Review: MOULIN ROUGE! at Musical Dome Koln

Moulin Rouge! GERMAN OPENING NIGHT

Baz Luhrmann's masterpiece found its way to the stage back in 2019 and took audiences and critics by storm. The multi-awarded piece has finally arrived in the German Musical cosmos, ready to shine!

Entering the theatre feels like leaving everything behind and stepping into a different world! Ballroom, Night Club, and theatre, all in one, transformed the Musical Dome into the famous Moulin Rouge. (Set Design created by the incredible Derek McLane)

The tragical love story between Santine and Christian is an enormous, energetic, high-speed emotional theatrical experience set in belle Époque Paris. Built with Hits from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Adele, and many others, an unusual way to create Juke Box Musicals.

Cologne is raising the bar and taking the risk, translating well-known Hits into German.

The best show fails when its translation is past the goal, like the experiment with Jonathan Larson's RENT back in 1999, a bitter-sweet memory of well-meant but not well-done. Creatives have learned their lessons over the years. Ruth and Johannes Deny (book and lyrics) mixed German and English (also known as Denglish) in a particularly positive way, beneficial for both story and entertainment.

EVERYBODY CAN-CAN!

Sophie Berner (Santine) and Riccardo Greco ( Christian) lead the Spectacular Spectacle. Berner is Cologne's Sparkling Diamond, and she is giving a stellar and tear-shading performance.

Sophie Berner:

"I feel that Moulin Rouge! Das Musical really touches the audience on all levels. The set and costumes leave you in awe, the choreography is incredibly exciting and there are so many songs to sing and sway along to. And all this with a love story that really gets under your skin."

Greco has such a beautiful, varied voice, and it seems the role is written primarily for him. You can't escape his charismatic, romantic, and lovestruck Christian.

Riccardo Greco:

"All you need is love! For Christian, love is essential, like oxygen. Love is not only his air to breathe but also the motivation for everything he does. He believes in the one great love that endures through all time."

THIS IS NOT A MUSICAL. IT'S A SPECTACULAR SPECTACLE!

With Gavin Turnbull ( Harold Ziedler), Vini Gomes (Santiago), Alvin Le-Bass (Toulouse-Lautrec), and Gian Marco Schiaretti (a handsomely evil Duke of Monroth), life in the Moulin Rouge on the Rhein is entertainingly beautiful. A firework of laughter, amusement, and tragedy.

Within the Ensemble is Austrias Annkathrin Naderer (Nini). Far away from home, Naderer is having a ball onstage at the Musical Dome, playing her part in Cologne's newest attraction.

"It is incredibly liberating and fulfilling to play this show and to go through this journey together with the audience. In the role of "Nini," I especially love that you are allowed to be so wild and free on stage. That's a lot of fun. But my time at the Moulin Rouge has definitely taught me how to deal with sore muscles..."

Moulin Rouge! brought a different (and loud) level of storytelling into Musical Theatre, and audiences worldwide fell in love with it. Now it's Cologne's turn to shine.

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