Truth. Beauty. Freedom. And, above all, Love.
These are the principles by which the young bohemian artists of the Bel Époque Montmartre district of Paris circa 1900 live in their passionate pursuit of love and art. Add a fifth principle of “Spectacle”, and welcome to the Moulin Rouge, the Tony Award Winning Best Musical currently on tour at (aside, how good does it feel to say) the Kennedy Center Opera House enjoying an illustrious two-week run of visual and audio overload (in only all the best ways) complete with all the excess and hedonism of the actual Parisian landmark in its heyday. Maybe more, as realized through director Alex Timbers’ exuberant vision.
Way back in 2001, film impresario Baz Luhrmann released his crowning achievement of his acclaimed career, the story of an idealistic young artist who, searching for his muse, falls in love with an intoxicating headliner at the legendary Moulin Rouge. He decided to create a visually stunning old-fashioned stage musical but set their epic story of love and loss to a modern-day soundtrack of the best of the best pop music of the latter half of the 20th Century. Drawing inspiration from classical sources as varied as La Bohème (our heroine searching for a better life in the face of consumption) and the Greek myth of Orpheus (a musician with a voice and a vision ahead of his time, hence his use of music that would not be written for another 50-100 years), his deliberately anachronistic masterpiece would become one of the most acclaimed movie musicals of at least the millennium, if not of all time.
Nearly 20 years later, John Logan adapted Luhrmann and Craig Pearce’s screenplay into a grand scale musical, incorporating even more contemporary music from the almost two decades since the movie premiered. And anyone who has anything distasteful to say about jukebox musicals (you know who you are), this production proves how narrow-minded and pretentious you can be. Jukebox musicals have unfairly been branded tourist-trap garbage by the artistes elite of the theatrical community. And while the genre has certainly provided some forgettable entries like Good Vibrations, (the music of the Beach Boys), Hot Feet (the music of Earth, Wind, and Fire), and Desperately Seeking Susan (inexplicably featuring the music of Blondie and not Madonna?), there have also been some that are incredibly well-executed, including the highly successful Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Ain’t Too Proud, and The Cher Show (shut up, you didn’t see it despite my vigorous recommendations, so you have nothing to add here). Well, if these five are the royal flush of jukebox musicals, Moulin Rouge trumps them all as the 5-of-a-kind winner that raises the genre to an undisputed art form. As the bohemian ideal would have it. #TRUTH
There are also parallels in the story to the comparatively modern Fosse showbiz musical Cabaret. An American artist lands in a decadent European performance hall seeking inspiration, but in its stead finds an all-consuming, passionate but ill-fated love with the venue’s star performer. But here is where the comparisons end. Logan and Luhrmann have created a story of an epic love for the ages. Christian (Luke Monday) is a golden voiced “singer/songwriter”, as he corrects his fellow artists, who finds a muse and love of a lifetime in Satine (Gabriela Carrillo), leading lady with a past at the Moulin Rouge nightclub. Giving them the majority of the 80+ songs sampled in the score is 2 ½ hours of pure euphoria for the audience.
Monday, whose matinee idol looks and crystal clear, soaring tenor voice that apparently has no upper boundaries, is perfectly cast and ready to step onto Broadway should the call come (shame the show is closing this month, as the last Christian to pass through town, John Cardoza, found a future in the Broadway company and has parlayed that in to being one of New York’s most sought after new leading men). From the minute he belts out the chorus of Fun’s “We Are Young” in the “Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love” medley to the last notes of the bittersweet “Come What May”, Monday wows as each song climbs higher and higher. His version of Elton John’s “Your Song” is next level. His fiery deliver of “El Tango de Rozanne” sets the tone for the passionate dance it inspires (more on that visual seduction later). His smooth and clean vocal take on the ultimate 19 top 40 gold love song mashup “Elephant Love Medley”, sampling classic melodies as disparate as David Bowie’s “Heroes”, U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love)”, A-ha’s “Take On Me”, Carl Carlton’s “Everlasting Love”, Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes’ “Love Lift Us Up Where We Belong”, and the grandmother of them all, Whitney Houston’s take on “I Will Always Love You” all blended into one breathtaking 5 ½ minute testament to love through the ages, is simply breathtaking.
