How In Hell Do Your Describe A Show Like THIS?

It's really hard to accurately describe it. 

Ir calls itself a musical but it's more a spectacle than anything else. Oh, don't misunderstand. There really is plenty of music in it -- more than 30 songs (or at least snippets of songs) to be exact. 

And the music covers just about every genre and numerous eras. Plus, the music does sort of fit in with the story. But the story doesn't take itself too seriously and it's often all rather tongue-in-cheek. 

It's frequently comedic but you'd hardly term it a musical comedy. It's inspired by the relatively recent  Baz Luhrmann movie of the same name but it's not actually a faithful recreation of the movie, at least not as far as we can tell. 

There's so much going on that the costumes, the sets, the characters and the staging will sometimes keep you wondering exactly where to focus your attention.  It's a show that's all over the place, moving very quickly and changing from scene to scene and song to song in the blink of an eye and yet, it not only sustains your interest throughout but it all manages to come together in two acts as a coherent whole.

KABOOM! It's Moulin Rouge on Broadway at the Al Hirshfeld Theatre.

And you really ought to see it on Broadway because the theatre has been transformed for this show and one doubts that it can travel easily or faithfully.

Yes, the actual legendary Moulin Rouge in Paris has long since become a tourist trap but it's more than 130 years old and it is the home of the once-scandalous cancan. And yes, in this Broadway outing you'll see the cancan performed as never before with great dancers and the wildest, most vivid colors imaginable. It's all here, complete with the iconic rouge windmill that has beckoned throngs to the foot of Paris' Montmartre hill to partake of this unique nightlife ritual.

The story? Well, the musical promises a tale that's built around "truth, beauty, freedom and love". And, to be sure, each of these is touched upon in one way or another but don't expect anything profound. It's a classic backstage story but at its core, like the Moulin Rouge itself, this show is all about having fun. 

So, you will recognize and thoroughly enjoy the music and be delighted by the dancing, the gyrations, the gorgeous bodies and the sheer sumptuousness of the whole thing.

Which is to say you most assuredly will have fun. And if you don't, it will be your own damned fault! 

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup.