‘Moulin Rouge’ Cast: Where Are They Now? Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman and More
03.06.2022 - 02:19
/ usmagazine.com
Romance and music in Paris! The jukebox musical Moulin Rouge, which film critic Roger Ebert once compared to “being trapped on an elevator with the circus,” hit theaters on May 18, 2001.
The 2001 film, directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann, begins with English writer Christian (Ewan McGregor) telling the story of his lover Satine (Nicole Kidman) who passed away. Christian recounts his move to Paris in 1899 to live the Bohemian lifestyle, where he met Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo) and his troupe of performers. The young writer soon fell for Satine, the star of the Moulin Rouge cabaret. But the jealous Duke of Monroth (Richard Roxburgh) wanted the actress for himself and threatened to kill Christian. Although the love story ends in tragedy, the heartbroken Englishman writes it all down, vowing to keep Satine in his heart forever.
The film was a commercial success, making $179.2 million on a $50 million budget. It received eight Academy Award nominations in 2002, including Best Picture, winning for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. A Broadway musical version of the film opened in July 2019. The adaptation won ten Tony Awards, including Best New Musical, in 2021.
While speaking at a 2020 Variety press event for the musical, Luhrmann commented on why Moulin Rouge had become more relevant than ever.
“Overwhelmingly, the theme of the show is about the bohemian ideal,” the Great Gatsby director explained. “Now that’s said in a comic way — ‘Truth, beauty, freedom and love’ — but I think, even particularly in the world we are in now … people have no creative work. Things are bad. Shakespeare knew things were bad when you had to close theaters. And so I think about young [people], the ideals and the idea of