The 1990s weren’t a good time for the movie musical.
Aside from the Madonna-helmed film adaptation of “Evita” and Lars von Trier’s grim “Dancer in the Dark,” movie musicals were largely the domain of child-focused fare. Then came 2001’s “Moulin Rouge!” ushering in a new decade that would see film adaptations of “Chicago,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Producers,” “Dreamgirls,” “Mamma Mia!” and “Hairspray,” to name a few.
Starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, “Moulin Rouge!” was unlike anything western cinema had seen before: a postmodern jukebox musical that shoves “La Bohème,” Busby Berkeley, Bollywood films, the Orpheus myth, radio hits and Technicolor spectacle into a blender and hits frappe. Even its detractors must admit that it’s a daringly original movie.
Directed by Baz Luhrmann, “Moulin Rouge!” relates the story of Christian, a young man who arrives in Paris at the turn of previous century to join the Bohemian movement. After finding himself under the wing of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Christian is taken to the famed Moulin Rouge cabaret where he becomes infatuated with Satine, its star performer. Though they quickly fall for each other, Satine is supposed to be wooing the stuffy Duke of Monroth to ensure the theater’s financial stability.
On Tuesday, the Broadway tour of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” comes to town for a 16-performance engagement. Andrew Brewer, who plays the Duke in the touring production, says the show has broad appeal.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” he says. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be over the top. There is humor, there is drama. There is music that you’re going to know.”
Even for fans of the movie, Brewer says there are surprises in store, including the characterization of the Duke.
“He’s not quite the character from the movie, which is very fun for me,” he says, adding that his number “Sympathy for the Duke,” a medley of Rolling Stones songs, is a highlight. “It’s sort of his seduction act that he has with Sabine.”
Though beloved songs from the movie like “Elephant Love Medley” have been incorporated into the stage adaptation, there are many new additions, including snippets from the Talking Heads “Burning Down the House,” The Commodores’ “Brick House” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”
“We’ve updated the music a little bit,” Brewer says. “They’ve added a lot of music from the 2010s and things that came out after the movie was released.”
Brewer believes his character is misunderstood.
“His experience of love is owning and controlling,” Brewer says. “He falls in love with Satine in the way that he can. He buys the Moulin Rouge and starts to take control of the show that they’re beginning to put on. He wants things his way.”
Though the Duke has been made more sympathetic in the stage version, he’s still the heavy of the story.
“Whenever I talk to people after the show they always say, ‘You’re such a good bad guy,’” Brewer says. “He is somebody who is coming from a different world than the people of the Moulin Rouge. He’s sort of stepping into this world of debauchery from his usual upper crust lifestyle.”
For fans of spectacle, Brewer says this show has plenty to offer.
“This is top of the line, everything from our sound to our costumes to our lighting,” he says. “There are reasons that it won 10 Tonys, and that has not been downscaled for the tour. You are getting a Broadway caliber performance.”
Broadway in Richmond’s “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” March 4-16 at the Altria Theater, 6 N. Laurel St. For more information visit broadwayinrichmond.com.
