Moulin Rouge – The Musical at Buell Theatre

Set in the Bohemian period during the turn of the 20th century, Moulin Rouge! The Musical was heavily taken from French history. The show takes places and is all about the dealings of a real nightclub in Montmartre, Paris, called the Moulin Rouge, where the can-can dance was born. By the turn of the 20th century, the Moulin Rouge nightclub became well-known for its French Cabaret style – ecstatic, full of spirit, and pure party entertainment. This Parisian entertainment venue that the musical was based on also affected the production, with Baz Luhrmann and the show's creators saying that they did directly borrow from the actual French period, and it can undoubtedly be viewed in the production. The set, costumes, classical renditions, and song and dance numbers (which sees a lot of can-can dance) all clearly pay homage to to the film version of Moulin Rouge.

It is in this period of history leading up to the 1900s and smack in the middle of France's La Belle Époque, a time thought to be the peak of high artistic and cultural development, where the romantic story of two lovers finally begins. Christian, an American writer who moves to France searching for a successful career, meets Satine, the favorite entertainer of the Moulin Rouge. Christian and Satine, despite both external and internal challenges, fall crazily in love and have to be a concealed relationship with each other because of their uncontrollable feelings.

Ironically, the time of La Belle Époque was denounced by historians not as a time of peace and harmony. Many are convinced that this decade were all about rising tension beneath the surface. the Broadway play, however, chose to capture the time period in a more endearing viewpoint by focusing on the hopeful Bohemian values of truth, beauty, freedom, and love, as seen through Christian and Satine’s fight for love throughout the show.

In more recent years, theatre fans have the chance to enjoy the show most likely also reveled in by the original patrons of the Moulin Rouge, as Moulin Rouge! The Musical will be produced at an equally colorful and second to none venue, The Buell Theatre. With interior decor just as dazzling as the set design that it is staging, The Buell Theatre is the best fit for Moulin Rouge’s limited production on Thursday 7th August 2025. Tickets are now available for purchase through the links that can be found at the top of this website.