Moulin Rouge! The Musical Review: A Spectacular, Spectacular Night of Love and Tragedy
Published on 17 March 2025
Hello chickens! Bohemians and aristocrats, reprobates and rascals, rats of the Latin Quarter and starving artists alike.
TRUTH:
The truth is, I watched Moulin Rouge! The Musical on a Monday, which meant the pleasure of seeing Angela Marie Hurst as the Alternate Satine. She did not disappoint. Arriving on the glittering sequin swing, belting out Diamonds Are Forever, she was every bit the sparkling star. Her rendition of Firework sent the audience giddy, her vocals soaring like a Catherine Wheel.
Christian, played by Dom Simpson, had all the quiet charm that Ewan McGregor brought to the role in the film—plus the vocal talent to match. "My gift is my song." Damn straight it is, Dom!
Set in the legendary Parisian cabaret, Moulin Rouge! The Musical follows aspiring writer Christian as he falls for the dazzling Satine—star of the show and courtesan to the rich and powerful Duke. Expect Shakespeare-style mistaken identity (only with fishnets), a tragic love triangle, and a soundtrack bursting with pop hits. Did you know the can-can was actually invented at the Moulin Rouge? And the musical is every bit i-can-ic. (Not sorry.)
BEAUTY:
Is the Piccadilly Theatre’s Moulin Rouge-ified auditorium the most beautiful in the West End? A resounding yes from me! It’s “spectacular, spectacular” from the second you take your seat. The windmill, the elephant, the chandeliers - the full trifecta is here, all adorned in dazzling lights.
Fans of the film will not be disappointed by The Elephant Room. You’d think that Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen had been let loose in the props departments (and I mean this in the best way possible). The belly of the beast is teaming with elaborate prints, reams of colourful fabric and his signature (not so chaste) chaise lounge. Personally, I would have loved to come home to this at the end of an episode of Changing Rooms!
The score deserves an article of its own, but to summarise, it’s an electrifying fusion of iconic pop hits, seamlessly woven into the show’s story like one of Satine’s silk gloves. The opening medley sets the tone with a dazzling mash-up of hits, igniting the stage from the very first note. The Duke’s numbers—You’re the Only Girl in the World and I Got Money (That’s What I Want)—ooze power and possession. The Bad Romance/Toxic mash-up? Pure theatrical dynamite! El Tango de Roxanne? Breathtaking. The chemistry between Ivan De Freitas and Charlotte Gooch was electric.
And if you were wondering—Come What May? Completely perfect. No notes.
FREEDOM:
Freedom comes at a cost, and nowhere is that clearer than at the Moulin Rouge. Satine’s desire for independence clashes with the Duke’s suffocating control—his wealth offers a gilded cage, but never true escape. The Bohemians dream of artistic freedom, yet they’re shackled by financial hardship, caught in the tension between art and survival. Toulouse’s defiant cry—"Bow before me, I am an artist!"—cuts to the heart of this struggle: is art only valued after suffering?
Satine, both muse and prisoner, embodies beauty, truth, and the tragic weight of love. She is adored but never possessed, immortalised in poetry yet doomed by mortality. "I will make you immortal," playwright Toulouse promises, tying artistry to pain. The paradox of the Belle Époque era is clear—divine, glorious poverty fuels creativity, but at what price? The Children of the Revolution may embrace love and freedom, but Moulin Rouge! The Musical never lets us forget the heartbreak entwined with both.
LOVE:
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." — Christian
Love pulses at the heart of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, where passion, sacrifice, and heartache whirl together. Satine and Christian’s romance is an explosive, electric paradox, embodied in stunning performances and timeless songs. Satine, a muse and a fantasy; both cobra and coquette, represents forbidden love, never truly possessed. Christian’s devotion fuels every note of their duet, defying fate.
Christian asks, "Why else suffer, if not for love?" and the cast perfectly expresses love’s bittersweet intensity. Satine’s character embodies the tension between love and duty. Angela Marie Hurst brings this to life with captivating depth.
Like all great love stories, this one carries heartache—laced with absinthe and, of course, a dose of tragedy. Act II brilliantly evokes memories of first love, making the story personal and relatable to the audience, albeit without the Victorian wasting disease(!) After all, every love story needs its touch of tragedy—Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, Jamie Mitchell and Sonia Fowler. And yes, Christian and Satine.
BRB, moving to France with my charity-shop typewriter, feather boa and a bottle of Absinthe. Forget Emily in Paris. I want to see a spin-off about Christian - another fellow American out of his depth in a European love triangle!
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is playing at the Piccadilly Theatre. Book your tickets today.
