The musical "Moulin Rouge!" will close on Broadway this Sunday, ending a seven-year run during which the production won 10 Tony Awards and grossed more than $381 million.
The stage adaptation has become a symbol of the theater sector's resilience during the 2020 pandemic, which imposed a long blackout on the cultural world.
Based on the 2001 film of the same name directed by Baz Luhrmann, the show follows the central characters of Christian, a young composer, and Satine, the star performer of the famous Parisian cabaret.
Luhrmann's original motion picture, set in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris during the Belle Époque at the turn of the 20th century, was a critical and commercial success that helped revive the movie musical genre. It drew inspiration from the real-life Moulin Rouge cabaret, recognizable by its iconic red windmill, which has operated in Paris since 1889.
On stage, the theatrical version combines pop songs, such as Beyoncé's "Single Ladies," with hits from the movie's original soundtrack, including "Lady Marmalade." This jukebox format, which integrates existing popular music into a narrative framework, has become a staple of modern commercial theater.
Pandemic disruption and Tony success
The musical first premiered in Boston in 2018 before arriving in New York the following year.
However, in early 2020, the production was forced to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The global health crisis plunged the theater industry and the wider cultural sector into a prolonged shutdown, leaving many institutions in a precarious financial situation from which they have still not recovered.
Broadway, the collective name for the professional theaters located in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, was dark for more than a year. The unprecedented closure dealt a massive blow to New York City's tourism economy, leaving thousands of actors, musicians, stagehands, and theater staff without work.
When Broadway finally reopened following the pandemic hiatus in 2021, "Moulin Rouge!" secured its future by sweeping the Tony Awards, the annual ceremony that recognizes excellence in live Broadway theater and is considered the highest honor for stage professionals in the United States.
The production dominated a depleted awards field where the usual level of competition was absent due to the shortened season.
It won in 10 categories, taking home the awards for best musical, direction, lead actor, and supporting actor. It also secured technical awards for its costumes, lighting, and sound, among others.
Actor Aaron Tveit, who was the sole nominee for best actor in a musical, unsurprisingly took home the prize.
Tveit, a stage, television, and film actor who played the revolutionary student Enjolras in the 2012 film adaptation of "Les Misérables," earned strong reviews for his performance in the musical. He received particular praise for his work during the emotional "Tango de Roxanne" musical number.
While accepting the top Tony prize, producer Carmen Pavlovic paid tribute to the other Broadway productions for their efforts during the unprecedented crisis.
Pavlovic said the title of best musical belonged to all of them, acknowledging the shows that opened, those that closed and could not return, those that almost opened, and those that paused and were fortunate enough to be reborn.
Breaking records at the box office
In 2022, "Moulin Rouge!" fully recouped its initial investment.
Reaching profitability has become an increasingly difficult milestone to achieve on Broadway in recent years. Several highly regarded productions have been forced to close earlier than expected, transition to limited runs, or rely heavily on casting celebrities to attract larger audiences.
The production itself has utilized this strategy, bringing in guest stars to fill roles in the musical. Notable celebrities who have covered roles in the production include rapper Megan Thee Stallion, Bob the Drag Queen, and English singer Boy George.
The musical has played almost 2,300 performances.
With an average ticket price of $140, it stands as the highest-grossing play in the history of the century-old Al Hirschfield theater, located in the surroundings of Times Square.
According to the theater magazine Playbill, the total box office revenue for the show over its seven years since premiering amounts to $381 million.
Tveit, who stepped away from the original cast after a period to hand the role over to other actors, returned for the final month of performances.
His return provided a significant boost to ticket sales that had begun to stagnate.
In the first week of Tveit's comeback, "Moulin Rouge!" grossed $2.1 million, double the figure from the previous week. It was the highest-grossing show in the city during the peak vacation season.
Next steps for the production
The show's producers have not disclosed the specific reasons for withdrawing the musical from Broadway at this time.
However, they have previously noted that the production carries high costs. These expenses are largely driven by the detailed staging and the substantial licensing fees required to use the extensive catalog of modern pop songs featured in the show.
While the curtain is coming down in New York, the musical's run is not completely over.
The production continues to be staged in London's West End, the British equivalent of Broadway and one of the highest levels of commercial theater in the English-speaking world.
Additionally, the show is currently in the midst of an international tour.
The traveling production will soon visit cities across the United Kingdom, China, and Singapore, ensuring the story of the Parisian cabaret continues to reach audiences globally.
