Boy George, Andy Karl, Solea Pfeiffer, and John Cardoza Talk About Performing in Broadway’s Greatest Nightclub.
Since earning rave reviews and 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical has reigned as Broadway’s most spectacular show. Now a worldwide phenomenon — with productions on tour in North America and in four countries, plus a world tour starting this year — Moulin Rouge! The Musical takes everything audiences loved about Baz Luhrmann’s wildly original 2001 film, set in the famous Parisian nightclub in 1899, and brings it to stunning life onstage. There has never been a better time to experience Moulin Rouge! The Musical for the first time, or to accompany a lucky newbie to a production near you. Need a reason to nab tickets right now? We’ve got five, gathered in chats with the show’s super-talented stars, as well as with a fan who has seen it on Broadway more than 100 (!) times.
Every element is electrifying, from the moment you set foot in the theatre.
Take it from John Cardoza, currently wowing Broadway audiences as the romantic hero Christian. “No creative stone has been left unturned,” he says of Tony-winning director Alex Timbers’s production. “The set alone is worth the price of admission, the lighting is impeccable, the costumes are unreal, the choreography … The show encapsulates every corner of what Broadway is and can be. There’s really something for everyone.” The immersive nature of the show came as no surprise to two-time Tony nominee Andy Karl, who recently joined the cast as the villainous Duke of Monroth. Karl first worked with Timbers as the title star of the audacious 2012 musical version of Rocky. “You feel like you are walking into the actual Moulin Rouge,” he says of Timbers’s collaboration with Tony-winning set designer Derek McLane. “It’s an amazing experience for both the audience and the actors.”
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the ultimate lavish, feel-good musical.
“I always say that Moulin Rouge! is the best party on Broadway,” says Amanda Pinsky, one of three women who run the Instagram account @moulinrougefanfanfans. From her home in Buffalo, New York, Pinsky fell in love with the musical during its 2018 Boston tryout and began charting cast changes and other news on Instagram, where the fan account now boasts almost 11,000 followers. She laughingly says she has “lost count” of how many times she’s seen the Broadway production, but affirms that it’s more than 100. These days, Pinsky tries to make it to New York once a month, the better to appreciate the work of current stars Cardoza (“so open and vulnerable”) and Solea Pfeiffer (“a powerhouse”), as heroine Satine. “It’s fun to watch people in the audience who are seeing it for the first time,” she says. “There’s a sense of escapism, but it’s more than that — the show is like a comfort blanket that wraps you up and makes you feel good. It’s a unique experience, and that’s why I keep coming back.”
The music is so exhilarating, even Boy George wants to sing it!
With 70 songs representing more than 160 years of popular music, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the ultimate playground for talented musicians. Attracting great singers has been a top priority, including pop star Joanna “JoJo” Levesque as Satine and Culture Club icon Boy George as Harold Zidler, the show’s colorful emcee. After a successful run in 2024, George returns to Broadway this March to perform Sia’s “Chandelier” as well as bits of songs by Lady Gaga, Tina Turner, and others. (Not surprisingly, portions of his own 1980s hits also make their way into the playlist!) “It’s flattering that they want me back,” George says with a cheeky laugh. “I had so much fun with the naughtiness of the character and the brilliance of the whole show. It has this gorgeous, vintage, baroque quality, and then it’s got pop music!” As Andy Karl quips, “If you miss out on hearing Boy George sing ‘Karma Chameleon’ on Broadway, you’ve lost your mind. This is going to be a new career highlight for me.”
As a screen-to-stage extravaganza, the musical honors and expands on the film.
Broadway has been inundated in the past few decades with musicals adapted from films, an especially tricky challenge with a property like Moulin Rouge! that was fueled by song from the beginning. Andy Karl, who has appeared in a whopping nine Broadway musicals inspired by films, says the key is to successfully transform the source material into a theatrical event. “Baz Luhrmann’s idea was to incorporate modern music into a 19th-century genre,” he says. “And the Broadway production takes that further, using great tunes to ask the show’s big question: What should you choose in order to have a good life?” Rather than shoehorning hit songs to advance the plot, “Moulin Rouge! incorporates segments of tunes in order to reveal what’s in the heart of these characters,” Karl explains. “Together with the staging and costumes and choreography, you feel like you’re in a great concert while also experiencing a wonderful story.”
To quote Harold Zidler, “It’s more than a nightclub — the Moulin Rouge is a state of mind.”
In the end, the musical’s four guiding principles — truth, beauty, freedom, and love — come together to create an unforgettable evening in the theatre. “You get lost in it,” says Boy George, who watches a bit of the action from a box seat. “You see the dancing and the amazing theatrics, and you just think, Wow.” What’s more, says longtime fan Amanda Pinsky, “the show has such a great message about inclusivity, and I love seeing different actors bring different facets to their roles.” But let’s let Solea Pfeiffer, who earns standing ovations nightly for her beautifully sung performance as Satine, have the last word. “At the end of the day, [we all have] a huge need for escape and fun and love,” she says, “and there’s nothing wrong with needing just to laugh, maybe to cry a little.” With Moulin Rouge! The Musical, “you get to feel all that and let the world outside disappear for a little while.”