Term Two Weekend Show Submission
The Team
Director: Gracey Spring
Producer: Emma Nairne
Musical Director: Ben Tomita
Vocal Musical Director: TBC
Choreographer: Katie Wignall
Stage Manager: Megan Price
Characters
MALES: Christian, Toulouse, Harold Zidler, The Duke, The Doctor, The Unconscious Argentinean,
Satie, Audrey, Chocolat, Warner, Stage Manager, Christian’s Father, The Priest
FEMALES: Satine, Diamond Dog singers (x 4), The Green Fairy, Marie, Nini, Mome Fromage, La Petite
Princesse
I am considering the cross-casting of Satie, dependant on the auditionees.
Show Synopsis
ACT ONE: Paris 1900... The Bohemian Toulouse sings about a meeting with a mysterious boy (Nature
Boy) and the audience is introduced to Christian, the narrator of the piece, a penniless English
writer. Christian describes his journey to the bustling, bohemian heart of Montmartre. Christian
meets a group of bohemians attempting to write and perform a play based on the ideals of truth,
beauty, freedom and love. This lively group includes Toulouse, a narcoleptic Argentinean, Satie and
Audrey. They persuade Christian to write the show for them and adopt him as one of the
Bohemians, introducing him to absinthe and the product of their hallucinations, The Green Fairy
(Children of the Revolution). The Bohemians disguise Christian as a wealthy duke so that he can show
their ideas to Satine, the star of the Moulin Rouge. Harold Zidler, the owner of the Moulin Rouge,
welcomes the guests to the cabaret and a series of performances take place (Lady Marmalade/
Zidler’s rap, The Can Can, Sparkling Diamonds and The Rhythm of the Night). Zidler has arranged for
a meeting between Satine and a rich, lascivious, potential investor, The Duke. Satine mistakes
Christian for the Duke. Satine has consumption, and faints during her performance, which Zidler
covers up as part of the performance. Satine takes Christian to the Elephant, a glamorous bed
chamber. He attempts to perform a poetry reading, which Satine takes as shyness and attempts to
seduce him in an overt, hilarious manner as she thinks that this is what he wants. Finally, Christian
manages to read his poetry (Your Song). To Satine’s horror, Christian reveals that he is not a duke
but an impoverished poet. The real Duke enters whilst Satine desperately attempts to hide Christian.
Satine persuades the Duke that they should wait until opening night to sleep together. The Duke
leaves, and an exhausted Satine faints. The Duke returns, finding Christian and Satine in a
compromising position. Satine states that Christian is only rehearsing. They improvise a new plot
with an evil maharajah attempting to woo an Indian courtesan who is in love with a poor sitar player
(The Pitch – Spectacular, Spectacular). The Duke approves, and the Bohemians indulge in
celebrations. Alone, Satine meditates on her existence (One Day I’ll Fly Away). Christian follows her
and persuades her that, despite the obstacles, they should and can be lovers (Elephant Love
Medley).
ACT TWO: The Duke agrees to finance the show on the condition that he is the only one allowed to
see Satine. As the troupe prepares for the show, Satine and Christian's relationship becomes deeper,
and they continually invent excuses as to why Satine cannot spend time with the Duke, who begins
complaining to Zidler that Satine is spending too much time with Christian. After spying Satine and
Christian together, Zidler promises the Duke that Satine will have dinner with him that night and
goes to Satine, telling her to end the affair; after he leaves, Satine collapses, and a doctor's visit
reveals that she has consumption. The Duke is enraged when Satine does not show up to dinner, but
Zidler manages to salvage the situation by telling him that she is at confession (Like A Virgin). Satine
tells Christian that they must end their relationship. Christian convinces her that they should stay
together by writing (Come What May), a song he will put in the show. Nini points out that the play is
a metaphor for Christian, Satine and the Duke. The Duke tells Zidler to change the ending so that the
courtesan ends up with the maharajah. Satine insists that she spend the night with The Duke to
discuss the ending, pretending that Christian has false illusions in order to protect him and their
relationship. The Argentinean, Nini and the chorus mock Christian’s jealousy (El Tango de Roxanne).
That night, The Duke offers Satine a chance to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming an actress, but
when Satine looks down from the window and sees Christian in the street, she is unable to go
through with her plan to sleep with the Duke. The Duke attempts to rape Satine, but another dancer,
Chocolat, saves Satine and takes her to Christian, who plans for the two of them to run away from
the Moulin Rouge. The Duke reports this to Zidler and states that unless Satine is his, he will have
Christian killed. Zidler finds Satine getting ready to leave and tells her that the Duke has ordered
Christian killed, and that Satine is dying of consumption (A Fool to Believe/ The Show Must Go On).
The next day, Satine visits Christian's loft and claims that she is staying with The Duke. On the
opening night, Toulouse convinces Christian that Satine may still love him, so he sneaks into the
Moulin Rouge where Spectacular, Spectacular is being performed (Hindi Sad Diamonds). He
approaches Satine, trying to pay her, but Satine attempts to send him away, fearing the Duke's
bodyguard will kill him. They accidentally end up on stage together, confusing the performers and
audience, but Zidler saves the show by stating that Christian is the sitar player in disguise. Christian
tells The Duke that Satine belongs to The Duke now, throws money at her and tells her she means
nothing to him. As Christian starts to leave the theater, Satine begins singing (Come What May
Reprise), showing Christian that she loves him. Christian joins her in singing the song and walks
onstage, angering The Duke. The Duke's bodyguard attempts to shoot Christian, but the courtesans
and Bohemians stop him; the Duke then tries finishing the job himself only to be stopped by Zidler.
The lovers finish their song to a standing ovation and the Duke storms out of the Moulin Rouge. As
the performers get ready to take a bow, Satine succumbs to her illness, and dies in Christian's arms.
Toulouse sings once more (Nature Boy Reprise).
Song List
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ACT ONE
Nature Boy (Toulouse/ Christian)
Children of the Revolution (Christian,
The Bohemians, The Green Fairy,
Chorus)
Lady Marmalade (4 x Diamond Dog girls
– parts Mya, Lil Kim, Pink, Christina
Aguilera)/ Zidler’s rap (Zidler)
Because We Can (Zidler, Chorus)
Sparkling Diamonds (Satine, Chorus)
Rhythm of the Night (La Petite Princesse,
Chorus)
Your Song (Christian)
The Pitch – Spectacular Spectacular
(Christian, Satine, Zidler, Bohemians,
Duke, Chorus)
One Day I’ll Fly Away (Satine)
Elephant Love Medley (Christian, Satine)
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ACT TWO
Like A Virgin (Zidler, The Duke, male
chorus)
Come What May (Christian, Satine)
El Tango De Roxanne (The Argentinean,
Christian, Chorus)
A Fool To Believe/ The Show Must Go On
(Satine, Zidler, Chorus)
Hindi Sad Diamonds (Satine, Chorus)
Come What May reprise (Christian,
Satine, Chorus)
Nature Boy reprise (Toulouse)
Director’s vision/ edits made to the script and libretto
My name is Gracey Spring and I am a third year English and Theatre Studies student. I have directing
experience as the assistant drama teacher for Year Seven during sixth form and during my A Level
Theatre Studies course, working with my peers to devise and adapt theatre. Although I have not yet
directed at Warwick, I am passionate about this show, a dedicated member of MTW on the
performing side, well acquainted with the audition and the rehearsal room and ready to take on this
exciting challenge.
Part of what makes Moulin Rouge so perfect for the weekend show format is the fact that there is
no existing professional stage version of the piece, so there is no way MTW would have the chance
to use it in any other form. As last year’s performance of Wicked has proved, a sense of fun and the
talent in MTW easily make up for the lack of special effects and visual grandeur. There will be a
general colour scheme of red and black, with men dressed smartly and women dressed glamorously,
with character skirts and lining in the place of expensive can-can outfits. In MTW weekend show
tradition, expensive props will be replaced with comedic alternatives, most notably a cardboard
elephant in two halves representing the boudoir and possibly a cardboard sitar, if a representative
instrument of some kind cannot be sourced. In the film, the Christian of the present narrates the
action of the past. In the place of film montage, I will experiment with freeze frame, fast forward and
slow motion in these moments of transition to create a dreamlike effect when alternating between
Christian’s narration and memories. Theatricality permeates the show and for this reason I want to
extend the show beyond the fourth wall. As the audience enter, I want Zidler and the courtesans
amongst the audience welcoming them to the Moulin Rouge, and hustling for business. This will
provide even more opportunities for the unauditioned chorus to enjoy themselves and play a more
important role in the production. There will be a couple of reserved seats in the audience for the
actors. For example, on several occasions, the cast perform and rehearse in front of the Duke, who
will sit in the actual audience, ready to pass his opinions and object (for example, ‘I don’t like this
ending!’). The finale is chaotic and exciting, in which real life and theatre collide. I want this chaos to
seem as genuine as possible, with Toulouse whispering desperately to the tech team as a toy gun is
passed from hand to hand in and around the performance of Spectacular, Spectacular. Certainly, the
Duke must be in the audience when he threatens Christian with a gun during a finale.
As this stage version is drawn from the film (total running time of 127 minutes), each act works out
at roughly an hour each and major cuts are not necessary. Extended montages will be replaced with
stylised chorus sequences. I have a transcription of the script taken from the internet
http://loveobsession.tripod.com/
LIBRETTO CHANGES
The score itself contains the music for Nature Boy, Lady Marmalade, Sparkling Diamonds, Rhythm of
the Night, Your Song, Because We Can, Children of the Revolution, One Day I’ll Fly Away, Elephant
Love Medley, Come What May, El Tango de Roxanne and Hindi Sad Diamonds. I also want to include
The Pitch, Like A Virgin, A Fool To Believe/ The Show Must Go On, Come What May reprise and
Nature Boy reprise.
The Pitch adds lyrics to The Can Can from Orphee Aux Enfers, so this sheet music will be used. Like A
Virgin will require either a backing track burnt from YouTube conversion software or a slowed down,
transposed edition of the Madonna original. A Fool To Believe/ The Show Must Go On will require
the Queen sheet music, with the couple of lines of A Fool To Believe sung by Satine accapella at the
beginning. The two reprises are slightly shorter versions of the original numbers, and therefore can
use adaptations of the sheet music.
Some of the songs will require additional work from the VMD in part distribution in order to place
the chorus and certain parts into more numbers where their parts are not written on the score, but
without anything too demanding on the part of harmonies. These songs are: Children of the
Revolution, Sparkling Diamonds, Rhythm of the Night, The Pitch, Like A Virgin, El Tango De Roxanne,
The Show Must Go On and Come What May Reprise. Lady Marmalade is an addition from the
soundtrack in order to provide four more singing parts for the talented female members of the
society. This song will vamp into Zidler’s rap, and naturally into Because We Can. ‘Entertain us’ has
been cut from the can-can sequence as it does not really fit in with the musical sequence for a stage
version.
Choreographer’s Vision
My name is Katie Wignall and I am a third year studying History of Art. I’ve been dancing since I was
eight and have choreographed numerous shows for MTW including Company, Wicked and Avenue
Q. The film of Moulin Rouge was an absolute feast for the eyes and I aim to translate that onto
stage. With lots of people, exaggerated movements and exciting partner work I want to give the
impression of a lust-filled, highly theatrical nightclub. The main numbers which I will be
choreographing will be mostly ensemble songs. For the Can-Can and Hindi Sad Diamonds there will
be lots of people on stage giving the energetic and excited feel of the Moulin Rouge club. For Like A
Virgin I want to give the boys a chance to have a lot of fun with the song and really exaggerate the
comedy of the number (it will - like the film - be very camp.) For El Tango de Roxanne it needs to be
strong and very sexy. I will have two lead dancers and then other selected partners to make it look
very finished and crisp. I would, however, like to include everyone else by having the ensemble
around creating a threatening atmosphere and participating in some of the movements.
I think Moulin Rouge is an excellent opportunity for MTW and especially for the dancers in the
society. It will allow competent dancers to really excel and those who are not as confident to enjoy a
really fun and energetic routine which looks impressive but will be easy to learn.
Note from the MD
My name is Ben Tomita and I am currently the Music Director of Opera Warwick. I was Musical
Director of Opera’s production of Ruddigore last year as well as being the rehearsal pianist for
MTW’s West Side Story and was in the band for Avenue Q. I am an accomplished pianist and singer
and shouldn’t have a problem with the music.
(Ben is a very new addition to the team but I have spoken to him in detail about what I want from
the show, so he will be able to provide more on his vision at a later stage.)
Producer’s Vision
My name is Emma Nairne and I am currently in my third year studying English and Theatre Studies.
Despite no involvement with music theatre before, I have taken many roles in the drama scene over
the last two years, including but not limited to actor, stage manager, publicity design, marketing
director and producer. I am currently producing a show for the Shakespeare Society called 'Sonnets
and Scenes', which consists of coordinating six directors and twenty actors across a medley of
Shakespeare's best bits. I produced a similar show last year and have produced a successful show for
the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2008 and so have no doubt that I will be up to the task of producing
a Weekend Show. In terms of organisation, I foresee few problems. In practice, weekend shows
manage to source most of their costumes and props from the cast and crew involved and this is again
the plan. I have, however, incorporated a contingency fee into the budget in case we have to buy a
few extra items. I intend to have the spaces, both for rehearsal and for performance, booked well in
advance and will be confirming their availability for us closer to the time to ensure no double
bookings or problems, as there have been with other society shows in the past. In terms of
marketing, I am an exec member for AdHoc, an advertising society, and so hope I can use skills I
have learnt through the society to advertise the show effectively and cheaply!
Rough Budget
Venue Hire
Printing costs
Props/ set contingency
Costume/ hair/ make-up
contingency
Tech
Marketing/ publicity
Other
TOTAL (excluding cost of venue
hire and tech)
NOTES
Copper Rooms One ideally, the
Atrium sufficient
- Script/ score (approx 160
pages together – the script
could be printed two sheets to
a page to reduce costs) for
director, MD and VMD... cast/
band can print out own copies
via email
- Programmes
Minimal, for comedic effect
red and black theme, slutty,
maybe some top hats and
comedy glasses, things like that
- men well dressed, girls slutty
with character skirts, sourced as
much as possible
Available with the Copper
Rooms/ must be provided for
the Atrium
Facebook (free)
Posters
Show Must Go On music
(sourced from The Revue)
The Can Can music (available
online for £4, if cannot be
sourced)
Like A Virgin sheet music
(online for about £4 unless
sourced) OR a karaoke version
of the Moulin Rouge version
(approx £4 CD burning cost)
COST
TBC
40.00
30.00
30.00
TBC
10.00
8.00
118.00