When I watched Moulin Rouge for the first time, Satine, the Sparkling Diamond and Courtesan stole my heart. Played by the beautiful Nicole Kidman, I dreamed of being her male counterpart, Christian. The story follows Christian (Played by Ewan McGregor), a young writer who moved to Paris with the hope of becoming a writer of the Bohemian Revolution. He meets some rather odd men in the playwright business and is asked to go to the Moulin Rouge and pitch their idea. That very night, the Duke, a very wealthy man, is supposed to see Satine in her private room, for she is to be bound to him in exchange for his generous donations, which will pull the Moulin Rouge out of debt. As fate plays out, Satine mistakes Christian for the Duke and brings him back to her private elephant-shaped room. From there, their love buds, sparking a Romeo-and-Juliet-style unrequited romance.
While over a decade has passed since its initial debut, Moulin Rouge is still my favorite movie. Recently, I saw it live at the Wang Theatre in Boston. Before the first act had concluded, my mascara was ruined. The gorgeous costumes, evocative dancing, and beauty of it all being brought to life deeply struck a chord with me.
Although the musical numbers were better than in the movie, there were a few critical errors made when translating from screenplay to playwright. For starters, the Duke is more attractive than Christian. This was part of Christian’s appeal; he’s supposed to be the pretty poet with a pure heart. The casting for these two characters was a flop. Another casting mistake was Satine, who was supposed to be ginger to make her stand out from everyone else with blond and brunette hair.
Aside from the casting, I really enjoyed their use of the four virtues of the Bohemian Revolution: truth, beauty, freedom, and love. As the play is coming to an end, four characters recite the virtues, each embodying one of the four words. I loved the fake endings; however, a very pivotal and dramatic sense was sadly cut from the play.
All in all, I commend the cast and crew for their wonderful take on a beautiful story. I encourage anyone reading this to consider buying tickets. However I realize that can be out of budget, so perhaps rent the movie, which is available to rent or buy on most streaming platforms. I love this movie and play adaptation, which truly encapsulates the beauty of the Bohemian Revolution.
