maximize the feeling of being enveloped in opulence. Do not put this in a theater that does no lend itself to that. Personally, I think the Winter Garden would work best...the Palace would have been a good candidate. Then, of course, there is the Hellinger. Couldn't someone figure out a creative option that would allow that church to use the theatre on Sunday and a few afternoons during the week? I may be wrong, but I think that MR -- particularly if they are successful with some of the fixes -- will be a monster hit and run for years. Couldn't someone figure out how to get the Hellinger back into the fold????

Updated On: 8/3/18 at 11:18 AM

Miles2Go2 said: "I just saw a Playbill Facebook post stating MR opened tonight. Has anyone seen any reviews?"

Ha, I feel like this production has had seven different "opening nights!"

According to Riedel, we can look forward to reviews on Monday. Here's hoping!

Saw this a few days ago and there is no way it is transferring to Broadway in it’s current state. I’ll start by saying I’m a huge fan of the film and while that will make some question my opinion of this, (I’m not against adaptations), I just think they need to capture the essence of the film which they sadly fail at here. The stage is incredible. You walk in and you are in the Moulin Rouge. It should win every design award going. MR is about truth, beauty, freedom and love. It’s disappointing that they can’t even achieve the love. You never believe in Christian and Satine. The age gap gives them zero chemistry. I would recast Satine immediately. The Duke is terrible. He’s supposed to be the rich, pathetic baddie you instantly hate and feel sorry for. Here he’s an option for Satine. She isn’t repulsed by him. She isn’t forced but wants to marry him. Mutu is mid to late 40s the same as Karen and you can see the spark between them. You should not root for the Duke so recast immediately too. I missed songs from the film. I found the new additions made it feel more karaoke. If they recast Satine & the Duke and stop the chaotic in your face garbage that stops you from feeling anything for the characters this could work but I would guess 2020 is a better estimate.

dramamama611 said: "Actual age has nothing to do with it. Kidman was 37 when she filmed Moulin Rouge. Tveit is 35 currently.

Chemistry has nothing to do with age. Actual or perceived age.

I dont think Karen is the best person for the role, but her age (nor his) has nothing to do with it."

Re your last sentence, I have to disagree in this case. The fact that she is 5 - 10 years too old for the role is exacerbated by the fact that Aaron Tveit meets the definition of 'boyishly handsome' to me. He just seems too young for Satine: she looks attractive, but in her early forties, while he looks about 25, at least from the 12th row. Since the story is not about an older woman and a younger man, this puts them at a disadvantage from the outset. The fact that they had no chemistry was an additional issue.

Despite what I have just written, I loved the show...the only times I got restless was when the two of them were the only people on stage and they were 'emoting'; that was more than compensated with the energy of most of the show.

Deleted as a duplicate post.

Updated On: 8/4/18 at 10:14 AM