The wait is over and Moulin Rouge! struts its stuff from the West End to Manchester’s glittering Palace Theatre- where it casts its red light for six weeks of freedom, beauty, truth and love.

There are few musicals that arrive with such swagger as Moulin Rouge!– and fewer still that manage to sustain it for over two and a half hours. Alex Timbers’ touring production bathes its audience in velvet-red decadence, champagne fizz and enough glitter to fill a certain Parisian cabaret twice over. It is, from the first Can-Can kick to the last soaring note, a spectacular visual feast. Yet beneath the sequins and spectacle lies a nagging question: is sparkle enough when story and character sometimes but skim the surface? 

John Logan’s book, drawing closely from Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film, does little to dispel the sense that these are archetypes rather than fully-formed people:  Christian, the idealist poet, Satine, the tragic courtesan, the Duke (James Bryers), a pantomime villain- all familiar, all broad, all too rarely permitted to really deepen. In many ways, this is faithful to the film’s DNA, but on stage- with its potential for intimacy- it can feel like a missed opportunity. 

The score, stitched together from decades of pop anthems, is both the production’s engine and its Achilles’ heel. Sonya Tayeh’s choreography and Justin Townsend’s kaleidoscopic lighting make medleys like Shut Up and Raise Your Glass and Act Two’s outstanding opener, Backstage Romance a riotous thrill, but there’s a cost. Numbers blend into one another so relentlessly that the audience often laughs in recognition before they can listen in sincerity. You never quite sit with a moment long enough for lyrics to resonate, let alone to build the fragile bridge between narrative and emotion. A song begins to land- and then it is swallowed by the next; riotously catchy as they may be.  

And yet, within this dizzying swirl, the performances blaze. Cameron Blakely delivers top-tier Harold Zidler that steers the entire confection towards brilliance. Josh Rose is a powerhouse Christian, his vocals thrilling in their rawness. He sings from his boots, never more electrifying than in a climactic Roxanne, where pain and passion spill into the stalls. Opposite him, Verity Thompson’s Satine is the revelation of the night. She fills a role that could so easily veer towards two-dimensional glamour with tangible energy and emotional intelligence, ensuring every flicker of doubt, fear and love feels lived- harvesting the emotions that the book leaves fallow. 

The ensemble, meanwhile, are untiring in their efforts. Tayeh’s choreography pushes them to extremes, and they rise with precision and, never reckless, abandon, embodying the excess the Moulin Rouge promises. Catherine Zuber’s costumes are sumptuous, a parade of silks, feathers and corsets that echo Parisian chic but feel freshly minted. It is an aesthetic as indulgent as it is irresistible and, when paired with Derek McLane’s spectacular Scenic Design, there’s simply no telling your eyes which one way to look.  

There is little doubt that this production delivers on the promise of spectacle. Confetti bursts, catchy songs, Can-Cans galore- and the Palace Theatre seems to heave with joy. This Moulin Rouge! is a sparkling diamond of production value. Whether that brilliance is enough to obscure its cracks depends on if you can willingly let the music and opulence sweep you away. For many in Manchester, it seems, the answer is a resounding yes- they jolly well can… can, can! 

Moulin Rouge! plays at The Palace Theatre in Manchester until Saturday 4th October. For tickets and further information, click here.

Tickets received in exchange for an honest review. #AD

Photography by Matt Crockett.