So Exciting: 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' Is Bringing Its Spectacular Stage Show to Brisbane in 2023
After proving an unsurprising hit in Melbourne and Sydney, the film-to-stage production will hit QPAC Theatre next May.
Back in 1999 and 2000, Baz Luhrmann's beloved movie musical Moulin Rouge! was filmed in Australia. Since 2021, the Tony-winning stage version of that hit feature has been doing the rounds of the country, too. And, in spectacular (spectacular) news, it's finally heading to Brisbane, marking the show's fourth Australian stop following its Aussie-premiere season in Melbourne, current Sydney run and upcoming Perth stint.
This time, Brisbane's QPAC will stand in for the Montmartre Quarter of Paris — the backdrop for a heady romance between lovestruck young bohemian Christian and performer Satine, star of the legendary titular cabaret. Moulin Rouge! The Musical will spin that story in the Lyric Theatre from sometime in May 2023, with exact dates yet to be announced. And yes, it's set to be a huge year in the River City, and at the South Brisbane venue, giving both their next blockbuster production after Hamilton arrives just a few months earlier.
When it was first announced back in 2016 that Moulin Rouge! was being turned into a stage musical, fans around the world thought the same thing in unison: the show must go on. Since then, the lavish production premiered in the US in 2018, then hit Broadway in 2019, and finally made its way Down Under in 2021. But if you're a Brisbanite, you've probably been wondering when it would bring its excitement our way — as well as its dazzling on-stage thrills, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the first-ever Aussie-produced show to win the Tony for Best Musical.
As Luhrmann's award-winning, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor-starring movie — which celebrates its 21st anniversary this year — did before it, the stage musical is heavy not just on star-crossed romance, but with a loaded soundtrack that celebrates iconic tunes from across the past five decades. Indeed, Moulin Rouge! The Musical backs up those favourites with even more hit songs that have been released in the two decades since the movie premiered.
The musical comes to Brisbane in the hands of production company Global Creatures. CEO and producer Carmen Pavlovic said that the organisation is "so proud to bring this spectacular show with an all-Australian cast to Brisbane in May 2023".
"Brisbane audiences are always so wonderfully engaged, and we can't wait to see their reaction to this big, bold production that has been adored by audiences in Melbourne and Sydney. We look forward to seeing QPAC ready to rouge when the production arrives next year."
Directed by Alex Timbers, the Australian production stars Alinta Chidzey as Satine, Des Flanagan as Christian, Simon Burke as club impresario Harold Zidler and Andrew Cook as The Duke — plus Tim Omaji as Toulouse-Lautrec and Ryan Gonzalez as Santiago, Montmartre's resident artistes; and Samantha Dodemaide as Nini, Olivia Vásquez as Arabia, Ruva Ngwenya as La Chocolat, and Christopher J Scalzo as Babydoll, aka the 'Lady M's'.
Pre-sale tickets for the Brisbane season will be available from Monday, November 14, with general sales kicking off on Thursday, November 17.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical will take over the Lyric Theatre after Hamilton, meaning that the latter definitely has to finish by May, even if its current March end date is extended — so don't throw away your shot to see that, either.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical will hit QPAC, Grey Street, South Brisbane, from May 2023, with exact dates yet to be announced . For further details or to join the waitlist for tickets — with pre-sales from Monday, November 14 and general sales from Thursday, November 17 — head to the QPAC website.
Images: Michelle Grace Hunder / Matthew Murphy.
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