Review: Moulin Rouge! Musikaali
Moulin Rouge! – Helsinki City Theatre’s grand musical is bursting with joie de vivre and energy
Jennie Storbacka (Satine) and Martti Manninen (Christian) shine in the Helsinki City Theatre’s Moulin Rouge grand musical.
Helsinki City Theatre continues its public health work with yet another musical fireworks bursting with good mood and energy. The slightly awkwardly named Moulin Rouge! The musical was a refreshing experience already in August, and I can only imagine what a boost it is in the grayness of November.
The musical is largely based on the 2001 film directed by Baz Luhrmann. The original work continued Luhrmann’s colourful and rhythmic way of telling the doomed love story of the protagonists, spiced up with sparkling style and pop hits.
Familiar elements are also present in this theatre musical, which has won 10 Tony Awards, although the world of songs has been slightly renewed and diversified even further.
The main characters of the musical, written by John Logan, are bohemians of the late 1800s who live their lives in Paris, poor and tormented by tuberculosis, to the fullest, devoting themselves to art. The young composer Christian (Martti Manninen) has arrived in Montmartre dreaming of success. He meets Lautrec (Antti Lang) and Santiago (Matti Leino), who hope that Christian’s compositions will give a boost to their theatre piece.
Christian’s task is to persuade Moulin Rouge’s star performer Satine (Jennie Storbacka) to take on the trio’s work. Christian and Satine fall in love, of course, but the love is threatened by the Duke of Monroth (Joel Mäkinen), who has also set his eye on Satine and has the power to fire the whole gang. In addition, Satine has a gruesome secret that she has kept from Christian.
The Moulin Rouge movie once offered something new and wonderful compared to the overall look of other films, and the musical continues in the same vein. It draws you in with irresistible power just by the sheer flood of sensory stimuli. Dozens of familiar hits, great and touching music, unfailing visuals and the enthusiasm of the main characters make time pass quickly.
The musical swims or drowns with the performers, and the orchestra led by conductor Ville Myllykoski creates good conditions for the singers. Jennie Storbacka (Satine) and Martti Manninen (Christian) with great voices get to shine, and the main couple is complemented by more rough roles, such as Risto Kaskilahti (Harold Zidler) and Matti Leino (Santiago).
The potpourri starts right at the beginning of the musical, but the bohemians really get going in the second act, when Christian wrestles with jealousy to the beat of El Tango de Roxanne and tries to drown his sorrow in absinthe. The choreography of the exquisite dance scenes offers a delightful exception to the basic style.
The translations of the songs are excellent in places (translated into Finnish by Paavo Leppäkoski), a bit lame finglish in places, but special points for the fact that they have also managed to sneak in a taste of old Finnish hits.
Takis’s set design takes the audience to Paris a hundred years ago as soon as they enter the auditorium. The elephant tower, which plays an important role in particular, proves to be inventive and versatile. The set design and lighting design (Palle Palmé) work together excellently, and the lights are used nicely as accents in a couple of scenes. The costumes (Astrid Lynge Ottosen) are of course gorgeous, as you would expect.
The guiding stars of the protagonists of Moulin Rouge are truth, beauty, freedom and love, and the associated integrity that does not shy away from death. Great emotions are also conveyed to the audience, and despite its tragic twists and turns, the musical leaves a joyful aftertaste.
The musical is part of a Nordic co-production.
Review on the Apu magazine website.