Riedel on the growing hype for Moulin Rouge!

[barcelona20]

Too old. Does she dance? Can she belt?

[RippedMan]

I don't think she's right for this at all. 

[AEA AGMA SM]

Yeah, I haven't seen the stage production yet, but based on the movie there is nothing in that character that suggests it would be an incredible fit for Katrina Lenk.

[GeorgeandDot]

Katrina Lenk is actually really perfect for that role though......

She actually is the only actress right now that could give a performance that could match the same qualities that Kidman brought to the role in the film. Also, is she any older than Olivo?

[BroadwayConcierge]

I'm actually surprised to be getting pushback on that dreamcast.

Satine is enchantingly beautiful and talented. A "sparkling diamond." Seductive and strong, but internally, ill and emotionally anguished. Seemingly ebullient and extroverted but in reality, a tough cookie to crack. She dreams for something other than what she has. 

These are literally all characteristics of which Katrina Lenk is the master.

And I'm pretty sure Lenk and Olivo are the same age. 

[Dolly80]

GeorgeandDot said: "Katrina Lenk is actually really perfect for that role though......

She actually is the only actress right now that could give a performance that could match the same qualities that Kidman brought to the role in the film. Also, is she any older than Olivo?"

 

Im so impressed you have seen every actress in NYC audition and have reached this definitive decision. 

[Mandy89]

Moulin Rouge will be panned by all the critics. I will be very surprised if they don’t mention the following:

No chemistry between Satine and Christian.
Satine is better suited to the Duke who is middle aged like her.
Second Act is terrible. Where does the Duke disappear to?
Stage is spectacular.
Karaoke.

[GeorgeandDot]

Dolly80, there's no need to be rude. It's just that if you were to ask me to name five actresses that I would like to call into the audition room, Lenk would probably be in that bunch. Based upon her previous performances, it seems like she could be really great in this part. Of course, I'm not sure how the role has changed for the stage, but she does seem like she'd be really great for this. Also, I never claimed my opinion was definitive. Don't know where you got that from. Everything I said is in my own opinion. Do I need to preface everything I say with that?

[dramamama611]

I love Lenk, would pay to see her in anything, but she's wrong for this.

[GeorgeandDot]

I fail to see why she's so wrong for this. I'm pretty sure I saw someone suggest Jen Colella for this part in another thread and people weren't so outspoken about that and that's the worst dreamcasting I've ever heard.

[Jarethan]

Jean Colella has zero sex appeal on the stage IMO.  She is too old for the role, as are Lenk and Olivo.  She is not supposed to be Christian's mother.  

[bear88]

So I looked it up. Karen Olivo is 41, will turn 42 in a few days. Katrina Lenk is 43. Aaron Tveit is 34.

Kidman and McGregor are four years apart. I always thought his character was supposed to be younger, less experienced. He certainly looked younger.

I haven't seen the show in Boston, but I doubt there would be gripes if people thought Christian and Satine had chemistry on stage. Olivo isn't that much older, and she certainly doesn't look old. 

No one says a thing when Helly, Dolly casts 70-year-olds as Dolly, with Dolly a lot older than Horace, so that can't be the problem.

I never thought Moulin Rouge was a movie masterpiece, but it did a few important things right. One of those things was getting the audience to buy the Christian-Satine romance and actually care about it. If the stage version is failing at that, it's a problem. 

[Wayman_Wong]

'' 'Moulin Rouge' will be panned by all the critics.''

Guess Mark Shenton of the Stage U.K. and Ben Brantley of the N.Y. Times didn't get the memo. They both posted rave reviews. Shenton called it a ''knockout''; Brantley made it a ''Critic's Pick.''

[John Adams]

RE: Katrina Lenk as Satine

I think some folks aren't familiar with how talented and versatile she is. Don't be so quick to pigeon-hole her because of her outstanding work on Broadway. 

Someone asked, "Can she dance?" Yes. She's played Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street, and Sally Bowles in Cabaret. Her dancing skills are excellent. You can rent/view Indecent to see small examples of her dance skills. 

