The brightest nightclub on Broadway will shutter this summer when “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” has its final call.
Producers announced Thursday night that the 10-time Tony Award winner will play its last performance at the historic Al Hirschfeld Theatre on July 26.
The acclaimed adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 blockbuster opened in the summer of 2019. It but was curtailed by the 2020 pandemic shutdown but reopened in September 2021.
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is the only new show from the 2019 season that’s currently still running on Broadway. By the time of its closing, the production will have played 2,265 regular performances and 24 previews.
The Alex Timbers-helmed musical has become a major draw for fans thanks to celebrity casting, and now holds the record for the highest-grossing production in the 100-year history of the Hirschfeld Theatre.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Bob the Drag Queen is currently playing Harold Zidler, a role originated by Tony Award winner Danny Burstein. Stars such as Boy George, Wayne Brady, Eric Anderson and Titus Burgess have also stepped in as the nightclub impresario.
Evan Zimmerman; Matthew Murphy
Boy George (left) and Wayne Brady both played the role of Harold Zidler in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” on Broadway. (Evan Zimmerman; Matthew Murphy)
In 2023, pop singer Joanna “JoJo” Levesque portrayed the leading lady role of Satine, originated by Tony winner Karen Olivo.
Set in the famed Paris nightclub in 1899, the jukebox musical features a score stuffed with modern day pop hits, including Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” Elton John’s “Your Song” and Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.”
LaBelle’s 1974 classic “Lady Marmalade” has served as the unofficial theme song for both the musical and the movie — snagging a 2002 Grammy Award for Pink, Christina Aguilera, Mya, Lil’ Kim and Missy Elliott for their updated version of the hit.
Greg Allen/Invision/AP
Robyn Hurder, from front row left, Ricky Rojas, Aaron Tveit, Danny Burstein, Karen Olivo, Tam Mutu and Sahr Nguajah appear at the curtain call for the Broadway opening night of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” in 2019. (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP)
In her announcement that the production was closing, producer Carmen Pavlovic said it has “truly been the honor of a lifetime bringing this exceptional show to Broadway,” thanking Luhrmann and his frequent collaborator Catherine Martin for trusting them to adapt the Oscar-winning movie for the stage.
“Alex Timbers’ vision and leadership, along with the passion and artistry of our entire creative team, has been unmatched,” Pavlovic said. “We’ve always said that ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ is a celebration of Broadway and of the artists who, against all odds, make it possible. We look forward to six more months of celebrating the remarkable people who created this show and those who perform eight times a week.”
