Complete Moulin Rouge tour casting released

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/25/22 at 12:31pm

https://moulinrougemusical.com/us-tour/cast/

Nothing that I would describe as exciting, but I am thrilled to see Austin is able to return to the role of Harold!

Updated On: 1/25/22 at 12:31 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/25/22 at 12:41pm

And what a great cast it is! Conor Ryan, Courtney Reed, Austin Durant, André Ward, Libby Lloyd, Harper Miles, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer… I could pass out from all this Broadway talent. 

Also, I spoke with Ted Arthur (isn’t he unstoppable?) a couple days ago; he is the associate music supervisor of the tour, and he told me Andrew Graham will be the music director / conductor. 
 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 1/25/22 at 12:45pm

Go Ted and Andrew! The show will be in great hands.

As my favorite role in the show is Toulouse-Lautrec, I’m excited to see what André Ward brings to the role.

[The8re phan]

Posted: 1/25/22 at 12:46pm

I'd say Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer is pretty damn exciting!  She will be an AMAZING Satine!!!

Updated On: 1/25/22 at 12:46 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/25/22 at 1:26pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "And what a great cast it is! Conor Ryan, Courtney Reed, Austin Durant, André Ward, Libby Lloyd, Harper Miles, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer… I could pass out from all this Broadway talent.

Also, I spoke with Ted Arthur (isn’t he unstoppable?) a couple days ago; he is the associate music supervisor of the tour, and he told me Andrew Graham will be the music director / conductor."

 

Congrats to Andrew. He is a great guy. 

Would also love to see Conor in this. He was really good in "Desperate Measures".

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 1/25/22 at 1:30pm

The8re phan said: "I'd say Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer is pretty damn exciting! She will be an AMAZING Satine!!!"

To be clear, she is the alternate Satine. Courtney Reed is Satine. 

 

[The8re phan]

Posted: 1/25/22 at 1:43pm

Sutton Ross said: "The8re phan said: "I'd say Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer is pretty damn exciting! She will be an AMAZING Satine!!!"

To be clear, she is the alternate Satine. Courtney Reed is Satine.

"

yes, which is reason enough to attend the tour on alternate days

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/20/22 at 11:43am

Caught this last night, first performance in Chicago.  I saw this in Boston and then Broadway, and it's a very good touring production - no side pieces and no real "swing", and most notably, no passerelle.  I was VERY impressed by Conor Ryan - broke my heart more than a few times throughout the show.  While I also liked Aaron's Christian in the OBC, you always know you are seeing a Broadway veteran doing his thing - Ryan's freshness, added new layers to the character for me - his vocals are glorious!  Courtney was good - I think she got more comfortable as the show went on - I caught myself watching the other dancers during Sparkling Diamond, instead of her.  They also need to work on how her disease progresses - it was a little too soap opera last night.  As in Boston/Broadway, we also had annoying laughter from the audience whenever they broke into a new pop song - and weird clapping during Crazy Rolling.  

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/20/22 at 11:50am

Thanks for the report, Marlothom. If there is no swing, how it Satine's entrance staged?

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/20/22 at 11:59am

There is no swing from up above, the curtain opens and Satine is sitting on a swing a little upstage for the "diamonds are forever" bit.  

[jigblob]

Posted: 3/20/22 at 12:03pm

Did the playbill list the alternate Satine performance schedule?  Or is it more like an Elphaba-like standby situation?

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/20/22 at 12:07pm

No specific dates listed for Satine's cover.  I might start following Yvette on social media to get a head's up.  

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 3/20/22 at 1:21pm

I saw in photos that it looks like they managed to maintain the elephant and windmill in the audience - which surprised me. 
 

Also it looks like the stage still has the platforms / steps that rise up? 

[Harmonium]

Posted: 3/20/22 at 10:15pm

The stage platforms do not rise out of the floor, they split in half and track on and off from the wings.

