Moulin Rouge! (Broadway)

See it if A fun entertaining spectacle. Stunning sets and costumes. Karen Olivo was incredible. A tad hammy with some of the pop medley mashups.

Don't see it if You don’t like shows based on movies or with pop song scores.

See it if A show that is campy in first act and very serious in second act. A glitzy production.

Don't see it if Choreography that resembles MTV s . If you want a show with less bravado. It never gains the movie vibe with camyness of the first act.

See it if u want to see expert pop mashup karoake trying to coalesce a shallow, hollow, unconvincing story w/in a flashy, expensive, sexy spectacle.

Don't see it if you aren't interested in a manipulative, feel-good tragedy, sanitized for the masses & pandering to tourists; u value substance over style.

Also When will new musicals learn to just commit to their stories & embrace their endings? Moulin Rouge is [spoiler alert] a tragedy, people! Our heroine lies dead on the stage. Everyone weeps. Story over. But no... we get 10 minutes of non-sequitur dancing & singing, courtesy of the cast, chorus, Ladies Gaga & Marmalade, Cab Calloway, et al, and the creative team that doesn't trust its material or the audience's intelligence. Can you imagine if, at the end of West Side Story, the cast came out for a lively reprise of "America" as they danced around the dead bodies strewn across the stage, forcing the audience on their feet in order to have them leave dancing, singing & feeling good about the previous 3 hours?!

This show is fun. It's ostentatious. It's sexy. It looks and feels expensive. It appears to be what many think of when they think of a "big Broadway show". But there's no there there. It is an empty, eye-catching jukebox (that skips) musical with no stakes, no emotion, no payoff.... Read more Read less

See it if full Broadway spectacle, big cast, set & costumes flood your senses; fun 1st act send-up of love songs; Karen Olivo outstanding lead

Don't see it if little nuance or wit; no original music/all juke box love tunes; 2nd act is cliche-ridden & melodramatic; the opposite of Sondheim

See it if you enjoy over-the-top shows with big sets, big costumes, and big personalities. This is a spectacle and highly entertaining.

Don't see it if you don’t enjoy mashups of pop music or prefer original scores. Also, the plot is thin and cliched, but with this show the plot comes last.

See it if You love the movie & want to see amazing/unparalleled stagecraft and design that make every number a showstopper.

Don't see it if You think the movie is dumb — this is no better and the book scenes are so leaden they stop the show (in a bad way).

See it if Lavish French dancehall nightclub spectacle with doomed romance & high production value at its coeur. Top 40 playlist. Luxe sets & costumes.

Don't see it if Jukebox.But whose jukebox?Vastly entertaining, but mind the bloat.As if trapped on a road trip w/ passenger w/ jittery fingers on radiodial.

Also "Shut up and dance/Gitchi gitchi ya ya da da/Ce soir"

See it if you enjoy spectaculars: gorgeous costumes, sets, dancing, choreography, Aaron Tveit!, music, orchestra, sound & lighting.

Don't see it if music is great but too much of it gets annoying; could use more secondary character development in relation to Satine; needs 15 minute edit

Also Stay for the curtain call, it's joyous and wonderful.

Terrific ensemble with some extraordinary dancers.

I saw a talented but robotic understudy play the role of Satine. I would have much preferred to see Karen Olivo whom I love - very disappointing.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see the ultimate jukebox musical, with a score that cleverly combines bits of contemporary pop songs. Great cast, set, costumes

Don't see it if you are looking for substance. Just relax and let it all roll over you and you'll have a good time.

See it if You like OVER THE TOP productions. Eye dazzling adaptation of Luhrmann's earlier film.

Don't see it if You aren’t a fan of Juke Box musicals.

See it if like big Broadway musicals.Or if you are over 30 and miss "our" music.Or if you want to see Burnstein,Tveit,Olivio at the top of their games

Don't see it if you want a serious story.This is a non-story.Nothing we haven't seen a zillion times before.Go for the music & the choreography--Brilliant!!

See it if either loved the movie or can once again overlook the overwrought, uninvolving cliches for the energy of Lorde, Fun, Gaga, Sia, Rhianna...

Don't see it if Singing 3 bars of as many songs as possible is dumb & annoying. Sappy plot made yet more nauseating w/ completely unnecessary backstories.

Also This wasn’t my pick, but even for people who didn’t think much of the movie there are things to enjoy and a few surprises. We LOVED Mutu’s rendition of Only Girl. The design elements do not disappoint.

There are some inspired covers and mashups but only a few are allowed to ride any one pop anthem to its natural climax. Serially sampling a couple of notes of each would feel promiscuous if it wasn’t so interrupted and unsatisfying.

However, the cast album sounds simply fantastic!... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoyed Ain't Too Proud, similar style in that there is no original music with great choreography. Exuberant cast with great voices .

