From Corsets to Comedy: Moulin Rouge! Transforms Fort Lauderdale into a Bohemian Wonderland, Where Dance, Song, and Laughter Collide in a Spellbinding Tale of Everlasting Love.

March 5th, 2024

Transported from the streets of Paris, Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale welcomes Moulin Rouge! to the stage in a masterfully modern retelling of a classic story of truth, beauty, freedom, and love. Broadway Fort Lauderdale teased audiences before lights dimmed with silent seductresses moving across the stage before women of all sizes, colors, and shapes burst out in a dazzling musical number. While incorporating classical cabaret elements like the can-can, audiences also received their first taste of the buffet of musical flavors sampled throughout the production with undertones of rock & roll.

Robert Petkoff, also known for his roles in Ragtime, Spamalot, and Fiddler on the Roof, emerges as Harold Zidler onto the stage in powdered pomp, engaging with the crowd as if they sit inside the Moulin Rouge itself. In a true sensory experience, director Alex Timbers plays with the ears and eyes, plunging the stage into absolute darkness before a crescendo of sound. When audiences first meet Satine, the star of the Moulin Rouge, played by Gabrielle McClinton, she embodies a diamond in the flesh in both song and spirit, draped in hundreds of sparking gems. Even the mirrored jewel on the wall behind her casts her glittering reflection, adding further dimension to the scene.

When Satine accidentally meets aspiring songwriter Christian, played by Christian Douglas, in her elephant dressing room instead of the duke, the comedy of errors that ensues had audiences roaring. Even the facial expressions of the entire cast perfectly match the chaotic energy of the scene as they try to collectively devise a new play to save the theater. Music supervisor Justin Levine was a genius in blending a truly eclectic selection of iconic songs from all genres in seamless transition. When Christian returns to Satine’s dressing room, they exchange a back and forth of lyrics from love songs featuring fan favorites such as “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles, “What’s Love Got To Do With It” by Tina Turner and “Fidelity” by Regina Spektor.

Last, but certainly not least, choreographer Sonya Tayeh, created dynamic and elaborate choreography that breathed passion into the production and complimented the play’s vibrant and passionate style. Corset-clad women glided across the stage effortlessly showing the many faces of female beauty through the perspective of the male gaze. In their sexuality, the dancers expressed a rebellious spirit integral to the Bohemian performance. Through tears, laughs, dance, and song, audiences will walk away from this production with a deep connection and appreciation to this everlasting love story.

The North American tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, winner of 10 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, continues its run in Fort Lauderdale at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts thru March 17th. Tickets starting at $45.00* are available at BrowardCenter.org and Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 954.468.0222 or at the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office located at 201 SW Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL. 33312. Orders for groups of ten (10) or more can be purchased by calling 954.660.6307.

MoulinRougeMusical.com

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