Moulin Rouge

A-

Baz Lurhrmann’s 2001 cult film musical has been adapted for Broadway with a book by John Logan (Red) and a jukebox score curated, orchestrated and arranged by Justin Levine (Here Lies Love) into a production that is relentlessly entertaining. The opulent scenic design by Derek McLane (The Parisian Woman) transforms the Al Hirschfeld Theater into a wonderland of gold and red, featuring a windmill above one side of the proscenium and a blue elephant above the other. Catherine Zuber’s (My Fair Lady) wonderful costumes present heightened versions of 1899 Parisian attire. Everything is perfectly lit by Justin Townsend (The Humans). Karen Olivo (West Side Story, In the Heights) combines earthiness, vulnerability and charisma as Satine, the nightclub’s star who has no illusion that “courtesan” is anything more than a polite word for “whore.” She is well-balanced by Aaron Tveit’s (Catch Me If You Can, Next to Normal) Christian, an innocent from Lima, Ohio just arrived in Paris to make his mark as a songwriter. He fortuitously meets bohemian writer Toulouse-Lautrec (Sahr Ngaujah; Fela!) and tango dancer Santiago (Ricky Rojas; Burn the Floor), who enlist him to write the music for the show they hope to present at the Moulin Rouge. Danny Burstein (My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof) gives a multilayered portrayal of Harold Zidler, the club’s impresario, who is eager to give Satine to the Duke of Monroth (Tam Mutu; Doctor Zhivago) in return for his providing financial backing for the failing nightclub. Satine and Christian are forced to hide their budding romance from the Duke. Satine also hides from Christian the fact that she has consumption. Logan’s book captures all the melodrama, but does not have much chance for nuance since it must make room for so many songs plus spectacular dance numbers with choreography by Sonya Tayeh (Hundred Days, “Rent: Live”). What makes this the ultimate jukebox musical is that the score is comprised of over 70 songs or fragments of songs from a cross-section of recent pop composers. Levine has cleverly built a musical collage that presents familiar material in unexpected contexts. Throughout the evening, there were chuckles from the audience as they recognized familiar songs. How much pleasure you derive from this added dimension depends on how familiar you are with pop music (In my case, not very). The cast is uniformly strong, the dancers are amazing, and the entire production, ably directed by Alex Timbers (Beetlejuice, Here Lies Love), is dazzling. If you just sit back and let all the over-the-top spectacle roll over you, you will enjoy yourself immensely. One quibble: the extended curtain call number, although terrific, undercuts the mood of the show’s actual ending. Running time: two hours 45 minutes including intermission.)

Superhero

B-

This new musical at Second Stage comes with an impressive pedigree — music and lyrics by Pulitzer winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and book by Tony winner John Logan (Red). Two years ago, Charlotte’s husband and Simon’s father was killed in an accident witnessed by Simon. Both mother and son have had trouble dealing with their grief. Simon (Kyle McArthur) refuses to talk about his father and spends most of his time drawing comic books about superheroes. Charlotte (Kate Baldwin; Hello, Dolly!, Big Fish, Giant) can’t break through Simon’s defensive posture or finish a book she has been trying to write. Simon gets it into his head that Jim (Bryce Pinkham; A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, The Heidi Chronicles) the reclusive man who lives in Apartment 4-B, is really a superhero in disguise. That’s all I will say so I won’t spoil the story. The downbeat book is intelligent and the songs are well-integrated into it. The first act is quite polished, the second act less so. Nevertheless, the show is still emotionally satisfying. The performances by the three principals are very strong. The  four secondary characters are all underdeveloped. The attractive scenic design by Beowulf Boritt (The Scottsboro Boys, Hand to God) has a series of frames gradually receding to a Manhattan skyline. Tal Yarden’s (Network) projections add an important element. Sarah Laux’s (The Band’s Visit) costumes are unobtrusive. Jason Moore’s (The Cher Show, Avenue Q) direction is a bit sluggish on occasion. At times, I was reminded of another recent musical about a troubled teenager and his depressed mother. If you liked Dear Evan Hansen, you might like this too. Just don't go expecting another Next to Normal. Running time: two hours ten minutes including intermission.

The Last Ship ***

The best feature of this new musical now in previews at the Neil Simon Theatre is the appealing score by Sting. The music is lively, varied, and well-performed by a vocally gifted cast. Unfortunately, muddy amplification and occasional diction problems made it difficult to decipher some of the lyrics. Choreographer Steven Hoggett, whose work added so much to “Once” and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” does a fine job again here. The set and costumes by David Zinn are unexceptional. Director Joe Mantello keeps things moving briskly. The show’s weak link, in my opinion, is the book by John Logan (“Red”) and Brian Yorkey (“Next to Normal”), which suffers from implausibility and sentimentality. The main character, Gideon Fletcher (Michael Esper of "Red Vienna"), is the son of an abusive shipbuilder who flees the dying town as a teenager, leaving behind his girlfriend Meg Dawson (Rachel Tucker), vowing to return for her. Fifteen years later, he finally does return, but only because he has been summoned by the earthy but wise Irish priest Father O’Brien (Fred Applegate). Meg has a new man in her life, Arthur Millburn (Aaron Lazar), who was smart enough to leave shipbuilding before it collapsed. Gideon’s return causes her much turmoil.  There’s also young Tom (Collin Kelly-Sordelet), whose relationship to the other characters will not be revealed here. Jimmy Nail and Sally Ann Triplett are strong as foreman Jackie White and his wife Peggy. After the shipyard has been closed and about to be turned into a salvage operation, the shipbuilders plan a last hurrah with the aid of Father O’Brien. The character of Gideon is not very sympathetic, which wouldn’t matter if he were more interestingly flawed and the role had more coherence. As it stands, I did not feel greatly involved in his fate. If you go to enjoy Sting’s music without worrying too much about the book, you’ll have a pleasant evening. Running time: 2 hours 25 minutes including intermission.