Musical Lyrical Lingo
We're Musical Lyrical Lingo!
Join Tim and Lj who delve deep into the wonderful world of musical theatre and more importantly the lessons they have learned from different musicals.
Join them as they explore some of the greatest musicals ever created, from the classics to the new and exciting shows that continue to teach us something new.
So whether you're a seasoned fan of the stage or a newcomer, this podcast is for you.
So sit back, relax and get ready to immerse yourself in the world of musical theatre.
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Musical Lyrical Lingo
Moulin Rouge the Musical, Truth Beauty, Freedom Love.
Truth, beauty, freedom, love – and frilly knickers? This week we're transported to the bohemian world of Moulin Rouge, the spectacular jukebox musical that began as Baz Luhrmann's groundbreaking film and evolved into a Tony Award-winning theatrical phenomenon.
From the moment we step into this world, we discover the rich vocabulary that defines the Moulin Rouge experience. What exactly is a "courtesan" or a "boulevardier"? Why is absinthe called the "Green Fairy"? And did you know "Lady Marmalade" is actually about New Orleans prostitutes? These fascinating linguistic discoveries enhance our appreciation of both the film and the stage adaptation that has captivated audiences worldwide.
The theatrical transformation of Moulin Rouge represents one of the most ambitious developments in musical theatre. The creative team brilliantly updates the iconic soundtrack, weaving contemporary hits from Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry alongside the film's beloved classics. Spectacular musical mashups like the 14-song opening number and "Backstage Romance" demonstrate how this show continuously reinvents itself while honoring its cinematic origins.
Having experienced the London production at the Piccadilly Theatre, we share what makes this show such an extraordinary theatrical event. The immersive pre-show, the runway extending into the audience, and the elephants emerging from the boxes create an atmosphere unlike anything else in the West End. As the UK tour prepares to launch, we wonder how they'll adapt this lavish staging for different venues across the country.
Whether you're a devoted fan of the film or completely new to the world of the Moulin Rouge, join us for this deep dive into a musical that reminds us why we fell in love with theatrical spectacle in the first place. Have you seen the show? We'd love to hear your thoughts on how the stage version compares to the beloved film!
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Hello and welcome to Musical Lyrical Lingo. We're your hosts, Tim and RJ.
Speaker 2:Today and every week we will be discussing musicals, but specifically what they taught us.
Speaker 1:But specifically your diction is wonderful oh thank you. It is very good. I have to say, I was taught by some of the best, the best I know. You were always very good with things like that. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was good, and sometimes it's funny now that I teach speech and drama. You know, trying to like explain to the kids you're not. Northern Irish accent is so hard so you're having to do extra work whenever you're saying something. Yeah, and then you're going, but how would you normally say it? And then they come and they think, oh no, that's not how you should be saying that on every day. Yes, thank you for that compliment.
Speaker 1:Not at all. Give me a compliment. Well, I just felt bad after last week. You know, I felt maybe I went a wee bit heavy.
Speaker 2:No, you were fine.
Speaker 1:I know, of course I was. I wasn't saying I wasn't trying, no, but I do notice every time Meditation yeah, particularly in the intro. Now it might go downhill as the episodes go on.
Speaker 2:Might do.
Speaker 1:I'm joking.
Speaker 2:You alright.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think, you think.
Speaker 2:Well, you're here.
Speaker 1:I'm here and we're about to start another brand new week. Yeah, here wasn't that concert at the weekend? It was great. Fab weekend, it was great, fabulous.
Speaker 2:It was great. I just love seeing musical theatre on TV.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:Primetime TV.
Speaker 1:Bring it on.
Speaker 2:Like it just needs to be there.
Speaker 1:More often Talking about primetime TV and musical theatre. Can we talk the Olivier Awards for a minute, the 6th of April? Theatre Can we talk the Olivier Awards for a minute? The 6th of April. It is being hosted this year by Beverly Knight and Billy Porter, who is currently living it up as MC in Cabaret. They are set to oh my goodness, what am I saying? They are set to host this year's awards on Sunday, the 6th of April, at the Royal Albert Hall.
Speaker 2:But you can't watch it because for some reason we can't watch the Olivia's.