Tentatively, Yvette will perform Tuesday nights in Chicago- debuting April 12th.  I've heard there is a week in May she'll be on most or all of the week, but I'm not sure if it's in Chicago or Minneapolis.

[Harmonium]

Posted: 3/24/22 at 10:41am

Just heard from a friend in the cast: Yvette Gonzalez Nacer makes her Satine debut tonight in Chicago, and will be on for the next few shows.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/24/22 at 10:46am

Luminaire2 said: "I saw in photos that it looks like they managed to maintain the elephant and windmill in the audience - which surprised me.


Also it looks like the stage still has the platforms / steps that rise up?"

I imagine that the elephant and windmill will not be able to be used in every city as not all touring houses have boxes.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/24/22 at 1:32pm

Yah I might have missed the windmill. I will look for it when I see it again! 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/24/22 at 1:36pm

Marlothom said: "Yah I might have missed the windmill. I will look for it when I see it again!"

Looking at pictures, I’m not sure how it was possible you missed it the first time around. Where were you seated?

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/25/22 at 1:26am

Went to see it again tonight and I missed the windmill because it turns out, last time, I was sitting right below it the first time, third row, stage right (?).   

Went to see it tonight specifically to see the Satine cover and Yvette was fantastic on her first time out! I don't want to mischaracterize her voice but she sounded like a belter to me - not much of a mix. So the beginning of a "Sparkling Diamond" sounded a little shouty, which made me nervous, but after that she was such a gem.  In the end, I am so glad/grateful to have this show a few blocks away for a few months, so don't want to sound negative, but Courtney is giving me Disney Princess as Satine which sounds LOVELY, but missing the GRIT that Yvette was serving tonight, and I think, needed for Satine.  We also had an understudy Duke, who was much younger but did a great job.  I read this years ago in the early fan reviews of the show, but it's such a "weird choice" to make the Duke "sexy" instead of "repulsive", it makes it less of an obvious choice for Satine.  

A few "first performance" issues - it looked like Yvette was late snapping out of her swing safety at the start of Sparkling Diamonds, but got it out just in time.  And, not sure if the "Only Girl in the World" dress is fitted for her.  The hat did not make it on her head (dropped) and she nearly tripped while trying to walk on it.  (Connor also flubbed a line in Crazy Rolling, but still obsessed with his performance).  

I read on social media that Courtney is out of the show due to Covid.  Not sure if she went on last night (Wednesday) but I wonder if we will get new cases/other covers as the days roll out given her close proximity to the cast this week.   

Updated On: 3/25/22 at 01:26 AM

[windowwaving]

Posted: 3/28/22 at 1:17pm

Saw the show on Saturday. Courtney was out and we had Andrew Brewer on as the Duke.

I’ve seen the show with Karen Olivo and Natalie Mendoza on Broadway before and I think Yvette does a solid job. I’ve always felt that the sickness progression always felt like an afterthought, but Yvette makes it feels more natural.

Conor Ryan was such a highlight as Christian. I love me some Aaron Tveit, but for some reason it never feels like he’s acting. Conor brings so much energy to the role and his singing completely blew me away. I’ve also never truly believed the romance between Aaron and Karen/Natalie. But Conor and Yvette have such great chemistry that it made the final scene much more emotional.

Austin Durant was actually my first Harold Zidler when he filled in for Danny Burstein. I was a little underwhelmed when I saw him on Broadway, but he has improved so much. He felt the most natural in the role.

The real star of the show is that gorgeous set. I was wondering what changes they would make to be able to tour this, and aside from using sheets for some of the backdrops and generally smaller set pieces, the effect is still dazzling. I don’t think I noticed anything major missing. The only change I really saw was that they didn’t use the swing for the green fairy scene.

