by Brookelynn Mason and Sam Maher
How wonderful life is…now that Moulin Rouge is on Broadway! Yes, you're reading correctly. Broad. Way. There’s a lot of reasons why you should be hella hyped about this, but we’re going to hit you with five:
1. Um, Karen Olivo. In the Heights. Hamilton. tick…tick…BOOM! Point blank, she’s a powerhouse goddess. She commands a stage anytime she opens her mouth on one, so why wouldn’t you want to immediately jump for tickets just to be assaulted by her performance as Satine singing Katy Perry’s “Firework”? Yes, Queen.
2. Aaron Tveit. This Broadway A-lister is so hot that it literally doesn’t even make sense. His voice, those acting chops, AND he can bust out some crazy dance moves? Swoon swoon swoon swoon swoon SWOON! He’s your dreamy Christian, and to no surprise: with credits like Next To Normal and Grease! Live under his belt, you should certainly expect to be blown away.
Photos: Matthew Murphy
3. That Act 2 opening number. If you are a Lady Gaga or a Britney fan, then come back from intermission ready to take some deep breaths as a full-company number stops the show… minutes after it just got started again!
4. Robyn Hurder’s dancing. She was Cassie in A Chorus Line, she was in Chicago, and you’ll be so glad she’s in Moulin Rouge. Robyn has the “it factor” times approximately one zillion, so consider her your new favorite Broadway star.
5. This creative team is just nuts, y'all. Most of them have won a Tony or two. Sprinkle in some Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Obie Awards, and you've got a group of people that clearly know their sh*t. Nothing less of absolute excellence from the likes of director Alex Timbers, scenic designer Derek McLane, costumer designer Catherine Zuber, and choreographer Sonya Tayeh among, ya know, a slew of other ridiculously talented peeps. The production values here? Extremely high.
Moulin Rouge is now playing on Broadway.