Speaker 1:Is it not going to be on the TV? No, it's always on Now, it's on later.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean like it's not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it'll still be on the TV, yeah, yeah, it's so weird Like they do it, like obviously it's on, yeah, and then like an hour later, yeah, clearly, they just don't have the editors to edit it as they go. You know, it's did I say, it's at the Royal Albert Hall, I did, and it's the 40th official ceremony.
Speaker 2:It's great Under the Olivia Awards name official ceremony. It's great Under the Olivia Awards name and I have been loving watching, particularly on our injury socials, like all the stuff that's happening for the Olivia Awards. Because, as we've mentioned, it has been nominated for her role as Celine in Titanic. But like there was a big thing in London there where they got to see their names all in lights and they got like official certificates, it's just class.
Speaker 1:It's so exciting, it really is. In other show, busy musical theatre news. Drew McHoney, one of my favourite choreographers, who is now in his first season as artistic director in Regent Park Open Air Theatre I also love that theatre. Have you seen anything there? No, I haven't seen anything here. The production of Fiddler on the Roof that was there is going on tour. We should go because I think that now I don't like Fiddler as a show, but I would like to see that version Anyway. So Drew McHoney is bringing together old and new with two enchanting musicals set in tight knit community. So the season begins with a highly anticipated UK transfer of Jack O'Brien's Broadway production of musical comedy Shucked I'm. Isn't that like one of the best musical theatre songs you've ever heard? I'm super excited for that because I that musical intrigues me a bit.
Speaker 2:I know, yeah, and there was a lot of buzz around it whenever it was like, say, cross the water, yeah, excited but I also didn't think it would come to London as quick as it has done.
Speaker 1:Do you know what I mean? So well done, drew. Yeah, so there you go. All About Corn as well, which sounds like a musical about corn. Yeah, interesting. And what's the other one? I'm trying to find it here. Musicals Tom Greer reviewing the show on Broadway. Oh, no, hold on. Where's the other one? Oh, brigadoon.
Speaker 2:Yes, brigadoon.
Speaker 1:I'm not Overlay.
Speaker 2:Brigadoon.
Speaker 1:Bothered by Leonard and Lois.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:Brigadoon, but hey-ho you might do. Well, listen, here I am talking about wanting to go and see A Fiddler on the Roof, do? You know, what I mean. There is something powerful about Regent Park Open Air Theatre and the productions that go on, particularly in the summer terms, like they do seem to excite me more. So, like you know, like A Fiddler that was there would excite me more than A Fiddler. Same maybe with Brigadoon. We'll just have to wait and see.
Speaker 2:I think they can take more risks there, can't they? Or they can experiment a little bit more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think so it just yeah, it opens itself up. Now it doesn't always work. For example, the legally blonde that ended up there, I'm not so sure I'd have been a fan from what I saw.
Speaker 1:Now you can never, yeah, you can never cast dispersions on something that you haven't seen. But yeah, and then, excitingly, because I love this show, priscilla Queen of the Desert has announced yes, let's go. It's announced a UK, ireland and international tour starting from February next year, opening in the Palace Theatre in Manchester. It is coming to the Opera House the 1st to the 6th of June and then Dublin's Board Gosh the week after, 8th to the 13th, I think, if I get my maths right. Yeah, we'd be good, wouldn't we? So there you go. There's your theatre news for this week, lauren. Thank you.
Speaker 2:As always, you've kept us up to date.
Speaker 1:Absolute pleasure.
Speaker 2:Appreciate that.
Speaker 1:Took a wee mind blank with Brigadoon there. I was like what else is coming Doesn't matter. Shucked, that's all you care about. It's Brigadoon, snoresville. Moving on to this week, a musical, a musical. That's not so much of a storesville really.
Speaker 2:No and has just announced a new cast.
Speaker 1:A new cast and, oh yes, the new cast for the tour that they're going to do yeah, absolutely this week. What are we talking about?
Speaker 2:Moulin Rouge.
Speaker 1:Moulin Rouge I don't know any of the names in the touring cast.
Speaker 2:I recognise the main girl's name, but I don't know where I know her from.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I recognise the main girl's name, but I don't know where I know her from.
Speaker 2:So yeah, but anyway it was just released.
Speaker 1:It blows my mind that show is touring. I cannot wait to see how they tour that show, having seen it in London.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, sure, we'll talk about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, interesting Because they're going to have to do a wee bit of work to each theatre.
