Moulin Rouge! Previews - Page 12

[Fan123]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 2:42am

For those who've seen the show, would you mind providing some more detail on how the showstopping 'Bad Romance' is used storyline-wise? Is it a show-within-the-show performance by the Moulin Rouge performers, or a Satine/Duke number, or something else? I'm curious. Thanks!

[jbird5]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 7:21am

Fan123 said: "For those who've seen the show, would you mind providing some more detail on how the showstopping 'Bad Romance' is used storyline-wise? Is it a show-within-the-show performance by the Moulin Rouge performers, or a Satine/Duke number, or something else?I'm curious. Thanks!"

it has absolutely nothing to do with the story.  It has 2 minor characters (Robyn Hurder’s character is not even in the first act) coming out of no where and hijacking the  show.  There is no story here it’s just a framework to hang songs on.  This is a regression to the days before the “book” musical to when shows were reviews of popular songs with a “story” fabricated to somehow tie them together.  The girl next to me was crying at the ending.  Really.  This makes Bright Star look like high art.

 

[Erin V]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 7:36am

It’s supposed to be a number of “the show within the show”

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 9:26am

A friend was asking me about last night about specific songs that were added to the stage production and while it wasn’t difficult to remember what those songs were, it was almost difficult to remember where they were placed.

The stage musical is so wall to wall musical medley that it has a numbing effect after a while. It would be interesting to count how many songs were featured in some way in the film and how many are featured somewhere in the stage show. It felt like the musical has exponentially more. And when so many of the pop infusions are a stretch when it comes to actually effectively dramatizing character and story beats, what you end up with is a laugh of recognition when a new song starts but very little weight to hold on to dramatically.

One smart thing the film did was to pick pop songs that nonetheless brushed against traditional musical theatre structure and build (“One Day i’ll Fly Away”; The Show Must Go On” etc). “Firework” has a powerful sentiment but it’s not really a song with much opportunity to “act.” - it has no lyrical development.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 9:52am

When I saw the Boston production - which I otherwise loved - I was slightly irritated that there was no resolution to the Duke's story line. There was no indication of what happens to him or what he does at the end, and that seemed to be a big loose end. Have they addressed that at all for the Broadway production?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 10:11am

Kdogg, that’s a really good point and something I didn’t even notice each time I saw the show. But no, they haven’t changed anything as far as that’s concerned.

Updated On: 7/6/19 at 10:11 AM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 10:17am

poisonivy2 said: "Jarethan said: "How old is your mom? I am 68, saw the show twice in Boston, loved it despite some weaknesses. I was not familiar with at leasta third of the songs, some apparently huge hits, so I am not the ideal target audience, I suspect. Have tickets for 10/10 and cannot wait. Itis exhilarating."

My mom is mid-70's, politically very liberal but in terms of entertainment she likes wholesome entertainment with lots of singing and dancing. She did a hard pass on the Oklahoma! She saw Moulin Rouge when it came out with me and liked it, but I understand the song list for the musical is very different than the movie. My mom doesn't like really loud, electronica music."

Get the tickets.  It wasn’t particularly loud and she will love the lavishness, the performances, the exhilarating numbers, etc.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 10:19am

Jordan Catalano said: "Kroger, that’s a really good point and something I didn’t even notice each time I saw the show. But no, they haven’t changed anything as far as that’s concerned."

I was also wondering about the Duke's fate when I saw the show last week. 

[Ladybug101]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 10:22am

For Fan 123: Here's my take of the Bad Romance number.


1. Start with the show pitch that the group offered up earlier to Duke: Christian will play a sailor who loves Satine who plays the heroine. Though not overtly mentioned the Duke is the gangster in the hearts of the bohemians..

2.Bad Romance number is in reality a rehearsal for the upcoming show. Sonya Tayeh is a big time contemporary choreographer from "So you think you can dance" and you have to do some movement interpreting to come up with the scene's narrative. You may not agree with me but I think some of this is right.

