When I was a freshman in high school, I “discovered” the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, a jukebox musical, as I shuffled my parent’s music. I was immediately hooked by Nicole Kidman singing a mash-up of Madonna’s “Material Girl” and Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds are a Girl’ Best Friend.” I proceeded to listen to the album from start to finish again, and again, and again. To me, the album had everything-a mix of the music I had loved growing up, romantic and angsty subtext, and Ewan McGregor. 

In 2018, BroadwayWorld announced that a stage adaption of the film was being brought to Broadway from its limited run in Boston. Being a musical theatre fanatic and a fan of the original album, I was excited and intrigued by the prospect. But I, along with many other Broadway fans, questioned the choice. How would a movie from the early 2000s featuring an emotionally abused, dying lady of the night, a man who is a prime example of a “not all men” man, cultural appropriation, and a dated soundtrack fare on the Great White Way?

Moulin Rouge! opened in the Alex Hirschfield Theatre this July with an updated story and updated songs. Satine, the aforementioned lady of the night played by Broadway darling and Tony award winner Karen Olivo, is given more agency in the show than in film. Christian, played by Aaron Tveit (another big name on Broadway), is given a little more nuance as well. And rather than stick to the film’s appropriation of Bollywood routines and numbers, the musical opts for the production within a production trope. 

But, as for the soundtrack...

What it does well, it does well (“Elephant Love Medley,” “Backstage Romance,” and “Crazy Rolling”). The samples of the songs used lend themselves well to classically trained singers belt them for eight shows a week, and are sung passionately and powerfully. However, on the other side, what it does poorly it does poorly. For example, the addition of some of the modern pop songs really take you out of the show (see: “Chandelier”-which is just Sia’s “Chandelier” and “Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love”-no Broadway show ever needed “We are Young by Fun. sung in lieu of a character introduction). Some of the songs they used are too recent to work in the context in which they are used. Instead of choosing pop songs with the intention of driving the narrative, they are chosen with the intention to hook the audience, which then has the unintended consequence of making the show feel like one long, extended episode of Glee. 

What I liked about the movie soundtrack when I was 14 is what I don’t like about the album at 20. To me, I felt like the songs within the mash-ups were too recognizable, and had too many other feelings attached to them. While it was a fun concept explore and listen to as a teenager, twenty-something year old me felt like it was a bit too on the nose now. It’s a good listen, but prepare to chuckle and think about your show choir days when they sing “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon, and then realize you’re actually listening to a broadway show instead of a high school choral group.Both the Moulin Rouge!  film soundtrack and Original Broadway Cast Recording are available for streaming on Spotify, and for purchase on iTunes. Stream the film on Amazon Prime, or catch the national tour of the Broadway show beginning in 2020.

Written by: Sydney Zentell