Character guide
Harold Zidler
from Moulin Rouge!
Harold Zidler is the flamboyant ringmaster and owner of the nightclub in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, the 2019 jukebox musical based on the 2001 film.
- Show
- Moulin Rouge!
- Broadway premiere
- 2019
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Justin Levine
Harold Zidler: from the film to Broadway
Broadway compared with the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film
The musical portrays Harold Zidler as gay, one of the character changes made in adapting Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film, where Jim Broadbent played the cabaret's owner. His role in the plot is otherwise familiar: he pushes Satine to keep the Duke happy because the Duke's money could save the Moulin Rouge.
Danny Burstein originated Zidler in Boston and on Broadway and won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. The Broadway role later became a magnet for star replacements, including Tituss Burgess, Wayne Brady, Bob the Drag Queen, and Megan Thee Stallion, before the production closed in August 2026.
Harold Zidler: role facts
- Originated on Broadway by
- Danny Burstein (2019)
- Notable performers
- Broadway replacements included Tituss Burgess, Wayne Brady, and Bob the Drag Queen.
- Voice type and range
- Tenor (belt), C3 to C5
- Songs Harold Zidler sings
- Welcome to the Moulin Rouge! (with company)
- Shut Up and Raise Your Glass (with Satine, Christian, and company)
- So Exciting! (The Pitch Song) (with Toulouse-Lautrec, Christian, Santiago, and Satine)
- Chandelier (with Christian, Santiago, Toulouse-Lautrec, and company)
- More More More! (with company)
Who is Harold Zidler?
Zidler runs the Moulin Rouge, presiding over its performers and its wealthy clientele with theatrical bravado while quietly worrying about the club's finances and the wellbeing of Satine, his star performer, whom he treats with genuine, if complicated, affection. He is both a showman selling spectacle and a man trying to protect the people in his charge.
His balancing act between commerce and care puts him at the center of the club's central bargain with the Duke of Monroth, and his loyalty to Satine is tested as her romance with Christian threatens the deal that keeps the club afloat.
Harold's role in Moulin Rouge!
Harold Zidler is a supporting role written as a big, theatrical presence, requiring commanding stage charisma and strong vocal and comic chops to serve as the show's onstage host and occasional narrator figure.
Danny Burstein originated the role on Broadway and won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for the performance, giving the ringmaster role real emotional weight beneath its showmanship.
Harold Zidler: frequently asked questions
Is Harold Zidler's name Harry in Moulin Rouge?
No, his name is Harold Zidler, not Harry. He is the owner and emcee of the Moulin Rouge nightclub, presiding over its performers while working to keep the club solvent.
What song does Harold Zidler sing in Moulin Rouge?
Harold Zidler presides over the opening number, Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!, the mashup that introduces the club and its performers, and he helps pitch the show-within-the-show in So Exciting! (The Pitch Song). He also leads More More More!, the number that follows the finale.
Who played Harold Zidler in the Moulin Rouge movie?
Jim Broadbent played Harold Zidler in the 2001 film, winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. On Broadway, Danny Burstein originated the role in 2019 and later won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for it.
What show is Harold Zidler from?
Harold Zidler is a supporting character in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, which opened in 2019.
Is Harold Zidler a lead or supporting role?
Harold Zidler is a supporting role.
Who wrote the music for Moulin Rouge!?
Moulin Rouge! is a jukebox musical, with its existing pop and rock songs arranged and adapted by Justin Levine.
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