Speaker 1:If they're going to do, do a wee bit of work to each theatre if they're going to do it. But this is what I mean. It'll be interesting to see how they resize it or rescale it for a tour, because I don't think they're going to be able to do some of the stuff, because that would be a lot of work for every theatre that they go to Do. You know what I mean. So surely it has to be a in-box kind of like touring set. Do you know what I mean? That will fit on the space, not need all of these extra alterations. Do you know what I mean? But listen, they could do it. They could Jukebox musical, and it's only when I did the research for this I went, of course it is, yeah, it's a jukebox musical, and it's only when I did the research for this I went.
Speaker 1:Of course it is yeah it's a jukebox musical you just had never like I never really thought of it like that when I, I'm talking about, obviously, the film, because the first time I came to the music to Moulin Rouge, it is the film, isn't it? Um, and at the time, I don't think I I realized that a lot of the songs were songs of other artists. Do you know what I mean? But I was like, of course it is. It's one of the first jukebox musicals I ever experienced, with book by John Logan, known for his work as a screenwriter for such films as Gladiator, the Aviator and Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd, yeah. And Skyfall Inspector, skyfall, inspector. His James Bond credits yeah. The musical's based on the 2001 film directed by Baz Luhrmann and written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce In 2002 and 2003, there was speculation about the possibility of staging this as a musical, and possibly in Vegas, your favorite place.
Speaker 1:Now, that would have been because they could have gone like don't get me wrong, the the Moulin Rouge that I saw in London was big scale, like probably bigger scale than I had ever seen. Yeah, for a musical, but imagine if it had been in Vegas, like it could have been, like you could have actually had Satine flying over the audience in.
Speaker 1:Sparkling Diamonds. Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2:Yeah, should have accepted.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you know what I mean. They could have gone proper crazy Cool. Some sources claimed in 2006 that director Lerman had approached the film leads Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor to star in the potential stage version.
Speaker 2:That's right, which didn't quite, just didn't quite manifest.
Speaker 1:No, I mean both of them, I think, were busy enough. They didn't need a stage musical. Do you know what I mean? They were kind of their diaries were full enough. So in 2016, it was announced that the stage musical was being developed by Global Creatives sorry, global Creatures and direction by Alex Timbers.
Speaker 2:Just to go back to John Logan, John Logan also did a couple of plays. He's written a couple of plays, including that. Did you ever hear speculation or hear about Peter and Alice? Was that a 2013 play that starred Judi Dench and Ben Whitchell?
Speaker 1:No. Oh, stunning, never got to see it, did you?
Speaker 2:Oh, but never got to see it, but just like all the buzz around that. But yeah, I didn't realise that John Logan had a connection to what was that? Play a bite.
Speaker 1:That sounds. Those two names in one sentence are like well.
Speaker 2:Too complicated Okay.
Speaker 1:So you never saw it and it wasn't like a pro shot wasn't done of her or anything. No, oh, that's sad. No, a workshop took place. It did For Moulin Rouge in 2017, starring Aaron Tvei and Karen Olivo, and the lab ran from October 30th until December 15th. Then they had a wee Boston run. They did, scheduled to begin previews in June 2018. However, construction delays in renovating the Emerson Colonial Theatre resulted in the premiere date being pushed back. So there we were, talking about the tour and changing the theatres. That's exactly what happened in Boston. Again, the cast was Aaron Tvei and Karen Olivio as Christian and Satine, danny Burstein was Harold Ziegler and Tam Matu was the Duke. The choreographer was Sonia Teja, a New York City-based choreographer who had been known at the time mostly for her work in choreographing, you know, shows and tours for big music artists, the likes of Madonna, florence and the Machines and Miley Cyrus.
Speaker 2:So certainly works for the music.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like a perfect fit. I think it's important to probably note set designer Derek McLean, obviously, because the set was like mental and the costumes were Catherine Zuber's work, broadway. Then it hit the Al Hirschfield Theatre with the same cast as Boston and the previews began on June 28th 2019 and officially opened on July the 25th. Yeah, it's been everywhere. Australia had their first Australian production in 2021 and then it officially opened in the West End Piccadilly Theatre on January 20th 2022 and, as we mentioned, a world tour is beginning in the UK and Ireland April this year.
Speaker 2:Yep, really soon.
Speaker 1:Really soon.
Speaker 2:And there is a big buzz around the.