I loved the show and thought it was a blast, but I missed the audience interactions that came with the passerelle. The show does feel a little ‘squished’ with all the choreography in the proscenium now, but I don’t think most people would notice. Overall, I think the production value is fantastic, especially for a tour - and after seeing how most tours downsize much more than this, I really appreciate the effort to keep as much of the original as possible. 

[inception]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 9:51am

Planning an autumn trip to San Francisco during time this will be playing there.  Now trying to decide whether to get tickets to see this show again for then, or when I am in NYC in July, or for both times.

I have no questions about whether I will enjoy the show.  I think Moulin Rouge is the ideal of what a Broadway should be.  A big glossy musical that is 100% spectacle.  Zero politics. Zero angst. No fat millennials doing poppers (or meth) with a racist Grindr hookup. (If I want to see that, admission to Steamworks in Vancouver, Seattle, Berkley or Chicago any Saturday night is only about $25)

But, anyone have seat recommendations fir the Orpheum in SF?

They have cheapish prices for Centre Orch from row P, but not sure if that is too far back?Looking at View From Seat for the Orpheum in SF and it seems like a very spread out theatre and views even from Mezz there look far.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 10:32am

This is the exact opposite of what Broadway should be, but go off.

Anyways, I would see this on Broadway before the tour because it's one of those shows that's really moved into its theatre on Broadway. The stage spills out into what's usually the first few rows of the orchestra, they've taken over the boxes in really cool ways, things like the wallpaper and doors to were redone for the show.

[inception]

Posted: 4/22/22 at 1:53pm

Thanks, yes, I saw it twice in 2019. Deciding how many times to see it this year when I have opportunities. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/24/22 at 12:13pm

Caught the evening performance last night, Saturday April 23rd. I got a rush seat, 3rd row center orchestra. Flawless view of the stage. I was enthralled by every moment of the show. Everyone is doing fantastic things on that stage, particularly Conor Ryan. His vocals are amazing. Courtney Reed is also very good and seems to have grown a ton from her Aladdin days. The Elephant Love Medley was my favorite part of the show, when Satines dressing room spun around. So gorgeous. I’m hoping to catch it once more before it leaves May 14th.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 2:52pm

Sometimes, a traveling production can look like a cheap knockoff of the Broadway original. Not ''Moulin Rouge!'' The national tour is a knockout. Over the previous weekend, it opened at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco to rave reviews. Lily Janiak in the S.F. Chronicle called it ''the musicaliest musical ever.'' And it looks just as flashy and as splashy as the 10-time Tony-winning version in New York. It's an explosion of music, scenery, costumes and lighting. It even features a big red, rotating windmill and addresses the blue elephant in the room.

Alex Timbers' dynamic direction coordinates it all into one spectacular stage picture, which frames an incredible cast. Austin Durant dazzles at Harold, the entertaining emcee, and Courtney Reed shines and shimmers as Satine. But to me, the real standout is Conor Ryan as Christian, whose beautiful voice soars in his solos and adds mellifluous riffs. Plus, he has such a sexy chemistry with Reed. And the dancing is on fire, set to Sonya Tayeh's sizzling choreography.

I've now seen ''Moulin Rouge!'' multiple times on Broadway, but this tour still wows me with its showmanship and fun pop-music mashups, which range from the Beatles to Beyonce. It's such a crowdpleaser. My audience shot up from their seats the second the curtain call began and stayed on their feet, roaring and cheering all the amazing actors. ''Moulin Rouge!'' sure knows how to paint the town red. Bravo!

P.S. Below is video of Conor and the touring cast performing ''El Tango de Roxanne'' on James Corden's ''The Late Late Show.'' Conor recently posted on his Instagram that he won't be doing Sundays to save his voice. However, I've also heard terrific things about Jack Cahill-Lemme, who's gone on for him. Small world, but Jack was a finalist at the 2016 Jimmy Awards, for top high-school musical-theater performers, and one of their coaches was Karen Olivo, the future Satine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ2unmcgfW4

Updated On: 9/17/22 at 02:52 PM