You can, can, can NOT miss this show!

Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the kind of show that exhausts the list of synonyms for “spectacular”: sumptuous, incredible, stupendous, extraordinary, etcetera. Now in the fifth month of its Sydney run at the Capitol Theatre, it continues to play to full houses.  Audience members barely exit the auditorium at the end of the night before buying another ticket to see it again.

Why?

“It is just such a beautiful production, both to look at and from a story-telling perspective, and the cast is so well cast,” says Jacinta John, associate director for the Australian production. “And they all get along so well and enjoy themselves so much and working with each other so much that there’s a real generosity of spirit and love, and that, I know, is infectious and filters out into the auditorium.”

Moulin Rouge! of course, was first a film by Baz Luhrmann –  a visually and musically stunning film that would seem impossible to duplicate on stage. But that’s not necessarily the intent.

“It very much relates to the film but it’s also unique to the theatre experience. And I think that’s what the theatre’s all about, right? When you come to the theatre you want to see something that you can’t see in any other medium, and this is a fine example of that,” says John.

While Baz Luhrmann worked very closely with the original creative team, he handed off to director, Alex Timbers who found a way to transfer Moulin Rouge! The Musical to the confines of a theatre without losing any of its fabulous visual volume. The result is a show that is similar but different to the film, and is unlike any other theatrical production anyone has seen before.

“The thing [audiences] can expect from the get go is a reinvention of staging that they might not have otherwise experienced…the set just envelopes the whole space, so the moment you walk into the auditorium you’re walking into the Moulin Rouge, and so I think your senses are stimulated and delighted from the beginning right through to the end,” says John.

However, while the bells are shiny and the whistles are loud, John says it is really the romance at the centre of the story that makes this musical such a beloved success. She credits the leads in this production, Alinta Chidzey (Satine) and Des Flanagan (Christian) with bringing depth and authenticity to that romance.

“They were born to play these roles, and so they bring such affection to them,” she says.

Kylie Clarke is highly respected and much in demand for her expertise in wigs, hair and make-up. She worked on Luhrmann’s film version and is responsible for making all the heads look magnificent in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

“Just to be involved with such a rich, lush design process has been amazing. I was lucky enough to work on the film, so the stage production is a bit of a full circle moment, which has been amazing,” says Clarke.

But, as you can imagine, a show of this size comes with some challenges.

“One of the biggest things… there are so many quick changes in this show. I’ve never done a show in my whole 36 years that has got so many huge quick changes and big costume elements involved in those quick changes as well.”

For this production, the hair preparations also have to accommodate mic packs adding to the overall head size. It does however, eliminate the use of cables which ultimately looks much better.

Each performer has a customised wig or wigs made especially for them. Once their character and look have been determined, their stockinged heads are measured. Clarke sources all her materials from overseas, including Swiss lace and real human hair which she hand blends. It’s a very involved process that can take from 60 to 80 hours per wig, but in the end, it can make all the difference to a character.

“The wig is kind of the icing on the cake…so many times I have the performer in the chair and then you pop that wig on and they’re like ‘oh wow. I know the character now.’ It just seals the deal,” explains Clarke.

“Satine’s [wig] is beautiful because we use very high quality hair that I import from Rome and it’s really beautiful hair. So that wig, it’s a classic style but it just looks beautiful, the hair falls beautifully. On stage it looks amazing under the lights.”

Simon Burke has been an actor since the age of 12. His career spans film, television, theatre and live performance. Yet, with all that history, he ranks Moulin Rouge! The Musical as one of his most treasured experiences.

“Nearly 50 years I’ve been doing this, but I’ve never been in a cast that has been so uniformly excellent and so supportive of each other. We went through quite a bit with COVID and lockdowns and hotel quarantines between Sydney and Melbourne, and shows getting canceled and 34 out of 35 of us getting COVID, but it is the most beautifully diverse and loving …it’s just… it makes it easy to go to work every day. And I don’t say that lightly… There’s a great kinship between us which is really, really special.”

Burke plays Harold Zidler, a rambunctious, slightly mischievous but loveable MC who acts as an intermediary between the performers and the audience.

“As a performer it’s an opportunity to be sort of over the top and embody all things theatrical,” says Burke. “It’s an event, really, more than a show…It’s immersive and my job, as the MC is to make that immersion feel real.”

It’s the energy generated by the show itself that reinvigorates Burke for what might otherwise be a very exhausting, difficult role to maintain; that, and the response from the audience.

His enthusiasm for Moulin Rouge! The Musical has not faded at all; there are still special moments in the show he enjoys watching and being in.

“My favourite moment to watch that I’m not in is the staging of “Roxanne”, because the way Des sings it is just phenomenal, and the choreography and the dance is just…to me it’s where the dancers really get to shine. And the opening number – which I am involved in – is something like 12 or 13 minutes long and it is incredibly exciting to do.”

For Burke, being able to perform again and seeing people return to the theatre is heartwarming and he believes Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a celebration of all things that are great about live theatre.

“It’s fair to say that if you haven’t been in a theatre for 18 months then this will give you 18 months worth of entertainment in one night.”

Until December 18

Capitol Theatre, 3-15 Campbell St, Haymarket

moulinrougemusical.com