Speaker 1:Big time because I don't know. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that's not a show that I ever expected would tour. Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2:I think it's true because the film. There was real sensation around that and there always usually is whenever Baz Luhrmann does something, because that creative team Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, they do a lot together. They obviously did Strictly Ballroom Moulin Rouge.
Speaker 1:I love all their stuff.
Speaker 2:Gatsby and obviously most recently. Elvis so they are.
Speaker 1:Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet one of my favourite movies is spectacular.
Speaker 2:And last, and what is that word?
Speaker 1:it has a theatricality to it as well, which I love. It's timeless.
Speaker 2:Obviously so. My 13-year-old has only just discovered Romeo and Juliet. Well, I was about the same age when that came out, so I mean, it's really obviously it's Romeo and Juliet. It's based on Shakespeare, but Baz Luhrmann's version is timeless.
Speaker 1:Is she just not obsessed with it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, obsessed.
Speaker 1:That's the happiest news you could have told me today. I am absolutely blooming. Delighted with that.
Speaker 2:Love it.
Speaker 1:Like that film changed my opinion on things like Shakespeare. Do you know what I mean? It's just so brilliant and one of my fun facts about that.
Speaker 2:The reason that Ewan McGregor was cast in Moulin Rouge was because Baz Luhrmann was really going to turn. Romeo and Juliet was really going to be a musical. Oh, okay, so that's why he knew Ewan McGregor could sing, because he had tested him for.
Speaker 1:Romeo, oh wow.
Speaker 2:Moulin Rouge came along.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's really a musical of Romeo and wow. And then Moulin Rouge came along. Wow, that's really a musical of Romeo and Juliet. And Juliet and Juliet Came many, many years later.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I remember like whenever Moulin Rouge came out, like it was one of the there was, I remember my mum like being fascinated by it and like or not fascinated, but just being like it's so nice to see a musical, like a new musical yeah out for the masses yeah um, obviously there was um like pop stars, like mainstream. It came into the mainstream world because, like christina, galera, pink, yes all those ones did that music video, mama.
Speaker 2:So it was. There was a lot of excitement not just for musical theatre fans about it, and then the same thing has happened with the stage version.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Plot follows the same as the films In the Montemarte. Is that right?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Quarter of Paris during the turn of the 20th century, follows Christian, a young composer, who falls in love with Saltine, who is a cabaret performer at the Moulin Rouge. It uses songs which are popular for the score and the stage version has updated songs to today's audience, so the songs are slightly different from the film to the stage.
Speaker 1:Which you don't expect when you go to see it, like you think you're going to, because, like the soundtrack of the film is so iconic you've just mentioned one of many hits, you know, like you had Roxanne in there and you had Come what May Nature Boy, like all of those were like so iconically linked to that film of the time. Those were the ones you're expecting to see, to hear. You know, when you go and see the musical and then you hear Lady Gaga and you hear Katy Perry and you hear all of these new artists and for some it doesn't go down well, like I have heard people complaining going they didn't need all that music, they didn't need all those. You know it's it's, it's a classic without it. Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 1:And I totally get it, but I also get what they've done and I appreciated it. Like I obviously heard the soundtrack to the musical before I saw it on stage and it just filled me with more excitement. I was like that is, they have literally mashed together Beyonce and Shirley Bassey and I'm going. I love that, like that's class.
Speaker 2:I was. Whenever I first heard it I was like, oh, I love the movie, but then listening to it and also I love what they've done with. It's not your song, but it is that section between. Christine and something, or Christian and something?
Speaker 1:like love melody they've got.
Speaker 2:Actually there's not a huge amount of modern songs in that. There's lots of 80s songs that take on me and things like that so actually they've reinvented and it works and I think then you can have two separate identities. You can have the film and you can have yeah, and I think then you can have two separate identities.
Speaker 1:You can have the film? Yeah, and you can have the stage version. I agree and I think that that is. And I also appreciate that they didn't just throw in new modern artists, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they re-worked the films there was more thought than yeah, I agree.
Speaker 1:At the 74th Tony Awards, millen Roos received. At the 74th Tony Awards, moulin Rouge received 14 nominations and won 10 awards the most for that evening including Best Musical. Aaron Tvei for Leading Actor, danny Bernstein for Featured Actor as Harold Ziedler, alex Timbers won Best Direction and Sonia Taya won Best Choreography. Now, it was a COVID season, wasn't?
Speaker 2:it.
