Character guide
Satine
from Moulin Rouge!
Satine is the star performer of the Moulin Rouge nightclub in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, the 2019 jukebox musical based on the 2001 film.
- Show
- Moulin Rouge!
- Broadway premiere
- 2019
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- Justin Levine
Who played Satine?
- On screen
- Nicole Kidman (2001 film)
- Originated on Broadway
- Karen Olivo (2019), Tony nominated
Satine: from the film to Broadway
Broadway compared with the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film
The stage Satine knows she is dying from the start. In the musical she hides her worsening consumption from her colleagues, while Nicole Kidman's Satine in the 2001 film collapses before a dinner with the Duke and only later hears from Zidler that her illness is fatal. The musical also makes Satine older, a mentor to the other dancers, and has her enter a sexual relationship with the Duke right away, where the film's Satine tries to evade him.
Karen Olivo originated the role in Boston and on Broadway and earned a Tony nomination. When Broadway reopened in September 2021, the role went to Natalie Mendoza, who had appeared in the original film as a can-can dancer.
Satine: role facts
- Originated on Broadway by
- Karen Olivo (2019)
- Notable performers
- Broadway replacements included Natalie Mendoza, JoJo, and Meg Donnelly.
- Voice type and range
- Mezzo-soprano (belt), A3 to A5
- Songs Satine sings
- The Sparkling Diamond (with Nini, La Chocolat, Arabia, and Baby Doll)
- Firework (solo)
- Your Song (with Christian)
- Sympathy for the Duke (with the Duke and company)
- Elephant Love Medley (with Christian and company)
- Come What May (with Christian)
- Only Girl in a Material World (with the Duke and company)
- Crazy Rolling (with Christian and company)
Who is Satine?
Satine is the celebrated headline performer at the Moulin Rouge in 1899 Paris, admired for her beauty and talent but bound by financial necessity to please the club's wealthy patrons, including the Duke of Monroth. When she falls for penniless songwriter Christian, she risks everything, including her secret battle with illness, to pursue a love she was never supposed to have.
Her struggle to choose real love over the security the Duke offers, all while hiding how sick she truly is, gives Satine's story its central tension between glamour and mortality, performance and truth.
Satine's role in Moulin Rouge!
Satine is a lead role demanding a powerful, versatile voice able to move across the show's wide range of pop and rock songs, along with real dramatic and dance ability befitting a celebrated stage performer within the story itself.
Karen Olivo originated the role on Broadway, bringing fierce intensity to the part, and the role has become known as one of the most demanding leading lady tracks in a contemporary Broadway musical because of its vocal range and sustained physical and emotional intensity.
Satine: frequently asked questions
Who played Satine in Moulin Rouge?
Nicole Kidman played Satine in Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film. Karen Olivo originated the role in the Broadway musical in 2019 and earned a Tony nomination; later Broadway Satines include Natalie Mendoza, JoJo, and Meg Donnelly.
Who is Satine in Moulin Rouge?
Satine is the star performer of the Moulin Rouge nightclub in 1899 Paris, expected to please its wealthy patrons, including the Duke of Monroth, whose investment could save the club from financial ruin. She falls for Christian, a young American songwriter, while secretly hiding a fatal illness.
How old is Satine in Moulin Rouge?
Moulin Rouge! The Musical never states Satine's exact age. The stage version does portray her as older than the Satine of the 2001 film, a seasoned star who mentors the club's other performers.
What songs does Satine sing in Moulin Rouge the Musical?
Satine's key numbers include her entrance number The Sparkling Diamond and her solo Firework, plus the Elephant Love Medley and Come What May, both duets with Christian.
What illness does Satine have in Moulin Rouge?
Satine suffers from consumption, the historical name for tuberculosis. In the musical she knows about her illness from the start and hides her worsening health from her colleagues at the club, whereas in the 2001 film she learns only partway through the story that it is fatal.
What show is Satine from?
Satine is a lead character in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, which opened in 2019.
Is Satine a lead or supporting role?
Satine is a lead 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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