When Christian as the sailor arrives on the stage to do his bit, the Moulin Rouge characters act like they're henchmen for the gangster. One heaves Christian over his back, several throw Christian as the sailor across the stage, the whole group holds Christian back from Satine. Finally, in frustration Christian throws himself to the ground. So this scene is negative for the true lovebirds but this is fiction as written by Toulouse and Christian.

3. Bad Romance song interpretation. According to Lady Gaga (I'm a research fan)- when she wrote she wanted his bad love, his ugly -- she loved him so much she would take the bad with the good. But all the romances in the overall show are bad. But from her comment I would say they mean the character Satine plays as well as Christian's sailor. And of course the reality of S and C is the same as words Toulouse and Christian have smithed

4. Also, to comment on Robyn Hurder and Ricky Rojas being minor per an earlier comment -- they are listed as featured players and Robyn shows up in the first act because she the leader of Lady Marmalade. And they have their own bad romance going on in reality and in their tango singing Gaga's lyrics which narrates the story.

5. It gets confusing. I'm sure I'm missing many things but for me at least these are the basic basics. Updated On: 7/6/19 at 10:22 AM

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 10:35am

Ok so momsical here we come ... will probably see it at the end of this summer.

[rg7759]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 10:41am

inception said: "Miles2Go2 said: "...and Jennifer Lopez

snip

...is certainly beautiful."

Jennifer Lopez reportedly made $350, 000/ show for her Vegas residency, which ran for 120 shows. She ain't doing Broadway anytime soon.

It was one of the best shows I have ever seen - amazing sets & costumes. I went in just because it was something playing while I was there, & left a fan."

surprised no one has responded with this - with the looks of their grosses, it seems they could almost afford close to that.

[Ladybug101]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 10:49am

To Queen Alice:

1. I agree with you that Karen Olivo does not look on the verge of a consumptive death but the film certainly put Nicole Kidman in some extreme dire by corseting her so tightly the waist whittler broke several ribs and she had to take a break from filming.

2. I just like info so the following is for an earlier comment of yours on Tommy Tune being at your performance. He was at opening night in Boston and a little video followed him from the train, thru the station to his beloved Emerson Colonial and happy memories of his Grand Hotel. He posed on the red carpet with Alex Timbers so who knows if he offered up some thoughts.

[CukorLover]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 10:52am

Long post ahead!

I thought the whole enterprise was pretty spectacular given the nature of the show. The glitziest jukebox musical to beat all jukebox musicals.

I went in with the same mindset as another poster; I’d only seen the movie once when it originally opened. So my mind wasn’t going to the places where it might be when I see the version of Spielberg’s upcoming “West Side Story” remake. Different animals, but you catch my drift.

The design is both sumptuous and spectacular, and the sets work well within the framework of the show. I was smack dab center Mezz in Row K. The sight lines there are great for the most part, but the few times they use the tip of the T- shaped extension, I could only see heads. BUT, it seems they’ve tailored back the activity happening there. It's mostly the ensemble that make it down that far mainly to fill out the stage picture. The principals pretty much come only about 6 feet down, and I didn’t lose them at all.

I agree with the poster who mentioned that at times it feels part rock concert, but I didn’t mind that. Given the nature of the infectious pop songs and the concept itself, that to me is half the fun. It’s hard to not want to move along in your seat at times given the amplification of the music. I imagine many patrons feel like they’ve gotten two shows (Concert & Broadway) for the hefty price of one.

I can see where many of you who know the film well may be concerned about the lack of chemistry between Olivo and Tveit. Let me start by saying I love the fact that they decided to go with such a diverse cast. Bodies of all shapes and sizes and color. No one looks malnourished, that’s for sure. Olivo is a buxom, big boned Latina gal. She's playing opposite Tveit, though while tall, seems small in stature standing next to her. To me, she just seemed to overpower him. That’s not saying they can’t fall in love in the millisecond that it took. It could just be a total lack of chemistry—but my take on it is this: Olivo, in addition to her qualities I mentioned before, also has a big and expressive face. Her big eyes, cheekbones and lips translate to the back of the balcony. Tveit, on the other hand, has very small diminutive features that don’t play much past the first several rows of the orchestra. I’ve felt this from all the shows I’ve seen him in, with the exception of “Next To Normal” where I had a 5th row seat. He has a terrific voice, and he’s in great form here. I admired how he handled the potpourri of song styles he was given. He and Olivo just didn’t seem to be a great match to me—but I went with it regardless.

