Theatre Review: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Bristol Hippodrome
Photo by Matt Crockett
Summary:
Rating: ★★★★
Running Dates: Thursday 26th June - Saturday 9th August 2025
Where to see it: Bristol Hippodrome
Duration: 2 hr 45 min (incl. interval)
Keywords: Beauty, Freedom, Truth & Love - obviously
Review
Spectacular Spectacular! A theatrical, breathtaking feast for the eyes and ears!
It’s impossible to not mention that before this hit took over the West End with glitter bombs and vocals to die for that Moulin Rouge! The Musical, began its life on screen as Baz Luhrmann’s cult 2001 film - a manic, chaotic fever dream of love, grief and late 90’s pop hits. Fast forward to today, Bristol Hippodrome is the set for the one of the first stops for Moulin Rouge! The Musical’s first world tour.
From the moment you enter the auditorium, before the show has even begun you are hit in the face (not literally of course!) with the red decadence and the icons of the elephant and windmill we have come to love from the box office hit film from 2001, and the actual, real - Moulin Rouge in France.
Then the show starts - you are metaphorically hit in the face with vibrant colours - and an absolute sensory feast of glitz, glamour and an emsemble that absolutely blows it out the water. This is even before we meet out our main protagonists - Satine & Christian.
Photo by Matt Crockett
Satine & Christian (played by Verity Thompson & Nate Landskroner) were at the core of the story - playing the doomed lovers. Together, they deliver a passionate chemistry. But, special props must go to our Harold Zidler (played by Cameron Blakely) who portrayed this role with excellent comedic timing and played off some of the most ‘tacky’ moments with a nod and grin to them.
More on those tacky bits - this show is undeniably epic in its set design and I cannot fault literally anything else but this. In comparison to its film counterpart and I adore the echoing throwbacks in some of the songs we have come to love. But, some of the tunes feel like they have thrown you through a loop and back. In particular, Elephant Love Medley where they are switching to a different millenial track every sentence or so - and came off slightly cheesy. This worked quite well for Christian as it added to the goofy flair that came across in its presentation.
Ending on a high, Backstage Romance & Roxanne was INSANE. This is where the use of flowing through millenial tracks worked SO well! The green lighting when it switched to Toxic, Britney Spears. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
Honestly, this is one not to be missed! It’s such a treat for the eyes and ears - and I left the venue with a skip in my step!
Standout Moment: Backstage Romance followed by Roxanne - perfect use of lighting and set to show the moodiness and sexual heat of those scenes
See If: You are looking for a feast for the eyes and ears!
Last Impressions: Insane set design, even better costumes & ensemble pieces to showcase the cast perfectly!
Similar Musical: Burlesque, Chicago, Cabaret
You can find tickets for the show on the ATG Website
We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.
Written by Steph Clarke