Katrina has also played Sugar Kane in Sugar, so she does have the capacity to bring a Kidman-like nuance (similar to Monroe's) to the role, if that's what producers might be looking for. 

Is she too old for the role? Don't be silly.

I don't know if she wants, or is pursuing the role, but there is absolutely no question in my mind that if she is pursued for the role, she would be outstandingly believable in the role. She is a remarkable actress - it's just that most people only know her from her Broadway work, which makes it seem that she's only "right" for roles where an accent is required...

 

[SomethingPeculiar]

There's no chance in heck that Olivo or Tveit is getting replaced after that love-letter from Ben Brantley.

[dramamama611]

I highly doubt the reason anyone thinks she may not be right has little to do with an accent.

[missthemountains]

Riedel is the spam emailing equivalent/Hedda Hopper of theatre journalism and I'd love if we could collectively stop giving him--er, I mean, 10086sunset, any time of day. 

[John Adams]

dramamama611 said: "I highly doubt the reason anyone thinks she may not be right has little to do with an accent. "

Wow. Did you feel the breeze as the point of the post whizzed over your head?

[bear88]

SomethingPeculiar said: "There's no chance in heck that Olivo or Tveit is getting replaced after that love-letter from Ben Brantley."

I'm not being snarky about this. I'm honestly curious. Does the enthusiastic blessing of The New York Times lead theater critic matter that much? I guess it used to, and perhaps the decline in the number of critics might makes the Times more important. But the musical is based on a known quantity, albeit one that many people have forgotten or haven't seen since 2001. (I saw it last year for the first time in a long time, ironically enough, on a cross-country flight from New York City after seeing several Broadway shows.) People are going to really want to see it or they won't.

Does the status of Olivo and Tveit suddenly change, assuming they want to go to Broadway with the show, because the New York Times raved about the show and them? It's certainly not going to hurt the performers, and will only increase the buzz about Moulin Rouge. But the descriptions I've seen (and I haven't seen the musical) make it seem like the show is the star - the familiar songs, set design, choreography, high energy, love it or hate it. Admittedly, the dynamic between the actors playing Christian and Satine is very important to its success, but that's been one of the main criticisms I've read. As near as I can can tell, Ben Brantley isn't always the consensus opinion. He loved Groundhog Day, and that didn't matter. 

Other folks who know more than I do about the dynamics of the Times and out-of-town previews of hyped shows - Any insights?

[dramamama611]

John Adams said: "dramamama611 said: "I highly doubt the reason anyone thinks she may not be right has little to do with an accent. "

Wow. Did you feel the breeze as the point of the post whizzed over your head?"

Not at all  in fact I was quite enjoying your post until I got to the end. I found THAT comment very insulting. 

[SmoothLover]

Is there any chance that Billy Porter will return to Kinky Boots before it closes?

[rjm516]

Katrina would be perfect if the stage role were more like Kidman's nuanced, delicate take in the movie. But onstage it's belting pop songs and skewing bolder and she wouldn't fit.

[ACL2006]

SmoothLover said: "Is there any chance that Billy Porter will return to Kinky Boots before it closes?"

 

I don't know. I think the show should close with Ghee as Lola. Who the Charlie will be is being speculated now, but I'd assume whoever replaces Cook will close out the show.

 

[haterobics]

BroadwayConcierge said: "Ok, so now can we start talking about how incredible Katrina Lenk would be as Satine?"

You can, but not sure why you think Olivo wouldn't be the one coming to Broadway...

[BroadwayConcierge]

haterobics said: "You can, but not sure why you think Olivo wouldn't be the one coming to Broadway..."

Ha, well, after Brantley's love letter in the Times yesterday, I am totally convinced Olivo will come to Broadway in the role. And I loved Olivo in the role! She is very different from Kidman's performance, but I just think it's interesting to think about what Lenk would bring to Satine. Certainly much more similar to the film.