ABOVE PHOTO: The cast of the North American Tour of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.” (Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)
By Constance Garcia-Barrio
Dancers in sequined red bustiers prance in one by one, among the most sizzling sirens that ever slinked onto a stage. Courtney Reed, the star of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” descends, radiant, to the scene on a swing. From the dancers’ provocative poses to the sumptuous sets, “Moulin Rouge!” builds to a crescendo that brings the audience to its feet, raving.
The story takes place in the 1890s in the buoyant days of Belle Epoque Paris (1871-1914) at the Moulin Rouge (Red Mill), a cabaret where wealthy noblemen can indulge their taste for a little slumming. At the Moulin Rouge, birthplace of the can-can, people from different classes and countries hobnob. Courtesans, including stunning young Satine, star of the Moulin Rouge, ply their trade there, too.
Christian, a young composer from England, meets Satine at the cabaret, and they fall in love. When it turns out that the Moulin Rouge is on shaky financial footing, its desperate manager urges Satine to play up to the Duke of Monroth, a cabaret patron who lusts after her. The manager strikes a bargain with the duke: Satine will marry him in exchange for the duke’s funding for the next Moulin Rouge production. As Satine’s wedding day approaches. she continues to meet secretly with Christian. She also withholds a critical secret from both Christian and the duke.
The show incorporates historic characters like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), a French painter, printmaker, and draughtsman portrayed by African American actor Nick Rashad Burroughs. The show examines Toulouse-Lautrec, an alcoholic aristocrat with unusually short legs who often lived in a brothel and used his talent to create posters to bring notice to the Moulin Rouge. It was an advertising first.
This production stands out not only in putting people of color in a range of roles, but by having dancers with diverse body types, including a beautiful buxom woman of color.
When it comes to an inclusive outlook, “Moulin Rouge!” also considers different kinds of love. The duke wants to bed Satine, while Satine and Christian have a deeper passion for each other. Then again, Toulouse-Lautrec reveals that he has loved Satine from the time she was just budding into womanhood.
The musical’s songs present different flavors of human love, from sweet duets between Satine and Christian to the hard-edged lyrics of “What’s love got to do with it? or “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? from “Lady Marmalade.” From the standpoint of time, the songs range from Nat King Cole’s 1948 recording of “Nature Boy,” which begins with the words:
“There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea…”
to hits from Beyonce and Rihanna. The audience comes away drenched in love songs and, perhaps, pondering their varied emotional tones.
For a fleeting moment, a comment from Toulouse-Lautrec calls to mind not love, but something much darker. The painter mentions that Satine was forced to become a courtesan at the age of 13. The audience is led to reflect upon the lives of children forced into sex work.
Many cast members have acted on Broadway, in movies, on television, and have also played for audiences nationally. One member of the ensemble, dancer Adea Michelle Sessoms, has toured nationally but credits her success, in part, to her training in Philadelphia.
“I grew up in dance,” said Sessoms, who was born in Williamstown, New Jersey. “My mom put me in dance classes, and I fell in love with it. At age 9 or 10, I knew this was what I wanted to do.”
The University of the Arts helped give her a strong foundation, Sessoms said.
“They had a beautiful curriculum that allowed me to try different styles: modern dance, ballet, jazz, hip hop and more,” she said.
Sessoms spoke of the joy of dance, but also its demands on her body.
“I do kicks and splits,” she said. “It can be hard on your body. You have to know when you need to rest. I cancan every single night. In addition, I play Arabia and Chocolat when someone is on vacation or taking a personal day. We have eight shows a week, including two on Saturday and Sunday. I don’t get bored because every show is different in some way.”
Those differences may involve mishaps, Sessoms noted.
“They happen all the time,” she said. “Once, my skirt felt heavier than usual. It was becoming detached. I had to wait until a blackout to reconnect it.”
Sessoms offered encouragement to young people who have their hearts set on dance and theatre.
“I definitely would say don’t give up,” she said. “You’re going to hear a lot of “nos” before you hear that one “yes.” But remember that “no” means “no” for now. Be prepared [for yes]. Get into local theatre. Get singing lessons, take as many dance classes as you can.”
Sessoms’ comments revealed yet another aspect of love: Love of one’s gifts and craft and the importance of cultivating them.
Gift-wrapped exuberance prevails in Moulin Rouge! Exquisite timing, great dancing, wonderful singing, and gasp-worthy sets hallow the ideals the show presents: truth, beauty, freedom, and, above all, love. Perhaps the final lyrics from “Nature Boy” sum up the show’s key message:
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return.”
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” is at the Kimmel Cultural Campus July 23 at the Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia. Call: (215) 893-1999 or visit: www.kimmelculturalcampus.org
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