The Paris Olympics may have ended, but the city of love is coming even closer to Iowans next week. The Broadway hit Moulin Rouge!'’s next stop on its U.S. tour is the Des Moines Civic Center, as the performing arts center rounds out its 2023-2024 Willis Broadway season.
Based on the beloved 2001 movie of the same name, the show is a soaring and shining musical extravaganza centered around an otherwise simple love story. A young poet falls for the star of the Moulin Rouge in Paris, but must keep their romance a secret, as the show and its performers convince a lusting Duke to fund their next production.
Just like the movie, the ten-time Tony Award-winning show is filled with pop-hit mashups spanning decades, with brand new additions for the modern audience. Fans of the movie can expect to hear familiar tunes like the opening “Lady Marmalade” and “El Tango de Roxane,” while keeping an ear out for new mashups that include Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance" and P!nk's "Raise Your Glass."
The best part: according to music director Andrew Graham, there’s more music, more mashups and more medleys than ever. There are 70 songs by 160 songwriters, including pop queens Adele, Katy Perry, Sia, Rihanna and Beyoncé.
“This is the first show I've ever done where it's like, very iconic, very modern pop songs, which is so much fun to do,” Graham told IPR. “It brings in a much younger audience, and I think it sort of opens up a theater to a whole new group of people, which is what I love about it.”
The show is loud, and Graham says it can make audiences feel like they’re at a pop or rock concert. He said his favorite musical moments in the show include the high-energy opening, “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!” as well as the song, “Nature Boy,” which is more subdued.
“It's just the opposite of everything in the show. It's really stripped down. It's very intimate, it's very quiet,” he said. “There's no electronic instruments being played. It's all acoustic instruments. And it's just a really quiet, touching moment in the show.”
In addition to new songs, Graham says the show has also fleshed out the story a bit more, adding depth. It also keeps the movie’s slapstick, zany and rather French sense of humor.
“I still think the heart and overall themes of the movie are very, very similar to the stage production,” he said.
If you haven't seen the movie, never fear. Graham says it's not necessary.
"It's just 100% entertainment," he said.
Moulin Rouge! is playing at the Des Moines Civic Center from Aug. 20 - Sept. 1.
