BEST PRACTICES GUIDE

Please read the Press, Styling and Public Performances Best Practice Guide in addition to the information on this page.

Publicity Best Practices Guide

This section should be read in conjunction with the copy, imagery, video and audio advice detailed earlier in this guide.

CONTENT

 

GUIDELINES FOR GUESTS/INFLUENCERS

We’ve created the following social media guide for you to provide to any guests (influencers, media, celebrities etc.) entering the theatre. This is to ensure that when posting about the show, they use the correct title and hashtags, i.e., Moulin Rouge! The Musical (not just Moulin Rouge). 

Access the template here.

For guests given access to the auditorium or stage, please follow these best practices: 

KEY APPEARANCES 

The Blonds Spring 2020 Collection x Moulin Rouge! The Musical (9 September 2019): As part of New York Fashion Week, local design duo Phillipe Blond and David Blond (The Blonds) premiered their collection inside the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on the set of the show. The 60-minute event doubled as the launch of the OCR, as such the two shows were interwoven, with sample numbers from the musical interspersed with a runway onstage. In terms of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, truncated versions of the opening number, “The Sparkling Diamond”, “Your Song” and the encore were performed. Externals were allowed to use show elements, including Phillipe Blond entering on Satine’s trapeze, models riding the diamond pedestals, models in the Elephant set, Paris Hilton entering on the Eiffel Tower and Billy Porter guest-starring in the encore. There was also a Pose-inspired voguing performance featuring Billy Porter singing his own pop song, “Love Yourself”. The cast were in costume, except for “Your Song”, where Satine and Christian were dressed by The Blonds. The entire performance used tracks (rather than a live band). A video of the performance is available via Global Creatures. There was a separate activation with MAC offsite.

“Your Song” on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (November 16, 2019): In the first television performance, the producers and creative team wanted to highlight the two leads, along with a familiar song people know and remember from the film, with everything backed by an ‘enhanced’ (meaning, more musicians than play at the show) orchestra to give it a richer sound. Alex Timbers provided the color palette for everything from the actor’s clothing to the set (LED screen) design. There was also a cast interview. Note this performance included more live string and horns musicians (to replicate the in-theater sound which uses musicians and track to achieve the same effect).

Broadway Across America conference (10 February 2020): A 20-minute show sampler was performed with a reduced cast. The performance opened with “Lady Marmalade”, including a custom Zidler monologue and sampling of “You Spin Me Round”. This was followed by “Truth Beauty Freedom Love”. Justine Levine then played (and sang) an acoustic version of the intro to “Sympathy for the Duke”, which was completed by Karen Olivo and Tam Mutu (against track). The performance concluded with “Elephant Love Medley” acoustic into track. Cast were not in costume, used hand-held mics, and there was light staging. All songs were tracked, except where noted. An archival of this performance is available from Global Creatures.

“Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!” (cut-down) on “Good Morning America” (February 18, 2020): In the second television performance, GMA agreed to come to the theatre to film a live performance. They were insistent that if they do this, it should show off the lush design of the theatre, the sets, the costumes, etc. Given that this was to be filmed within the context of the world of the actual show, the creative team obliged by leaning into the spectacle and showing off all the elements of the production that are unlike anything else on Broadway. Note there was also a backstage featurette. Note this performance is a special construction, including only one verse of “Lady Marmalade” before Zidler enters, reduced Zidler monologue, no Duke, one verse of “Burning Down the House” and edits in the dance break.

US Open Tennis Tournament Opening Night Ceremony (30 August 2021): Moulin Rouge! The Musical was invited to headline the tournament’s prestigious Opening Night ceremony at Arthur Ashe Stadium. After being introduced by American tennis legend Billie Jean King, a 1-minute teaser video was screened followed by three performances. The Lady Ms sang “Lady Marmalade”, Aaron Tveit and Natalie Mendoza sang “Come What May” and, to finish the program, Aaron and the Lady M’s sang the American National Anthem. The tracks for “Lady Marmalade” (2m10s) and for “Come What May” (3m12s) came from the Original Cast Record, including the backing vocals on Lady M. The US Open supplied the track for the National Anthem. Notably, this was Natalie’s first public performance since replacing Karen Olivo in the role of as Satine. In addition to the 23,771 spectators in the stadium, the ceremony was broadcast on ESPN2 and streamed via the US Open’s World Feed. Video of the performance is viewable on the Broadway production’s Instagram account –https://www.instagram.com/tv/CTQHS90l_rt/