Speaker 1:And there were a lot less shows eligible for the Tonys that year. So, I mean a cynic could like weigh it up and go well, but listen, I've seen it, I liked like weigh it up and go well, but listen, I've seen it, I liked it. I think it deserves it.
Speaker 2:I mean there's still a big buzz around it, there's still like, especially in Broadway.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:There. You know Jojo has been left to come back. You know Aaron has left to come back. Like there's still loads of big names that are going into it. There's still loads of big names that are going into it. There's still people paying tickets for it.
Speaker 1:I just thought there was a massive difference when you look at the critical acclaim. I just thought there was a massive difference between the Tony Awards and the nominations and then the Olivier's. So the London production was nominated for five Olivier's, including Best New Musical. It won one Best Costume Design.
Speaker 2:But then what was it up against that year? I don't know.
Speaker 1:When you're talking about awards, it's always that isn't it who missed out With top loads Wicked missed out. Do you know what I mean? Even with the Oscars this year, a thousand percent With top loads Wicked messed out.
Speaker 2:Do you know what I mean? I like this Even with the Oscars this year.
Speaker 1:A thousand percent.
Speaker 2:You know, so it's all different Anyway what did you learn?
Speaker 1:That it was a jukebox musical.
Speaker 2:So from the actual movie I learned a couple of things. So it was the first time I'd really heard about Bohemian.
Speaker 1:Yes, so I also have that as one of mine, you learned of that.
Speaker 2:I remember you didn't do GCSE drama, but I remember that was our very first homework. Yeah, to go and find the soundtrack and see what it was about. I don't know. I can't even remember what the actual outcome of what the lesson was going to be from that homework.
Speaker 1:So anyway, so the homework was to go and listen to Moulin Rouge.
Speaker 2:Yeah, listen to Moulin Rouge and love beauty, truth Like, and then come up with what we felt they were and how they somebody's near had an accent, how then they help in drama. It was yeah anyway.
Speaker 1:That sounds like the biggest waste of your time. I'm glad I didn't bother doing GCSE drama. Rocked in for A-level. Yeah, you just all looked at me and you're like what's he doing here? No, I didn't. I know you didn't only because you knew me outside of school.
Speaker 2:Green Fairy. I never knew that that was the nickname for Absinthe, and it was also Kylie Minogue. And it was Kylie Minogue in the film.
Speaker 1:It took me three times watching that film before I went. That's Kylie Kylie's the green fairy.
Speaker 2:And then from then on, I obviously asked the questions like what is Absinthe? I don't think it was drinking, and then my parents explained that that's banned in America.
Speaker 1:Yes, I particularly love that bit in the show. When they take the Green Absinthe or the Green Fairy, they sing Chantilly and it's so clever I'm going to swing from the Chantilly. It's very cool.
Speaker 2:And then, obviously, we mentioned it, lady Marmalade. That was the first time I was introduced to that song, because it was everywhere. Everybody was singing it. I think even in school girls were doing it for talent shows. It was absolutely everywhere. So voulez-vous, coucher?
Speaker 1:Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? Yeah, and it's very naughty. What have you just said?
Speaker 2:Well would you like to sleep with me, sir?
Speaker 1:Yes, translated into English. Do you want to sleep with me tonight?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Rude.
Speaker 2:That's the only French I know.
Speaker 1:Very, very rude. Funny. You mention bohemians Because I also, you know, wasn't? It's almost like a word you had heard before before, but you didn't really know what it meant. And obviously a huge part of the storyline is about those bohemians, because christian, a writer, joins a group of bohemians. You know what I mean. So bohemians, those non-conformist, socially unconventional, uh people, especially ones involved in the arts and like it's so class, like being in and out of the arts, like you meet bohemians even today, like, like all the time, and they're very exciting people. At the beginning of Sparkling Diamonds, harold I think it's Harold Ziegler like announces that. You know, ladies, gentlemen, bohemians and artists coquettes and bou and Boulevardiers yeah, may I present you Sparkling Diamond. Yeah, and there were a few of those other. Like Coquette, yeah, c-u-q-u-e-t-t-e. A flirtatious woman, a woman who likes to attract attention by behaving as if she is sexually interested in people in a pleasant but not serious way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a woman who flirts with men to get their attention but doesn't have serious feelings for them.
Speaker 1:There you go. Boulevardiers are wealthy, fashionable socialites Also. It's a cocktail.
