Moulin Rouge! The Musical London reviews – what did critics make of the West End production?

Reviews have dropped for the West End production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical in London – what did the critics make of it?

The new West End production opened at the Piccadilly Theatre on 19 November 2021.

Moulin Rouge The Musical is based on the hit 2001 film of the same name directed by Baz Luhrmann and written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. It tells the story of Christian who falls in love with actress and courtesan Satine, star of Paris cabaret venue Moulin Rouge.

The jukebox musical features a book by John Logan with a pop rock score made up of songs from artists ranging from Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Sia, Adele and Beyonce to Elton John, Lorde, The White Stripes and The Police.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical London reviews

The Telegraph – 4/5
“Magnifique timing: as the curtain rises on a more carefree, post-pandemic period, those restrictions lifted, a restorative big party has got started in high style in the West End, thanks to the theatrical makeover of a cinematic smash.” – Read the full review

The Guardian – 3/5
“The cast do a wonderful job at animating the frenetic cabaret. Liisi LaFontaine is dazzling as Satine, with Jamie Bogyo charmingly awkward as Christian. Both have stunning voices; that’s true of everyone on the stage. But it’s Jason Pennycooke who gives a standout performance. As the revolutionary artist Toulouse-Lautrec, every move he makes is filled with emotion.” – Read the full review

The Independent – 4/5
“The Piccadilly Theatre’s adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s film is at its most enjoyable when it eschews such concepts as ‘characterisation’ and ‘narrative’ and throws itself entirely into its jukebox musical credentials” – Read the full review

WhatsOnStage – 4/5
“From the second you enter you know what to expect: a musical with a heart of gold that seeks to entertain and overwhelm in equal measure. It is so over the top, it’s irresistible.” – Read the full review

LondonTheatre- 4/5
“The night belongs to the bohemians, as Baz Luhrmann’s iconic 2001 film can-cans its way to vibrant life onstage in Alex Timbers’s eyegasmic production. There’s a new detail — an elephant, a windmill — everywhere you look in the bedazzled Piccadilly Theatre, dripping in red lights, lace, and velvet with Derek McLane’s immersive set. Welcome to the Moulin Rouge.” – Read the full review

London Evening Standard – 3/5
“This long-awaited, much-delayed Broadway adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s high-camp 2001 film musical has razzle-dazzle style but precious little substance. The big numbers are ravishing, but the central relationship between Liisi LaFontaine’s courtesan Satine and newcomer Jamie Bogyo’s writer Christian is consumptively thin.” – Read the full review

The Times – 3/5
“In Alex Timbers’s stage version the trick is to throw even more songs at the audience. I lost track in the end — some of the numbers are reduced to soundbites — but the full list adds up to more than 70, from Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance to Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. Calling this show a mash-up is an understatement: it’s more like pouring a few hundredweight of melodies.” – Read the full review

Daily Mail – 3/5
“With a plot fusing Cabaret, La Boheme and The Rocky Horror Show — plus a soundtrack stitched together with everything from Talking Heads to Rihanna — it’s extravagant, but never really daring or reckless.” – Read the full review

The Stage – 2/5
“You don’t even need to scratch beneath the surface to find the lack of depth in this adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s film. It’s a shell of a show, all noise and no signal, instantly crumbling into its own lack of substance.” – Read the full review

Moulin Rouge! The Musical plays Piccadilly Theatre, London currently booking through to 28 May 2022.

Book Moulin Rouge! The Musical London tickets here »

The standard performance schedule is Monday-Saturday at 7:30PM with 2:30PM matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays.