Moulin Rouge – The Musical at San Diego Civic Theatre

Set in the cultural period during the end of the 19th century, Moulin Rouge! The Musical was heavily taken from French history. The play is set in and is all about the dealings of true-to-life nightclub in Montmartre, Paris, called the Moulin Rouge, where the underground aristocratic life was revealed. By the late 19th century, the nightclub became well-known for its French Cabaret style – vibrant, free-spirited, and pure party entertainment. This Parisian entertainment venue that the show was created from also impacted the creative team, with Baz Luhrmann and the Broadway play's creative team saying that they did directly borrow from the actual Bohemian period, and it can decisively be witnessed in the show. The set design, costume design, musical arrangements, and choreography (which sees a lot of can-can dance) all clearly show reverence and respect to the film version of Moulin Rouge.

It is in this decade of history leading up to the 1900s and right in the middle of France's La Belle Époque, a time pointed to as the pinnacle of beauty and spreading artistry, where the romantic tale of two lovers finally begins. Christian, an American writer who travels to Paris, France seeking a successful passion, meets Satine, the top entertainer of the Moulin Rouge. The couple, despite many oncoming trials and tribulations, fall crazily in love and have to be a concealed relationship with each other because of their lack of standing and power.

Ironically, the period of La Belle Époque was criticized by even locals not as a time period of cultural and artistic development. Historians are convinced that this decade were all about the elite's triumph over the poor. Moulin Rouge! The Musical, however, chose to showcase the time period in a more favorable viewpoint by focusing on the romantic Bohemian values of truth, beauty, freedom, and love, as perceived through Christian and Satine’s fight for love throughout the musical.

This June, theatre fans have the opportunity to be part of the passion most likely also enjoyed by the original patrons of the Moulin Rouge, as Moulin Rouge! The Musical will be performing at an equally lively and unbelievable venue, San Diego Civic Theatre. With interior decor just as dazzling as the set that it is hosting, San Diego Civic Theatre is the best fit for Moulin Rouge’s limited production on Monday 30th June 2025. Seats are now available for purchase through the links that can be found at the top of this page.