I went to the theater! I do not do that enough. Alison and I have for years gotten together once a year to see a Broadway show. We haven’t since COVID-19. Wednesday, we made it happen. I was able to get tickets to Moulin Rouge for the matinee. I knew almost nothing about the show. I knew there was a movie but didn’t even know if they were related. I saw it won 10 Tony Awards and trusted that to mean it was good. This is unusual, I went into the show with no expectations to live up or down to. I didn’t have a dog in the fight so can give an unbiased review. I won’t leave you hanging:
This was one of those experiences where I felt that I was from a different planet than everyone else, other than Alison, in the audience. The audience loved it. Not so much me. I had no idea that it was a Jukebox Musical. That can be enjoyable if I love the music, for the most part I didn’t. I’m not a pop music guy. Sure there was a Bowie song and two by the Stones, but for the most part it wasn’t music that I listen to. The audience would cheer every time they recognized a tune, not me. The one song that I felt worked will in situ was Nature Boy which was done without the glitz and spectacle of the rest of the show. It is an introspective song and performed that way.
The show is the antithesis of Hamilton. This show was not trying to take you to places you’ve never been, but reminders of places you’ve been to. It’s all audience service. It’s the old model of a musical, all singing, all dancing, glitzy sets and costumes, and nothing to challenge you.
Looking at reactions from my posting about it on Facebook my friends are not in the fan club either. There was one exception that surprised me as he’s a very folky serious songwriter. Perhaps I’m missing something, but I suspect he’s the exception to the rule. This is the show for the out-of-towners that want spectacle. That it had in spades. If non-English speaking tourists wanted to see a show it’s a great choice.
With all that the plot is reminiscent of two operas, La Boheme, that’s quite intentional, and Pagliacci, I would prefer more of the latter, I love the mirroring of the events in the play in the play-within-a-play. It’s all Hamlet. Art is stealing from the best.
I don’t know why they turned Toulouse-Lautrec from a painter with short, damaged legs into a playwright with a cane? I’ve always had an affinity for Toulouse-Lautrec as we had a print of a three of his Moulin Rouge posters in my basement when I was growing up. I always knew who he was. I need to see the Jose Ferrer film about him, also called Moulin Rouge. It’s quite different. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen it. If I did, I was very young. Ferrer played the role on his knees.
The dining portion of the day was far more rewarding. We went to Sullivan St. Bread before the show. After that even though neither of us was that hungry we went to a great ice cream place that Alison couldn’t resist on 8th. After the show we went to Steak Frites: Le Bistro on 9th and had Croque Madame; Grilled ham with gruyère, mornay, fried egg, brioche, pommes frites. It was delicious and quite rich. That didn’t stop us from ordering the chocolate mousse for dessert. The waitress talked us into it. She was great. Very open and chatty, I said that she was a real New York waitress to Alison and was so happy with that description that I told the waitress. As expected, she took that as a compliment. I love having servers who are fun people. We weren’t total pigs, we split the mousse.
Today I continued to act that I was celebrating my birthday, Carey took me out to lunch. We ate at Juniors, and I had more rich food. A pastrami sandwich and chocolate mousse cheesecake. I think that’s about seven million calories. I had planned on making steak tonight but I am still not ready for that heavy a meal and it’s 9:06 PM. I’ll make something light, maybe just a peanut butter sandwich. That sounds good. Carey and I had a fun conversation. There are things I can talk about with him that I can’t with anyone else.
Tomorrow I’m doing nothing. I’ll probably go to Aldi. I can use a day off. Saturday I’m off again to hear live music, Katie Martucci and Akie Bermiss at the Owl. You should join me. They are both great.
Wise Madness 