The national tour of 2020 Best Musical Tony winner Moulin Rouge! The Musical is welcoming some new principal cast members next month.
Jay Armstrong Johnson (Parade) will take over the role of Christian beginning March 4, along with Jahi Kearse as Toulouse-Lautrec and Kaitlin Mesh as Nini. All three will join the company while playing the Altria Theatre in Richmond, Virginia.
Also joining the company are Rodney Thompson as Baby Doll, standby Jeremy Gaston, and vacation swing Michał Kołaczkowski.
The current cast features Arianna Rosario as Satine, Robert Petkoff as Harold Zidler, Andrew Brewer as The Duke of Monroth, Danny Burgos as Santiago, and Jerica Exum as the Satine Alternate, along with Amara Berhan, Renee Marie Titus, Carina R. Avila, Mateus Barbosa da Silva, Rhys Carr, Jada Simone Clark, Darius Crenshaw, Nicolas De La Vega, Nathan Fister, Collin Heyward, Nathaniel Hunt, Charizma Lawrence, Katie Lombardo, Meghan Manning, Amanda Mitchell, Luke Monday, Tanisha Moore, Kenneth Michael Murray, Elyse Niederee, Omar Nieves, Luke Rands, Logan Gray Saad, Maia Schechter, Adéa Michelle Sessoms, Jeff Sullivan, Carmella Taitt, Jordan Vasquez, and Jerald Vincent.
Johnson, Kearse, and Mesh succeed, respectively, Christian Douglas, Nick Rashad Burroughs, and AK Naderer.
Moulin Rouge!, based on the 2001 film, opened on Broadway in 2019 following a Boston tryout. The musical was subsequently nominated for 14 Tony Awards in 2020, winning 10, including Best Musical. The Broadway production continues at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
The production is directed by Alex Timbers with a book by John Logan (based on the Baz Luhrmann-directed movie of the same name) and choreography by Sonya Tayeh. The score features covers of "Fireworks" by Katy Perry, "Your Song" by Elton John, and "Chandelier" by Sia, among many other modern pop songs. 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 musical supervisor Justin Levine, music producer Matt Stine, and music director Julie McBride. Orchestrations are by Levine, Stine, Katie Kresek, and Charlie Rosen, with dance arrangements by Levine and Stine.
Also on the creative team are scenic designer Derek McLane, costume designer Catherine Zuber, lighting designer Justin Townsend, sound designer Peter Hylenski, hair designer David Brian Brown, and makeup designer Sarah Cimino, with creative services by Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Stephen Kopel.
For the current touring itinerary, visit MoulinRougeMusical.com.