But the central love affair, in modern day parlance, is complicated. In order to save the near bankrupt nightclub, Satine has been pimped out by the deliciously bawdy emcee/owner Harold Ziddler (Robert Petkoff) to the dashing but vicious Count of Monroth (Aaron C. Finlley). Through it all, Carrillo bares her dilemma with grace, nobility, sensuality, and, above all, equally thrilling vocals in her half of the dream score. Carrillo makes her mark the minute she descends in an ultimate leading lady entry from the ceiling to belt out her showstopping “Sparkling Diamond” Medley (composed of “Diamonds Are Forever”, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”, “Material Girl”, and a dash of “Single Ladies”). She is equally successful with Katy Perry’s “Firework” and Rihanna’s “Only Girl in a Material World”. Considering she is asked to cover Whitney Houston’s lead in the last bars of the first act and more than succeeds is proof that she lives up Ziddler’s billing as the venue’s Sparkling Diamond. Any time Monday or Carrillo sing, it’s almost paradise (oddly, one of the few solid gold blockbuster duets omitted from the Elephant Love Medley). When they duet, it’s sheer utopia. #BEAUTY
The above-mentioned Petkoff and Finley are perfect foils for the young lovers. Petkoff, thoroughly engaging as he boisterously breaks the fourth wall and works the audience into a performance frenzy during the ultimate 15-minute opening extravaganza, “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge”, an amped up, high octane extrapolation of the “Lady Marmalade” remake from the top of the film. He sets a remarkably high bar to start the show, yet everyone keeps up with or even exceeds him. He’s also a masterful comedian as he (over)acts out Toulouse-Lautrec (Alex Nicholson) and Christian’s thinly disguised opus, a last-ditch effort to save the club for which the Duke is the benefactor. But just when you think he’s shown all he has, Petkoff escalates everything with his second act fever dream tribute to the Green Fairy (absinthe here, which conjures up the literal fairy from the film, personified by Carrillo) in Sia’s “Chandelier”.
The Duke’s theme song “Sympathy for the Duke” opens with the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil”, a barely veiled allusion to his pure evil core, and melds into the Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, which also has Faustian/Satanic connotations. But Finley is menacing in his portrayal of the arrogant, spoiled aristocrat who controls the fate of not only the denizens of the shadow world of the Moulin Rouge, but the establishment itself.
The talent-deep secondary cast also features outstanding performances. Nicholson is a manically erratic Toulouse-Lautrec, a welcome comic delight as the legendary artist who captured so much of the nightlife of this seedy side of Paris in his art like a Bel Époque Andy Warhol, preserving and protecting Art and the Bohemian lifestyle above all.
The third member of Christian’s artistic team, Danny Gurgos as the Argentinian Santiago, takes on his own ill-fated love affair with the club’s tempestuous lead dancer Nini (Kaitlin Mesh). The two bring the house down with two fiery paso dobles in the second act highlighting the passionate sexual side of love. The brilliant Act 2 opener “Backstage Romance” is perhaps the most brilliantly conceived segment of the show, mashing up tributes to toxic relationships everywhere, starting with Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”, and segueing seamlessly into Britney Spears’ “Toxic” and the Eurhythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”. Teamed up again near the climax in the iconic set piece from the movie, “El Tango De Roxanne” (the Police’s “Roxanne” as a conflagrant Argentine tango), Between Gurgos’ lusty sexuality, Mesh’s exceptionally limber body, and both of their intense passion as they dance, these two generate enough fireworks for next few years’ Capitol 4ths. Good for each other, bad for each other, who are we to say? 200 years before Lin Manuel-Miranda made it a catch phrase, Love is love is love. #FREEDOM
If the performance magic wasn’t enough, the design team has ignored all limits. This tour is an only slightly diluted copy of the New York production, easily the most elaborate theatrical experience of this millennium. Using Lurhmann’s sumptuous art designs as a jumping off point, the designers have elevated everything for the ultimate theatrical experience, a visual eroticism to carry the theme of love throughout the show.
Set Designer Derek McLane gives us a literal valentine to the Bohemian ideals of love. Featuring a series of progressive lacy heart-shaped archways lit by intense reds and pinks, he easily transitions from the night club to the Artist’s humble Montmartre flat, Satine’s exotic lair in the infamous Elephant of the Bastille, and the Rodeo Drive inspired shopping district of the Champs Élysees. The only thing missing–and missed–are the landmarks of the Elephant itself as well as the titular Red Mill that adorned the actual pleasure palace and were featured prominently on the last tour to pass through three years ago (how much has changed in three years…). But truthfully, they are not used and add nothing to the show except that initial sense of spectacle upon entering the facility. Even without them, McLane’s sets work in perfect sync with Justin Townsend’s intoxicating light designs that consist of saturated jewel-toned washes and starlit skies highlighting some of the most theatrical specialty lighting on stage today. Their team work has created the perfect world for this dark and sensuous underbelly of life, the decadence and debauchery that gave way to it, and the otherworldly love that blooms from it.
The always remarkable Catherine Zuber provides a stunning array of costumes from sexy stage garb and seductive lingerie to Crayola colored can-can dresses, as well as bohemian chic for the artists, and elegant yet sexy formal wear for the Duke. Employing an amazing saturation of color and minimum fabric for the bulk of the show, she provides a contrasting combination of pastels and excess for the aristocrats who inhabit the Duke’s brighter world along the Champs Élysees in Act 2’s “Only Girl in a Material World”, when the Duke walks Satine through a Pretty Woman inspired makeover. Rarely though, has a costumer paired so well with a set designer and lighting designer than in the first act finale when the “Elephant Love Medley” transitions from the interior of Satine’s Elephant dressing room with our lovers in day wear and dressing gowns into a final fantasy sequence that takes them out into Paris complete with a fully lit Tour Eiffel and beyond to a star-kissed sky and transformation into stunning rhinestoned ballroom attire. The trio combine to literally and flawlessly illustrate that artistic theme that true love can be heaven.
