Why the hate for moulin rouge - Page 2

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 5/20/20 at 12:18pm

It was very enjoyable to watch, even dazzling at times, from a technical perspective. However, the story and performances both left me cold for the same reasons many have already said

[Kad]

Posted: 5/20/20 at 8:53pm

I had a fantastic time, as did my mother (who, actually, was the driving force to see the show). My main criticism was that the show-within-a-show climax was a major fumble and letdown, especially compared to the over-the-top spectacle of the climax of the film.

Frankly, the obsession with  whether a show is an "original musical" as an indicator of worth and quality drives a lot of prejudice against anything that doesn't fit that criteria for a lot of people on here. I thought MR sets a target for itself- admittedly not a high target- and hits a bull's eye. I can't say that about a lot of new musicals these days, "original" or not. 

[IHeartNY2]

Posted: 5/20/20 at 10:36pm

As a general rule, if a show doesn't have "Hamilton," "Hades," "Six" or "Company" in its title, or has even the slightest tinge of a jukebox, it's screwed. 

[Fosse76]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 1:37am

IHeartNY2 said: "As a general rule, if a show doesn't have "Hamilton," "Hades," "Six" or "Company" in its title, or has even the slightest tinge of a jukebox, it's screwed."

That's nonsense. No show is going to be universally loved,  and people not liking a show that you like doesn't make them biased. I couldn't watch 10 minutes of the movie,  so seeing the show was not on my to do list. That said, I know quite a few people who loved the movie and couldn't wait to see the show,  who then saw it and were completely underwhelmed.  Even so, liking a show doesn't necessarily mean it's a good show; there are two or the shows I saw recently that I liked,  but weren't actually good.  But they were entertaining enough for me. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 7/26/20 at 11:54pm

The book is so bad. The book is the source of most of the problems. Okay, Zidler is explicitly gay now, Satine has a couple conversations with the other female dancers, and the show clumsily tries to give Toulouse more material and underline the leftist stuff. But ultimately it just amplifies issues that were less bothersome in the movie because of the chemistry between Kidman and McGregor and the magic of montages and time jumps. 

Nothing in this new book convinces me that Christian "loves" Satine for anything other than her looks. The only reason to root for him over the Duke is that Satine chooses him and is forced to be with the Duke for money. The Duke turns villainous for no reason but even then, aside from his possessiveness, he didn't seem that terrible. The book doesn't care about Satine's inner life enough to explain that she might want something different from her life now. It's all about Christian and his man pain and tons of exposition dumps. This could have easily been a better show if they prioritized Satine's POV. Even with the framing device in the movie, Kidman's Satine felt like an equal player. Olivo is great but the book keeps sidelining her.

Also, yes. Bad use of the songs. I didn't even hate all the new song choices. But this show has no restraint. It cannot help but pile on more and more. 

[blaxx]

Posted: 7/27/20 at 1:05am

VintageSnarker said: "
Also, yes. Bad use of the songs. I didn't even hate all the new song choices. But this show has no restraint. It cannot help but pile on more and more."

It's built as a tourist trap, and it works as that. The fact that the show starts with Lady Marmalade to appease the masses, and before even trying to approach any of the narrative, shows that it's a far cry from the innovative Luhrmann vision for the story. 

[Chowd95]

Posted: 7/27/20 at 7:18am

I don't get all the praise for this show's set. I kind of mentally checked out about twenty minutes in but the only big set piece I remember was Satine's dressing room (which admittedly was pretty cool when it spun around). Besides that there was the little cafe set, the empty rehearsal stage and the huge couch. The way the theater was decked out was impressive but I couldn't see a lot of the runway from my fifth row mezz seat and I imagine more than a few of the seats in the orchestra were partial view.

[broadway86]

Posted: 7/27/20 at 9:40am

(1) I think the show feels largely pretty soulless. They capture the glitz and glamor of the Moulin Rouge, but it's completely lacking in the creative spirit of Lurhmann's directorial style. 

(2) As you said, I felt absolutely zero chemistry between Tveit and Olivo, and the passionate, sexy love story is a big part of what anchors the film. 

All of this, and I also felt that very few of the changes made to the stage version, songs or script, were for the better. The most the musical accomplished, for me, was to underline why the film was so special and effective.

[StageLight]

Posted: 7/28/20 at 5:45am

Haven't seen the show but hated the movie. Once Nicole Kidman started writhing all over the floor and screaming I couldn't take any more and wanted to leave. That scene was milked dry.

[blaxx]

Posted: 7/28/20 at 6:12am

StageLight said: "Haven't seen the show but hated the movie. Once Nicole Kidman started writhing all over the floor and screaming I couldn't take any more and wanted to leave. That scene was milked dry."

Well then, be glad you didn't catch Karen Olivo fake coughing as if the audience had never seen a sick person before. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 7/28/20 at 10:38am

blaxx said: "Well then, be glad you didn't catch Karen Olivo fake coughing as if the audience had never seen a sick person before."

I thought it was hilarious that she spent most of the show belting powerfully and then randomly started coughing in act 2. Again, great book.

[scripps]

Posted: 7/28/20 at 11:49am

There's a moment in Moulin Rouge near the end of the show where Toulouse-Lautrec tells Satine that he will make her immortal as ensemble members assemble upstage in costumes based on his masterpieces of Mademoiselle Cha-U-Kao and Jane Avril. As an artist and Francophile, it represented to me what could've been instead of the crass commercialism on stage but c'est la vie.

I mentioned this brief moment to a friend who had seen the show a few times and they were surprised as they did not know that Toulouse-Laurtrec was a real person. The show's target audience I suppose.

[nealb1]

Posted: 7/28/20 at 11:56am

I've seen the show twice - August of last year right after it opened, and in January this year.  Loved very moment of it.  Thought it was fabulous!

[Olivia11]

Posted: 7/29/20 at 5:08pm

Saw it in November from great seats with everyone in. It’s a gorgeous production with tremendous talent and a fun night.

Unfortunately, the recycled pop music is jarring to me and kept taking me out of the moment. With an original score, I think it would have a better chance of resonating with me.

I remember a beautiful set and some spectacular dancing instead of the show.

[Olivia11]

Posted: 7/29/20 at 5:10pm

 

Updated On: 7/29/20 at 05:10 PM