Moulin Rouge! The Musical will welcome new cast members Ashley Loren, Derek Klena, Declan Bennett, and Caleb Marshall-Villarreal beginning May 10. They will succeed original cast members Aaron Tveit, Tam Mutu, and Ricky Rojas, along with Natalie Mendoza, all of whom are set to depart the musical May 8. Based on the film of the same name, Moulin Rouge! continues its run at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
Ashley Loren will play Satine, after being the Satine Alternate since the show's 2019 Broadway opening. Tony nominee Derek Klena will play Christian, Declan Bennett will play The Duke of Monroth, and original cast member Caleb Marshall-Villarreal will play Santiago.
"The pandemic has highlighted understudies and alternates as the very backbone of the Broadway community. We are delighted that Ashley Loren and Caleb Marshall-Villarreal, key members of our company since we opened, who have played Satine and Santiago respectively on many occasions, will now assume those leading roles," says producers Carmen Pavlovic and Bill Damaschke in a statement. "We're also pleased to welcome Derek Klena and Declan Bennett. These very talented leading men are outstanding additions to our bohemian family."
Directed by Alex Timbers with a book by John Logan and choreography by Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! first opened on Broadway in 2019 following its Boston try-out. The score features covers of "Fireworks" by Katy Perry, "Your Song" by Elton John, and "Chandelier" by Sia, among many others. The story takes place at Paris' famed Moulin Rouge and follows the tragic love story between performer Satine and composer Christian.
The production's music team includes Justin Levine as musical supervisor, Matt Stine as music producer, and Cian McCarthy as music director. Orchestrations are by Levine, Stine, Katie Kresek, and Charlie Rosen, with dance arrangements by Levine and Stine.
Also on the creative team are Derek McLane as scenic designer, Catherine Zuber as costume designer, Justin Townsend as lighting designer, Peter Hylenski as sound designer, David Brian Brown as hair designer, Sarah Cimino as makeup designer, and creative services by Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Stephen Kopel.
The creative team swept the 2020 Tony Awards, winning for Best Direction (Timbers), Choreography (Tayeh), Orchestrations (Levine, Stine, Kresek, and Rosen), Scenic Design (McLane), Costumes (Catherine Zuber), Lighting (Townsend), and Sound (Hylenski).
Following the Broadway premiere, Moulin Rouge! has gone on to open productions in London's West End and Melbourne, Australia. Additional engagements are being planned for Germany and Japan, and a North American national tour launched earlier this month.