Don't see it if you think this age old story is trite

See it if over-the-top (in sets, choreography & costumes) musical with songs that are (frequently snippets of) top 40 hits of the past few decatdes

Don't see it if don't want a thin plot, campy sets & costumes, fun. Act 2 slower & somewhat darker but still with memorable songs

Also Saw it with Standby (not understudy) who had a great voice but not the passion.So it was really an Aaron Tveit show. He was great. Danny Burstein entertaining as the slimy emcee,... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see what the fuss is about, hear Karen Olivo and/or Aaron Tveit sing, or feast your eyes on this spectacle of a set.

Don't see it if you want to care about the plot and characters, or enjoy a song selection that lends any kind of continuity to the story.

Also I remember two friends who saw Be More Chill complaining that it was loud. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I turned into them during this show. I was in rear mezz and still, holy shit this was loud.

Particularly when Karen Olivo let her brilliant belt rip, the sound system was way oversupporting a voice that in no way needs it, resulting in some notes that while spot-on, were just physically painful to listen to. It basically sounded like she was unleashing on full blast directly into your ear, which is not the sort of power most ears could withstand for very long. The volume is so unnecessary, and I can’t believe no one with the show has fixed this issue. (Unless it was some weird technical snafu for my specific performance?)

Another frustrating thing was, hardly a song was sung straight through during Act 1, just snippets of pop songs thrown together. This made it difficult to build emotion for the characters as they were constantly jerked from one mood to another.... Read more Read less

See it if you love the movie. The sets and costumes are beautiful, the music is good. Vocally everyone shines.

Don't see it if Strong show, but missing the chemistry of the movie. Literally no chemistry between the leads. Too bad. Each is a strong actor and singer.

See it if a fan of the film or actors Aaron Tveit, Karen Olivo, and/or Danny Burstein; you want a spectacle loud and dizzying, risqué and raunchy.

Don't see it if you are uncomfortable with sexuality, expecting historical-accuracy of turn-of-the-20th-century Paris and bohemia, or need new music.

Also Moulin Rouge! is flimsy on suspense and originality, but an alluring spectacle (of course: the material IS rooted in Baz Luhrmann ostentation). Thankfully, Aaron Tveit as Christian and Karen Olivo as Satine sing like veritable dreams; Danny Burstein’s Harold Zidler is perfectly flamboyant; and the entire ensemble moves, croons, and shocks with the facility of natural athletes (as Broadway stars are). MR is not mentally-provocative, the tragic ending erased by post-curtain theatrics. While a skillful merging and blending of classic and newer (changed from the film) songs is exceptional, could we have enjoyed the mash-ups in a concert formatting? What would new music sound like? With the Hirschfeld decked to mimic belle époque riskiness, with contemporary sexuality that makes this show not family-friendly, truly, MR’s main appeal is ambiance. It is transporting. It is entertaining. The nostalgia of the music alone will make you think you’re in love—but it may just be a tawdry affair.... Read more Read less

See it if You loved the movie. It does a great job of being what the movie was, but for today--it doesn't try too hard to be exactly like the film.

Don't see it if You don't like Lady Gaga, Adele, Beyonce, etc. This is definitely a pop music fest.

See it if big sets and costumes. Great singing. Perfect "Friday night" entertainment. Loud, flashy.

Don't see it if need a better story line and any character development. also, if you're looking for original music, forget this.

See it if you want to see the story from the movie told with some updated musical references and experience a great scenic design

Don't see it if you are a purist of the movie. The stage version lacks some of the "in-your-face" character of the movie

Also I actually saw the pre-Broadway run of Moulin Rouge in Boston, and I think I actually liked it better. It felt like the show lost some if its energy from what I saw before. But I must say. Sonya Tayeh's choreography is spectacular.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to be entertained with some fantastic singing, great set design, and strong choreography. The mash up numbers are the strongest.

Don't see it if you want a wholly believable love story. All of the elements are there, but the show dragged a bit in act two, and I wasn't sold on the...

Also chemistry between Tveit and Olivo. Also, the supporting characters were given stock narratives and could have been fleshed out far more fully. But these are nitpicky things. I went for an enjoyable spectacle, and I got one!... Read more Read less

See it if Beautiful staging/theater, strong and sexy ensemble. Burstein, Tveit and Olivio!

Don't see it if Book is weak (even compared to movie). Original songs would have elevated show...onslaught of songs has diminishing returns.

See it if you saw the movie in theaters and have listened to top 40 songs over the years.

Don't see it if you are not up on pop music of the last decade.

Also The song choices were bananas. I knew every one, so I had a great time, but they don't really make a ton of sense or seem like the best choices for the moments. But who knew that I did want a mash up of Bad Romance and Toxic?... Read more Read less

See it if for the spectacle of it all! Great performances all around but Olivo & Burstein shine. Enjoy for what it is & don't overthink it. It's fun!

Don't see it if you want substance and depth. If you don't like snippets of pop songs. This is an over the top jukebox musical on steroids.

See it if you loved the movie, wonderful songs & enjoy a really big, splashy musical replete with gorgeous costumes.

Don't see it if You don't like love stories with sad endings.