Multiple Tony nominee Moulin Rouge! The Musical will resume Broadway performances on Friday, September 24 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, producers announced today, but the successor to former (and Tony-nominated) lead actress Karen Olivo, who left the role in protest of Broadway’s silence over Scott Rudin, was not revealed.
Back on stage will be Aaron Tveit, Danny Burstein, Sahr Ngaujah, Robyn Hurder (all Tony nominees, with Tveit a likely shoo-in as the sole entrant in the leading actor/musical category), Tam Mutu and Ricky Rojas. Ashley Loren has been cast at the alternate Satine (a position she held at the time of the shutdown). Additional casting, including the role of Satine, will be confirmed at a later date.
Produces also announced that Moulin Rouge! will honor New York’s Frontline Workers at a special dress rehearsal on September 23.
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a story about artists fighting to keep their theatre open on their own terms,” said producers Carmen Pavlovic and Bill Damaschke in a joint statement. “This has served as our rallying cry as we’ve navigated the complexities of the Broadway shutdown and planning for our re-imagined future.”
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday May 19 at 10 a.m. ET.
Based on the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film, Moulin Rouge!, which opened at the Hirschfeld on July 25, 2019, features music from decades of hit songs, with direction by Alex Timbers, book by John Logan, choreography by Sonya Tayeh and music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Justin Levine. Design team includes Derek McLane (sets), Catherine Zuber (costumes), Justin Townsend (lighting). Producers are Pavlovic and Gerry Ryan OAM for Global Creatures and Damaschke.
Olivo announced in April that she would not return to the production in protest of what she said was the industry silence over the workplace harassment and abuse claims levied against Rudin (the film and theater producer is not involved in Moulin Rouge!).