Moulin Rouge - Piccadilly Theatre

Update. I didn’t. Plus I may be taking someone else now and I’ve been treating myself too much this month.

I don’t rate the Picc at all as a theatre. I honestly don’t think they can justify charging full whack for seats which have the overhang? This show is so set heavy too.

I hope discounts kick in at some point.

It could be amazing — some friends of mine went to the Secret Cinema version a few years ago, and it was all they talked about for weeks — but it does seem very very expensive.

Do people really love Moulin Rouge that much? 

Nope. Saw the film once, thought it was nice enough but pretty forgettable. Not interested in the musical version. Certainly not for those prices! 

I'll echo what others said: It always felt very theatrical as such and more importantly, it feels like it could be a great spectacle. 

And that's what I'm starved for, personally. 

I can appreciate the cleverness of Hamilton, I have been very moved by Come From Away, I adore Six to pieces, but let's face it, so many of these new shows are done extremely cheaply with hardly more than a few chairs and a table for stage sets.  Even shows that looked like they could have been spectacles, like Prince of Egypt, turned out to be duds in that aspect. 

So yes, I'm willing to sink way more money into Moulin Rouge than in most other new shows, because I am very certain that it will have some mind-blowing show numbers, something to enjoy and savour with all senses. And when I know where my money has gone (sets, costumes, etc.) then I also feel better about spending it than merely to line some producer's pockets. 

Didn’t like the film but adored the stage musical. It’s so theatrical.

Admittedly, I had never watched the movie but caught the show during it's out of town tryout in Boston and was floored by it. I've heard people say the book is messy and a little unfocused but I honestly didn't care - it was thrilling and like you said, so theatrical. I can see this being huge with a tourist audience, especially as it's one of those shows that if you didn't necessarily catch every word, you'd still leave the theatre on a high from the pure theatrics. 

The design looks incredible. That is the only reason why I'd see it.

Besides the price and lack of casting, the other major issue putting me off booking for this is: will it be blighted by hen parties?

Certainly is. Gaggles of drunk women murdering 'Like A Virgin' and going out to the loo every 5 minutes.

I'm afraid I won't be rushing to see this in London unfortunately. I was lucky to see it in New York and was so excited to see it - but whilst I liked it (Aaron Tveit was great, as was the tango scene), it didn't blow me away like I thought it would. It's very visually impressive and the set is gorgeous, but there was just something missing about it that I couldn't put my finger on which made me feel a bit 'meh' considering how much the tickets were. It'll be interesting to see who they cast. I'm probably in the minority though and I'm sure it will bring a lot of joy to a lot of people.

This is how I felt about the film. Great style and individual elements, but not the brilliant flawless gem some people claim. It’s just too chaotic and messy, and totally lacking in narrative drive. If they focus the book a lot more away from the more fantastical elements and sell the central romance more it would be a lot stronger narratively.