I also agree with the poster who mentioned seeing Tommy Tune in the audience. While Timbers did a fine job getting this on its feet, I can only imagine what a craftsman like Tune would have done with it. Being that Tune was a director and choreographer, his sensibility for the whole stage picture and how a show moves is unparalleled. I’d throw Michael Bennett into that mix as well. Considering this piece is derived from a film, there could have been more creative ways to give the whole proceedings a more cinematic flow.

Talking about staging, I’m surprised not much has been said about choreographer Sonya Tayeh. Given this is her first Broadway show I thought she did a herculean job. I mean, about 75% of this show is choreographed. (The ensemble is terrific here.) She kept it lively and moving, though not really making her own mark in the style department. Perhaps that will come in time with more experience working in musicals. (She made a name for herself as a contemporary choreographer on TVs SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.)

I loved Danny Burstein, who captured the precise tone and panache for this outing. He’s terrific! Tam Mutu also brings a lot of swagger to his role of the Duke and is a good foil for Burstein. He’s a commanding presence, with a deft comic edge, and has a great voice as well.

The second act could certainly use some skillful trimming. While it’s impossible to keep up the frenetic pace, it gets bogged down, especially in the scenes with Toulouse-Lautrec. And yes, the death scene happens briskly, but tell that to the multitude of young women who were outright sobbing all around me. I guess it worked for them like Maria’s reaction to Tony’s death in “West Side Story” did for me. (Though there certainly was a lot more subtext in the Arthur Laurents' libretto.) 

All in all, it was a really fun and ambitious show that I would highly recommend to folks looking for a lively and exhilarating musical experience.

Updated On: 7/6/19 at 10:52 AM

[Ladybug101]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 11:39am

To CukorLover:

The Tveit and Olivo chemistry was more questioned in Boston than in New York where people according to my reading of audience reviews and instagrams were on the whole happy with their chemistry--at least to this point -- small sample.

Tveit was cast first of everyone even before the June 2017 Lab posting in Backstage - Olivo later. If you think him too diminutive physically and facially to play off Olivo, blame the powers that be since he was there first. As one of the commenters here noted Olivo was far from looking close to death from consumption.

Interestingly, Baz Luhrmann reached out to Tveit (according to AT's interview with a UK pub) because he had seen him as the lead in his 3 season undercover Fed series Graceland (and passed him onto Timbers and Logan). Strangely, Mike Warren, the character's name, has a trajectory similar to Christian -- at least in my mind and possibly Baz's.

[IHeartNY2]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 11:41am

Fan123 said: "For those who've seen the show, would you mind providing some more detail on how the showstopping 'Bad Romance' is used storyline-wise? Is it a show-within-the-show performance by the Moulin Rouge performers, or a Satine/Duke number, or something else?I'm curious. Thanks!"

No need to over-analyze (sorry to the poster above). This is the whole cast rehearsing a number from their 'show'. And it's PHENOMENAL!!!!!!

@jbird, we should hang out sometime. You seem like a lot of fun.

[Ladybug101]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 11:58am

IHeartNY2:


Some people analyze and some don't. I'm obviously an analyzer--if you check back. By just saying it was a rehearsal is negating everything Timbers, Logan and the musical director have said about choosing song lyrics -- they have crafted their mashes to further the story in allegedly all cases. The rehearsal is a concealed replication of the Moulin Rouge denizens' reality.

[Ladybug101]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 11:58am

IHeartNY2:


Some people analyze and some don't. I'm obviously an analyzer--if you check back. By just saying it was a rehearsal is negating everything Timbers, Logan and the musical director have said about choosing song lyrics -- they have crafted their mashes to further the story in allegedly all cases. The rehearsal is a concealed replication of the Moulin Rouge denizens' reality.