Special acknowledgement must be given to Justin Levine for his superlative orchestrations, arrangements, and additional lyrics that have in effect woven these elaborate mini pop operettas into a fabulous and coherent pop opera score, and Sound Designer Peter Hylenski, who utilizes the Kennedy Center’s traditionally gold standard sound system and jacks it up on steroids. The sound is unusually loud from top to bottom, but perfect for this piece, with no distortion. This musical thrives on the euphonious energy it derives from Levine’s inspired arrangements and orchestrations amplified through Hylenski’s dance club style audio levels. Side benefit, the sound is just loud enough to both drive the music and simultaneously stifle any audience conversation or urges to sing along. Perfection on all fronts.
I’d like to end this review with a bittersweet note. While it was to a huge degree a joyous homecoming to inarguably the nation’s premium performing arts center that felt for the most part like the glory days of old, there are still reminders of the nonsense our “leadership” has imposed in weaponizing the facility in his egomaniacal, polarizing attempt to brand our capital over in his image while pushing his opponents as far as he can. Yes, the letters are gone as mandated by the court, but the tarp he insists on hiding the project with extends into the wall so we have no way of actually seeing or celebrating the victory in an act of immature defiance. The audience was well-attended, with only the extreme rear corners of the orchestra empty, not unusual for a weeknight. All in all it was a happy return, but it was also a reminder of the former glory of the Kennedy Center and a hope for it to once again achieve its former prestige.
It evoked memories of the many incredible theatrical experiences they have gifted is over the years. Virtually every show was a theatrical event that seemed untoppable. Until the next production opened. I had flashbacks to the landmark Broadway Center Stage production of Sunset Boulevard starring Derek Klena and the incomparable Stephanie J. Block in the role of her life. The revitalized national tour of the star-studded Into the Woods starring Block again came a mere two weeks later. The last season of the esteemed Broadway Center Stage series gave us a re-envisioned production of the charming The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and the world premiere of Apple TV’s valentine to the Golden Age of Musical Theatre, Schmigadoon, which both transferred to New York, the latter giving the Kennedy Center the crowning achievement of the 2026 Best Musical Tony. Other standout memories also surfaced, like a still breathtaking Lion King, the enhanced topical historical drama in the visionary all-female 1776, great revivals of Funny Girl, Company, and The Sound of Music, and the precision sharp comic hijinx of The Play That Goes Wrong.
But these landmark moments were punctuated by the knowledge of what we’ve lost in this last misguided year. Most notably, the Washington Opera’s stunning performance of West Side Story (which I was fortunate enough to review at the Lyric and was absolutely perfect in every way), the exuberant return of the Max Martin mega-hit musical & Juliet (canceled by the new mismanagement for being “too woke”, having the nerve to feature a handful of gay and non-binary characters). The highly-anticipated national tours of Hamilton, Stereophonic, Back to the Future, Beeltejuice, and The Outsiders all canceled their agreements and found other venues in the area. But most regrettably, the Kennedy Center’s own prestigious Broadway Center Stage series which had evolved in a mere seven years from a staged concert series to the most unrivaled regional theatre company in the nation (the cast for their would-have-been next production of Legally Blonde was rumored to have been off the charts with prominent New York and Hollywood names).
Formerly a superlative example of everything theatre can be, all housed in the beautiful and state of the art Kennedy Center performance spaces. I personally had felt little need to go to New York to experience theatre because everything the Kennedy Center had produced and sponsored was at the very least comparative and in most cases superior to today’s Broadway offerings. But last night felt like a baby step in the right direction, the first step to a return of the Kennedy Center to the glory it had worked decades to attain. Thank you, Rep. Joyce Beatty, for fighting for what’s right and what we deserve, and in the end accomplishing what the rest of our useless government can’t or won’t. And thank you, Kennedy Center, for bringing the best of top quality theatrical entertainment into our back yard for the last 50+ years. Just know we appreciate you. Last night, you just gave us not only a visual valentine to love, but a glimpse of light and a breath of hope for the future. This review is my valentine to your commitment to art. In my 6 years of critiquing there, you’ve literally rendered me speechless: as a writer, I am running out of superlatives to describe your ever-rising levels of perfection in my lifetime. Let’s hope last night was a step in the right direction of a return to normalcy. Come What May…..
#AboveAll,LOVE
Photos courtesy of Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission
Moulin Rouge currently plays through June 28, 2026, in the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington DC 20566. For tickets, call the box office at 202.467.4600, or purchase them online.