Show guide
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a 2019 jukebox musical based on the 2001 film, reimagining 1899 Paris nightlife through a score built from decades of pop hits.
- Broadway premiere
- 2019
- Music by
- Justin Levine
- Genre
- Jukebox
- Setting
- 1890s
Moulin Rouge!: quick answers
What is Moulin Rouge! about?
- Moulin Rouge! follows Christian, a young American songwriter in 1899 Paris, who falls for Satine, the star of the Moulin Rouge cabaret, even as she is pushed toward the wealthy Duke of Monroth, whose money could save the club.
When did Moulin Rouge! open on Broadway?
- Moulin Rouge! opened on Broadway on July 25, 2019, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, after a 2018 Boston tryout, and won 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical. It closed on August 30, 2026, after 2,297 regular performances.
Is Moulin Rouge! a jukebox musical?
- Yes. Moulin Rouge! is a jukebox musical built from existing pop songs by many artists, from The Police's Roxanne to Katy Perry's Firework and Sia's Chandelier, woven into mashups around John Logan's book.
Where and when is Moulin Rouge! set?
- Moulin Rouge! is set in Paris during the Belle Epoque, beginning in 1899, mostly in and around the Moulin Rouge cabaret in the Montmartre district.
Has Moulin Rouge! played in London's West End?
- Moulin Rouge! opened in the West End at the Piccadilly Theatre on January 20, 2022, after previews from November 2021. It earned five 2022 Olivier nominations, including Best New Musical, and won for Catherine Zuber's costumes.
Is there a Moulin Rouge! movie?
- The musical is adapted from Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, starring Nicole Kidman as Satine, Ewan McGregor as Christian, Jim Broadbent as Harold Zidler, and John Leguizamo as Toulouse-Lautrec. The film won Oscars for production design and costume design.
The story of Moulin Rouge!
Set in the bohemian Montmartre district of Paris in 1899, Moulin Rouge! follows Christian, a penniless American songwriter, who falls in love with Satine, the star performer at the Moulin Rouge nightclub. Their romance is complicated by the club's ambitious, larger than life ringmaster Harold Zidler and by the wealthy Duke of Monroth, who is bankrolling the club and expects Satine for himself.
Satine is secretly ill, and the show builds toward the collision of her hidden fate with Christian's devotion and the Duke's jealousy. Painter Toulouse Lautrec and the club's other artists round out a story about bohemian ideals of truth, beauty, freedom, and love set against the glittering, desperate spectacle of the Moulin Rouge itself.
The music and the makers
Rather than an original score, Moulin Rouge! is built from dozens of pop and rock songs spanning decades, arranged and adapted by Justin Levine, who is credited with the show's music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements. The songs are woven together in dense mashups that jump between eras and artists, mirroring the anachronistic, anything goes spirit of the film it is based on.
That approach, stitching familiar hits into new dramatic contexts rather than telling the story through original songs, is what sets Moulin Rouge! apart as a jukebox musical, giving the show a constant sense of recognition and surprise as one famous melody gives way to another.
Moulin Rouge! on Broadway
Moulin Rouge! opened on Broadway on July 25, 2019, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, directed by Alex Timbers with choreography by Sonya Tayeh. Aaron Tveit starred as Christian, with Karen Olivo as Satine and Danny Burstein as Harold Zidler in the original company.
Because the 2020 Tony Awards were delayed by the COVID-19 shutdown, Moulin Rouge! ultimately competed at the 74th Tony Awards in September 2021, where it won Best Musical along with Best Direction for Timbers, Best Choreography for Tayeh, and acting awards for Tveit and Burstein, among a total of ten Tony Awards. The production helped anchor Broadway's return after the pandemic shutdown, and its immersive, nightclub inspired staging ran at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre until August 30, 2026, after 2,297 regular performances.
Moulin Rouge!: frequently asked questions
Is Moulin Rouge! a jukebox musical?
Yes. Moulin Rouge! is a jukebox musical that reworks and mashes together existing pop songs by many different artists, including songs from Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film and later hits such as Katy Perry's Firework and Sia's Chandelier.
Is Moulin Rouge! still running on Broadway?
No. Moulin Rouge! played its final Broadway performance on August 30, 2026, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, after 2,297 regular performances since opening there in July 2019.
Did Moulin Rouge! win the Tony Award for Best Musical?
Yes. Moulin Rouge! won Best Musical at the 74th Tony Awards, held in September 2021, as one of its 10 Tony wins that night, the most of any production that season.
Is Moulin Rouge! based on a true story?
No. Its love story and most of its characters are fictional, adapted from Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film, though the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who appears as a character, was a real person. The Moulin Rouge cabaret itself is real and opened in Paris in 1889.
When did Moulin Rouge! open on Broadway?
Moulin Rouge! The Musical opened on Broadway on July 25, 2019, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
Who composed Moulin Rouge!?
Moulin Rouge! is a jukebox musical drawing on existing pop and rock songs, arranged and adapted by Justin Levine.
What is Moulin Rouge! about?
It follows a penniless songwriter and the star performer of a Paris nightclub who fall in love in 1899, based on the 2001 film of the same name.
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