With its spectacular set design, powerful performances, and high-energy choreography, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL is a visually stunning celebration of truth, beauty, freedom, and love.
Following its hit run on Broadway and in London’s West End, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL finally heads to Manchester’s Palace Theatre, in a dazzling spectacle, romance, and high drama.
Set in 1890s Paris, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL tells the story of Christian, a young American songwriter who falls in love with Satine, the star of the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret club. Their romance is tested by jealousy, secrecy, and the demands of the wealthy Duke de Monroth, who also desires her and is funding the failing club.
If Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film was flashy, John Logan’s stage adaptation goes a step further, delivering eye-popping glitz, grandeur, and glory. Derek McLane’s set design is a visual masterpiece, with the famous windmill rotating in one balcony box and a life-size blue elephant towering from the other. Add in Catherine Zuber’s dazzling costume design and Justin Townsend’s bold lighting and the audience is instantly transported to a bygone era of glamour and decadence.
The cast is brimming with talent, with Verity Thompson shining as Satine, bringing elegance and poise to the sparkling diamond. Her vocals are outstanding, with FIREWORK a standout highlight. Josh Rose is equally compelling as Christian, playing the penniless writer with warmth and charm.
Elsewhere, James Bryers gives the Duke a sinister edge, leaning into the smooth menace of an aristocratic crook, while Rodrigo Negrini and Kurt Kansley provide humour as Christian’s bohemian friends, Santiago and Toulouse-Lautrec.
But the real star of the show is Cameron Blakely as Harold Zidler, commanding the stage as the showman narrator. Blakely portrays Zidler as a man with many sides, balancing comedy with darker, desperate moments.
Like the film, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL leans heavily on the jukebox numbers to drive the story. Classics from the film such as CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION, DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND and YOUR SONG sit alongside newer numbers like BAD ROMANCE, CHANDELIER and SHUT UP AND DANCE. Medleys come thick and fast, often blending lyrics for comedy and surprise.
Sonya Tayeh’s choreography deserves praise too. From the fiery Latin duet to Satine’s dazzling entrance with a mashup of DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and SINGLE LADIES, each routine bursts with energy and is delivered with serious pizzazz.
Put simply, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL is visually spectacular. Fans of Luhrmann’s will not be disappointed as this theatrical celebration of truth, beauty, freedom and love delivers in all the right ways. Moulin Rouge is more than a musical – it’s a state of mind.
MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL runs at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, until 4 October 2025
Donna is the Founder and Editor of Frankly, My Dear UK. By day, she works as a digital marketing specialist, by night she reviews film, theatre and music for a wide range of publications including WhatsonStage and The Reviews Hub. Loves Formula 1, prosecco and life.
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