If you were movie-going age in 2001 then this one really sells itself: Baz Luhrmann's spectacular spectacular musical film is getting getting a live makeover, courtesy of Global Creatures.
The concoction of bling-AF costumes, bad-ass choreography and rewired 20th century pop, rock and r'n'b (Bowie, Nirvana, Patti LaBelle, Madonna) seems made for stage, where the frenetic energy of the world's original nightclub can spill over into the audience.
The team behind the musical version is promising:
– Spectacle merchants Global Creatures, previously behind Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom The Musical but also King Kong, War Horse and Walking With Dinosaurs;
– Director Alex Timbers, behind David Byrne/Fat Boy Slim’s Imelda Marcos musical Here Lies Love, and before that the off-Broadway hit Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson;
– Writer John Logan, who besides writing the Bond films Skyfall and Spectre, also won the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic Circle and Drama League awards for his Mark Rothko bio-drama Red.
Luhrmann said of the team, "It’s immensely gratifying to know that a new wave of artists will be leading Moulin Rouge! into its rightful theatrical realm.”
When and where will we see it? Given that most of Global Creatures' shows have premiered in Australia, we're expecting a Melbourne or Sydney World Premiere. So far all the company are saying is: Developmental work on the show is underway, and a production time-line and opening venue will be announced at a later date.
In the meantime, get your fix of Baz via The Get Down on Netflix, and get your theatre hit via these musicals on Sydney stages in September.