Colorful musical mash-up 'Moulin Rouge' comes to life on stage at Hollywood's Pantages Theatre
HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Baz Luhrmann's iconic 2001 film, "Moulin Rouge," now comes to life on stage at the Pantages Theatre.
The musical mash-up celebrates the same core tenets of the movie: Truth, beauty, freedom and - above all - love. The cast is thrilled to bring this colorful collaboration to Los Angeles.
"I love L.A. theater audiences," said actor Austin Durant. "I'm excited to share this show with them. It's pretty spectacular."
"The audience is a part of this show. Absolutely!" said actor Gabe Martinez.
"They can expect an explosive, lush, gorgeous experience," said actor Andre Ward.
"It's a wild ride from start to finish and you will not have one minute that you are not engaged," said actor Libby Lloyd.
From the moment you enter the Pantages, you are immersed in a colorful world of splendor, excess, glitz and grandeur. The iconic theater has been transformed to welcome all to the Moulin Rouge.
"It just has this opulent decor, beautiful and with a big scope just like the movie did," said director Alex Timbers. "So what we've tried to do is seamlessly marry the belle époque club of the Moulin Rouge with the beautiful architecture of the Pantages so it feels like the moment you step through those doors, you're there at the club."
Early on, producers had the blessing of movie director Baz Luhrmann to completely re-imagine this musical extravaganza.
"The goal was always to create a stage version that made people feel like they felt at the movie theater," said producer Bill Damaschke.
"That's the show: truth, beauty, freedom and love. Don't we all want to love and be loved?" said Ward.
"It's a great welcome back to theater after two years of not having anything live," said Durant. "It's a great way to break the seal if you haven't been back to theater. You won't be disappointed if you come see Moulin Rouge."
"Moulin Rouge: The Musical" runs through Sept. 4 at the Pantages Theatre. Then you can see it in Orange County at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts starting Nov. 9.
