After leading a buzzy developmental lab last year, Broadway favorite Aaron Tveit and Tony Award winner Karen Olivo are set to headline the official world premiere of the Moulin Rouge! musical adaptation. The two take on the central roles of Christian and Satine, respectively (played on screen in the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman).
The musical, directed by Alex Timbers, will reopen Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre this summer; the limited engagement will run at the historic venue June 27 through August 5; opening night is scheduled for July 22. The musical is expected to transfer to Broadway after, though no word yet on a theatre or dates.
Joining Tveit (Catch Me If You Can, Fox's Grease: Live) and Olivo (West Side Story, Chicago's Hamilton) will be six-time Tony nominee Danny Burstein (Fiddler on the Roof) as Harold Zidler, Tony and Olivier nominee Sahr Ngaujah (Fela!) as Toulouse-Lautrec, Tam Mutu (Doctor Zhivago) as the Duke of Monroth, Ricky Rojas (Burn the Floor) as Santiago, and Robyn Hurder (Nice Work If You Can Get It) as Nini. Additional casting (by casting directors Jim Carnahan and Stephen Kopel) will be announced at a later date.
Like the movie, the show will weave original songs with pop standards, including tunes released in the 15 years since the film's premiere. Tony winner John Logan will pen the book, with Sonya Tayeh choreographing and Justine Levine serving as music supervisor and orchestrator.
Moulin Rouge! marks the return of a tradition of Broadway shows playing out-of-town tryout engagements at the Colonial, which served as the birthplace of such musicals as Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, and Follies. In September 2015, Emerson College announced it would close the historic venue, with potential plans for its future including converting it into a dining hall (this proposal was later scrapped). The U.K.- based Ambassador Theatre Group announced its acquisition of the theatre last year.
Additional tickets are now on sale; to purchase, visit EmersonColonialTheatre.com or call (866) 616-0272.