Speaker 2:This is the one that excited me.
Speaker 1:Well, you are like the cocktail queen, so you take over for me, because you will have no much more about the cocktail than I do. Well, you are like the cocktail queen, so you take over for me, because you will know much more about the cocktail than I do.
Speaker 2:Well, I learned a bit about it, but just, it's a cocktail which has a base of whiskey and then sweet vermouth, and then it's Campari. Campari is stinking, I agree. No, everybody hates Campari. It is stinking, it is like a Negroni. Okay so if people drink them. It was quite popular a couple of years back Negronis, but Negroni has gin and this has whiskey.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So but yes, this was a popular cocktail of the time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, originated in late 1920s Paris.
Speaker 2:That's because they would have been drank by the people that were going to Moulin Rouge. Yeah, in that Montmartre district, and it is known for being a bohemian artistic atmosphere. So yeah, it's kind of cool that that was mentioned.
Speaker 1:Is the Moulin Rouge in Paris still going Because I know a number of cool that that was mentioned. Is the Moulin Rouge in Paris still going Because I know a number of years ago there was like there was concern that it was going to shut down, like it wasn't getting the fifth wall, like it was a failing business.
Speaker 2:I think my parents went to it, but I don't know that was maybe a number of years ago, but yeah, maybe, I don't know. Maybe with the surge of the musical it's re-founded or something, but yeah maybe, I don't know, maybe with the surge of the musical.
Speaker 1:Wouldn't that be wonderful, though, what a marvellous story. Whilst we're on Sparkling Diamonds, because that's where that introduction came from, obviously it's the number that introduces the audience to Satine, isn't it Satine? Satine, she sings gloss on my lips. Sorry, in the musical version, gloss on my lips, men on my hips, tighter than my Derry on jeans. So obviously that's a Beyonce. All the single ladies is thrown in there. In Sparkling Diamonds it mixes. Diamonds are forever. Diamonds are a girl's best friend material girl, madonna's material girl and single ladies put a ring on that like love it. But obviously because, like I am a beyonce fan, but I didn't realize that derrion jeans obviously it's denim jeans, but particularly those from the house of derrion, a fashion line created by Beyonce and her mom.
Speaker 2:That's what I learned too. I didn't know that either.
Speaker 1:I'm so glad because I thought I was just. I was a bit of a thicko, Like when I was doing the research and I went oh, I didn't realise.
Speaker 2:Beyonce had jeans. Neither did I, neither did I.
Speaker 1:Good, well, I'm glad we're not on our own then.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Lady Marmalade which we've talked about, but I didn't realise that Creole Lady Marmalade is actually about prostitutes in New Orleans. I obviously knew it was a sexualised song, but I didn't know the original.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so was the original. That 1974 American Funk Grip.
Speaker 2:LaBelle yes, okay, and it's about prostitutes and urinates.
Speaker 1:Well, there you go. I mean, the music is sensational. Like in the opening number, it consists of 14 different songs, 14. Including Lady Marmalade that you've just said, mr Big Stuff. Money, that's what I Want. Barry Gordy's hit Talking Heads hit Burning Down the House, aerosmith's Walk this Way, david Bowie's let's Dance, and then I love Dead or Alive's. You Spin Me Round Like a Record. And that's just a few. Do you know what I mean? There's 14 in total. Yeah, so there you go Now. Satine is a cabaret singer and a courtesan. Yes, and I didn't know what a courtesan was when I first saw the film and was a wee bit shocked when I looked it up and I found out as a young, wee boy.
Speaker 2:What her role was within.
Speaker 1:Naive little me Didn't realise that a courtesan was actually a prostitute or a courtly, a prostitute for courtly, wealthy and upper class clientele.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so there are different levels, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, historically the term referred to courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful people.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:She also dies.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not a spoiler.
Speaker 1:Spoiler alert, in case you haven't happened to know when have you been. Why have people not watched Moulin Rouge? I nearly watched it again for this podcast, but I might watch it later, yeah. I might watch it later she dies of consumption. Again. The young me, naive little me, didn't know what consumption was, so it was just another name given to tuberculosis. Yeah, and it generally affects the lungs, go figure.
Speaker 2:That's why she was coughing blood and derby hanky well, so Mulan Rouge, and whenever she's coughing the blood. I then knew that that was TB tuberculosis, because my favourite film is Tombstone which is Sounds cheery it is the best film ever. It is about the OK Corral and I just love it, and one of the characters in that that is constantly coughing into a tissue and coughing up blood. So I was able to, you're able to tell you.
