MOULIN ROUGE! The Musical – Mayflower Theatre until 24th October 2026

Review: Pat Hayward 29th September 2026

Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! was never a story of restraint, and this lavish production wastes no time in proving it. From the moment the curtain rises, Mayflower Theatre is transformed into a glittering, red-lit world of bohemians, boulevardiers and backstage intrigue. It is loud, flamboyant and unapologetically excessive – exactly as it should be.

The story remains familiar. Christian, a young American writer, arrives in Paris and falls for Satine, the dazzling star of the Moulin Rouge. Their romance is threatened by the possessive Duke of Monroth, whose financial support could save the nightclub but comes at the price of Satine’s freedom. Around them, Harold Zidler fights to keep his beloved establishment alive, while Toulouse-Lautrec and Santiago help Christian create one last spectacular show.

What makes the stage musical distinct from the film is its extraordinary musical collage. More than 70 songs are woven into the score, combining material from the original movie with music released in the years since it premiered. The result is less a conventional period musical than a living jukebox: a familiar lyric or melody can suddenly become a punchline, a declaration of love or an emotional gut-punch. At its best, the mash-up feels thrillingly inventive, turning contemporary pop into the language of a 19th-century Parisian nightclub.

Verity Thompson gives Satine the necessary combination of glamour, wit and vulnerability, while Nate Landskroner makes Christian an appealingly earnest romantic hero. Their relationship supplies the production’s emotional centre, even when the surrounding spectacle threatens to overwhelm it. Cameron Blakely’s Harold Zidler is the showman-in-chief, bringing infectious energy to the role, while Kurt Kansley’s Toulouse-Lautrec and Rodrigo Negrini’s Santiago add warmth and comic momentum to the Bohemian ensemble.

The design is spectacular. Derek McLane’s set surrounds the performers with the instantly recognisable red windmill and elephant, while Catherine Zuber’s costumes move from glittering cabaret extravagance to richly detailed period finery. Justin Townsend’s lighting gives the production much of its intoxicating atmosphere, bathing the stage in scarlet, gold and deep blue. The overall effect is deliberately overwhelming: this is a show that wants its audience to gasp before it asks them to listen.

That excess is also the production’s principal weakness. The narrative can feel hurried, with emotional developments sometimes squeezed between musical numbers and visual set pieces. The sheer number of songs occasionally makes the score feel more like a playlist than a carefully shaped dramatic work. Viewers who prefer subtle storytelling may find the relentless energy exhausting.

But subtlety has never been the point of Moulin Rouge! This is musical theatre as spectacle, celebration and sensory overload. Beneath the sequins and pop anthems, the familiar themes—truth, beauty, freedom and love—remain surprisingly affecting. The production understands that audiences come not only for the story but for the sensation of being swept into another world for a few hours.

The production at Mayflower Theatre delivers precisely that promise. It may not be an intimate or understated evening, but it is an exuberant one: romantic, ridiculous, visually sumptuous and packed with crowd-pleasing musical moments. For anyone ready to surrender to the spectacle, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a jubilant night out and is at Mayflower Theatre until 24 October 2026.