[IHeartNY2]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 11:59am

Fair enough.

[msmp]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 4:58pm

Ladybug101 said: "<snip>

Interestingly, Baz Luhrmann reached out to Tveit (according to AT's interview with a UK pub) because he had seen him as the lead in his 3 season undercover Fed series Graceland (and passed him onto Timbers and Logan). Strangely, Mike Warren, the character's name, has a trajectory similar to Christian -- at least in my mind and possibly Baz's.

"

I am never going to be able to unthink this now, Ladybug101. Somehow I'd never put that together despite liking Graceland a lot (though S3 had, uh, issues for me). I think you're right that this may have played into the casting decision.

[Tkristop]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 5:20pm

I just came from the matinee and let me say it was definitely a great time!

The set is amazing and pictures do not do it justice. I was in orchestra row G on the aisle and had perfect views. The performers start appearing 15min or so before the show on stage and on the sides in character- some in tuxes and others scantily dressed. Sets the mood for sure, and then the show just starts...and boy does it ever.

Danny is so much fun, and I agree this could and should be his year for the Tony!  Both Karen and Aaron are great, and to me I thought their chemistry was good.  I was extremely impressed with their vocal abilities in handling these varied and sundry songs. Aaron has never sounded better in my opinion.

My only couple of criticisms are with some of the transitions and especially the ending. I wanted to let Roxanne soak in more before it moved to the next scene, and I felt the same way in a couple other times.  I really hope they clean up the ending. I didn’t mind the death scene, but in my opinion they should end with Come What May and not have the last lady marmalade tag. Especially with the encore right after it isn’t needed.

In summary, I really enjoyed it, the entire cast is beautiful, diverse, and super talented, and my senses were fully charged by it. It is a must see!

 

 

[rlj1010]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 6:25pm

Saw today's matinee. Highly enjoyed it.

I posted a couple pictures of our stage view on aviewfrommyseat.com
Orch right, row K, seats 18 and 20.

i guess you could say they were partial view but I think we didn't miss very much. Seats were fine.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 6:39pm

dramamama611 said: "1. I agree that the Duke is hot.

2. I fail to see how so many people feel thats WHY he would be chosen. She doesnt LOVE him.

3. The Duke doesnt LOVE her, he lusts for her - Satine has had that...and often. It is meaningless to her.

4. He's the equivalent of every entitled hs athlete that gets away with rape, a "lax-bro" for those of you familiar with the term. (I have no idea if that phrase is known beyond my community)"

I feel like you could apply this to most love triangles. Like, the Phantom is a creeper. But a lot of people see him as a more viable love interest than Raoul if there's not enough chemistry between Raoul and Christine (though that's also a writing issue and not just a casting/acting issue). Henry Higgins is a jerk but people still champion Higgins/Eliza over Eliza/Freddy. I do think the writing should be clear enough for the audience to understand why one love interest makes more sense than the other. Or at least what both choices mean.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 7:23pm

But i dont think the argument people here are making - he's so good looking/sexy, Satine would choose him - has anything to do with the book.

Updated On: 7/6/19 at 07:23 PM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 7:34pm

dramamama611 said: "But i dont think the argument people here are making - he's so good looking/sexy, Satine would choose him - has anything to do with the book."

Well, to me that implies that the villain isn't being written dastardly enough to override the appeal of his looks and/or the main couple isn't compelling enough. Like, can you imagine a version of Beauty and the Beast where it was unclear why she wouldn't just choose Gaston? Or a version of Little Shop where there's a question of Audrey choosing the dentist? 

Of course I acknowledge that my opinion is not worth much as of now. Ticket prices are so high it's going to be so long until I see the show that the original company members might be long gone. 

[bwayjoey]

Posted: 7/6/19 at 8:46pm

I have L16,18,20 later this month and was really worried. Thanks for the report!