Tony Awards 2021 (27 September 2021): At the 74th Tony Awards, Moulin Rouge! The Musical received 14 nominations and won 10 awards (the most for the evening), including Best Musical. A performance of ‘Lady Marmalade/Can-Can/Marmalade Reprise’ was broadcast, featuring an introduction from Aaron Tveit (Christian) filmed on the Al Hirschfeld roof. “The Sparkling Diamond” on “NBC’s 95th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” (25 November 2021): This was the television debut of “The Sparkling Diamond,” as performed by the Broadway cast. As is traditional for a Broadway show on this broadcast, the performance was live on 34th street in front of Macy’s department store on Thanksgiving morning. The actor playing Satine lip-synced to her own pre-recorded vocals to a track that was recorded by Macy’s orchestra (not cast album). Given that this is a very family-friendly broadcast, NBC and Macy’s both had concerns about the costumes being appropriate for their viewing audience. The Lady Ms and ensemble heels had modifications to their costumes to bring their panty lines down for more coverage. Additionally, the ensemble heels wore the jacket/tails look through the entire number, which required wardrobe to sew the breakaway element on each costume the night before. NBC and Macy’s were concerned about the “illusion of toplessness” in the ensemble heels costumes under the breakaway. https://youtu.be/yDDDEbLH_co Royal Variety 2021 (19 December 2021): The Royal Variety Performance is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity. In 2021, the West End Cast performed ‘Lady Marmalade/Can-Can/Burnin’ Down the House/Marmalade Reprise’ live from Royal Albert Hall for the event which was televised nation-wide. “Your Song” on “The View” (21 February 21 2022): For this performance from the Broadway cast, “The View” required that it be filmed on their in-studio set. The cast album track was used and the actors’ sung live. Set Designer Derek McLane and his associate Erica Hemminger created a beautiful Paris cityscape that was displayed behind the actors. The center image was on a digital screen and the two side images were printed by “The View” art dept. This art is now available for use on other appearances. The production initially pushed “The View” to have the performance done in the actors’ own modern, nice clothing. When “The View” threatened to pull the appearance if it wasn’t in costume, Alex Timbers opted for these specific costumes and the performance done with no staging at microphones. https://youtu.be/VNJZLFNCBTg Olivier Awards, ITV (10 April 2022): The London cast performed “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!” at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the televised awards ceremony. This was a special construction, which removed “So Fresh & So Clean”, “Burning Down the House” and “Let’s Dance”. Zidler’s monologue was also reduced. The performance was introduced by Liisi LaFontaine (Satine) and Jamie Bogyo (Christian). (A similar but extended number was previously performed at the Royal Variety Performance, also filmed at the Royal Albert Hall and broadcast on ITV on 18 November 2021.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5cWAC7GH3E “Britain’s Got Talent” – First Live Semi-Final, ITV (30 May 2022): The London cast was invited to perform two numbers during the live broadcast of the first 2022 semi-final: The show opened with an edited version of “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!”, and as part of the performance, Zidler introduced the BGT judges as well as hosts Ant and Dec, who descended in a heart-shaped frame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gFl5F5VNxI. Later in the show, the cast performed “Backstage Romance”. It featured an extended number of tracks, to accommodate all ensemble members and swings who wanted to be involved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4pfHYdiYuY “Lady Marmalade” on “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” (4 July 2022): Much like the US Open appearance, and using the same cast album track created for that, this performance by the Broadway cast was live on NBC with live vocals. The actors were instructed to wear performance attire in blacks and reds. We’ve now leaned into paying for the actors to be styled to have a more cohesive look for future appearances. https://youtu.be/tgVyfY7x–s West End Live 2022 (4 July 2022):Jamie Bogyo (Christian) introduces Moulin Rouge! The Musical to the West End LIVE stage, as they perform Lady Marmalade and Firework. “El Tango de Roxanne” on “The Late Late Show with James Corden!” (25 August 2022): This was the television debut of “El Tango de Roxanne,” as performed by the First National US Tour cast. The production had always hoped to perform this particular number on a late night talk show where the audience felt most appropriate for the subject matter. “The Late Late Show” required that it be filmed in costume on their in-studio set. The cast album track was used and the actor playing Christian was the only one singing live. Their team worked closely with Alex Timbers, Sonya Tayeh and their associates to try to replicate the mood of the number as it appears in the show both with lighting and the set in their very small studio space. There was discussion after the rehearsal a few days prior of cutting the cross for Satine and The Duke for concern that they’d be lost visually. Ultimately, it was kept and everyone was pleased with how this was integrated into the storytelling. https://youtu.be/FXclYVXYA2o Curtain Up! Concert (2 October 2022): Derek Klena (Christian) and Ashley Loren (Satine) perform, ‘Come What May’ from Moulin Rouge! The Musical at Curtain Up Broadway Festival. “Elephant Love Medley” on Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS (24 November 2022): This was the television debut of “Elephant Love Medley” with the Broadway company on the Broadway set. Satine and Christian performed with live vocals wearing their show mics. This was a very straightforward capture of a shorter cut of the number. It’s important to note that there was a four hour lighting call two days prior to address adjusting the lighting for the cameras. It made a big difference. Additional lighting adjustments were made on the day, overseen by Alex Timbers and Justin Townsend. https://youtu.be/B7-xZoS081E  

The Encore (“More! More! More!”) was originally allowed to be filmed by the audience for their personal social media; however, this has ceased.

When planning performances, consider:

 

REFERENCE MEDIA COVERAGE

The below coverage is useful background for publicists in all territories:

BROADWAY AUSTRALIA WEST END  

OTHER REFERENCE MATERIAL

 

TALKING POINTS

These interview guidelines base for talent can be adapted for use in all territories.

Title:

 

Key Dates:

The Creative Team:

Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin are mentors and Creative Consultants to the production, but are not involved day to day. Baz co-produced the Original Cast Recording, which was released on his label, House of Iona, on 30 August 2019.

 

The Show

 

The Music

 

EXTRA INFORMATION

This information may be useful background for publicists in pitching stories.

 

Trivia – The Stage Show

 

Facts & Figures – The Film

MOULIN ROUGE! was shot in Sydney in 1999/2000 and premiered on 9 May 2001 at the Cannes Film Festival.

Sample territory release dates and box office in AUD:

Data courtesy of Screen Australia, ComScore, MPDAA. Correct as at 8 Sept 2020.