The national tour of the Tony-winner Best Musical “Moulin Rouge” rolled into the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis on Jan. 14. Some thoughts:

– Before we get to “Moulin Rouge,” let’s talk about Dickie Goodman. A prolific producer and creator of novelty records, Goodman’s main claim to fame was a series of singles, including “Mr. Jaws,” “Mr. President,” and “The Flying Saucer (which actually made it to the number three spot on the Billboard charts). These weren’t songs. They were comedy records in which a scenario was created with questions asked by a usually high-urgency announcer and the questions answered with sampled excerpts from popular songs. Example: In “Mr. Jaws,” the shark is asked “Before you swim out to sea, do you have anything else to say?” Then, music up and we hear War singing “Why can’t we be friends?” Yes, it’s that lame. But Goodman made a career out of it. 

– While “Moulin Rouge” – in film or stage form – is often labeled a jukebox musical, I think it owes more to Dickie Goodman than to “Mamma Mia!” and other jukeboxers. The more than 75 songs listed in its music credits are often sampled rather than fully sung. A spoken line triggers an appropriate (or almost appropriate) sung line from a popular tune and the audience gets a recognition charge, often generating a spontaneous laugh — whether appropriate to the dramatic moment or not). Very Goodman-esque.

– At other times, the stage production of “Moulin Rouge” goes for medleys and mash-ups (for example, fusing “Diamonds are Forever,” Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “Single Ladies” and more). And it occassionally plays by the unofficial conventional jukebox musical rules, giving an entire or nearly entire song new context, for instance making  giving Kay Perry’s “Firework” a more melancholy start as Satine, the musical’s heroine, tries to psych herself up. 

— The “Firework” moment works better than the “Roxanne”/”Tanguera” sequence. I just checked my program again. THERE’S NOBODY IN THIS SHOW NAMED ROXANNE!

– Side note: Jukebox musicals are nothing new. Musicals on stage and screen that incorporate pre-existing songs go back almost to the birth of talkies and film history is both littered (see “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”) and sparkling (“Singin’ in the Rain”) with them. 

– Back to “Moulin Rouge!: The Musical.” The plot is simple and feels retro compared to more thoughtful contemporary musicals. Boy comes to Paris for inspiration and becomes enamored with Girl who headlines the title club. Girl mistakes Boy for wealthy Bad Guy who she is supposed to consort with to save the club. Boy and Girl fall in love. Girl coughs up blood because her days are numbered. You can figure out the rest without straining.

— Structurally, the stage version is fundamentally the same as the 2001 film although mercifully less frenetic. And, because it’s theater and not directed by Baz Luhrmann, there aren’t any annoying excessive close-ups.  

– For the most part, it works. Without winking at the audience but also without taking it all too too seriously, the musical embraces its melodramatic core. After more than two and a half years on the road, the set still sparkles and the cast fully committed. Both leads – Arianna Rosario as Satine and Christian Douglas as Christian, rose to the challenges of the vocals and dance, although I would have hoped for a Satine that really stands out as the star she is touted as being. Half of the chorus dancers seem just as compelling (which may say as much about the quality of the chorus as it does about her).

– In support, Robert Petkoff makes for a vibrant Harold Zidler’s impresario of the Moulin Rouge. Andrew Brewer does a good job of hiding the hissable nature of the Duke until the appropriate revelations. And Nick Rasha Burroughs creates a strong, empathetic Toulouse-Lautrec, offering a compelling take on the song “Nature Boy” (which is, in essence, this show’s “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”/”You’ll Never Walk Alone”).

– In short, “Moulin Rouge!” is more costume jewelry than diamonds. But it can still dazzle if you don’t look too closely. 

– Addendum: The confetti flies early and it’s remarkable how much hang time it has. Granted, I’m no physicist so what do I know? I was just amazed that it seemed to all finally land at just the right time. 

(photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.jpg)