Speaker 1:See, you are smarter than me. Like we've said this before, I just watch a lot of movies. One of my favorite bits, both in the movie and then in the musical when I saw it in London, was the pitch song, as they call it. So exciting, so exciting.
Speaker 2:And I love how that comes about, because they're thinking on their feet. Yeah, hilarious we all can do that. As creatives, we can think on our feet.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and they have to come up with basically the plot line of this so-called play or musical that they want to put on in the Moulin Rouge. They sing, worthy of even the best raconteur, a tale in the shadows of dear Sacré-Cœur.
Speaker 2:Oh, your French is very good.
Speaker 1:Thank you eh at GCSE, oh yay. I haven't spoken a word of it since, but a raconteur is a storyteller, a person who tells anecdotes in a skilful and amusing way, and they themselves were like raconteurs. You know what I mean, then. Sacré-cœur is a famous Roman Catholic church and basilica in Paris where the musical is set. Oh, they also sing Sweet Satine, who plays her Ingenue.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Ingenue.
Speaker 1:And Ingenue is an innocent or unsophisticated young woman, especially in a play or a film Naive, virtuous and candid. Now have we come across Ingenue before? Was it Signed?
Speaker 2:Music? No, was it Sound of Music? No, was it Cameray?
Speaker 1:Maybe Ingenue, I don't know. I just like saying the word Ingenue. And then the last one from the pitch song they sing the most lascivious raconteur around, and a raconteur is a person who engages in dishonest and fraudulent business dealings. Ooh, you raconteur. I see you reading a book about a raconteur.
Speaker 2:That's it Very good. That's strange, in truth, you.
Speaker 1:Sorry, I was talking to EPR in there. Oh, you got me. Who's so interested in our podcast? He's reading a book. See when he's not hosting. When he's not a host, he couldn't care.
Speaker 2:No, I know, Just sits there reading his book. In truth, words, beauty, freedom and love. It says everyone's like Cristal Maybach, so obviously Cristal is a type of champagne. Oui, oui oui, and Maybach is a luxury Mercedes, vans oh sounds like a red wine. Yeah, I think they're is a luxury Mercedes-Benz.
Speaker 1:Oh, sounds like a red wine. Malbec, malbec, yeah, my favourite type. I love a Malbec.
Speaker 2:Also Milan Rouge. I loved. We loved listening to my parents' music, especially on a Sunday when we would have gone for drives and stuff. So we were introduced to Place and Sting and Fleetwood Mac and all of those Rolling Stones, whatever. So I knew the song Roxanne, but I didn't know what Roxanne was about Roxanne.
Speaker 1:it's another prostitute.
Speaker 2:It's about a prostitution. I didn't know that she was a prostitute.
Speaker 1:Now hold on. Even naive little me went. This song's about someone who's being a wee bit naughty.
Speaker 2:But I didn't know, I didn't know.
Speaker 1:You can wear your. I have to sing it to get the lyric. Roxanne, you don't have to wear your dress tonight. Walk the streets for money. He don't care if it's wrong or if it's right, roxanne, like did you not know? I keep it from those. Or if it's right, roxanne, like did she not know? I keep her from those lyrics.
Speaker 2:It was more like the red light bit. I didn't know what the red light was in Amsterdam. The red light you could be so many impersonators. Cher.
Speaker 1:I love that song. I know I love that song. I know I love that song and one of my best mates, adam, would be absolutely disgusted in me. I didn't realise Roxanne was a Sting song when I saw it in Moulin Rouge. It's only later in life I went oh here, that's a song from Moulin Rouge. He's a big Sting fan. But like he would be disgusted, but I didn't.
Speaker 2:I knew.
Speaker 1:You knew, you just didn't know it was about a prostitute.
Speaker 2:I didn't know about red light, I had no idea, just the red light district.
Speaker 1:Well, now it's not somewhere that we would go, is it? Let's be honest, we were too busy tap dancing a dream and to worry about things like seedy red. No, that's awful. No, that's not shame.
Speaker 2:Like people do what they do, yeah but they were all my musical lingers that I learnt lyrically and then obviously you mentioned, you know, a couple of the things that the it taught me, but also, overall, moulin Rouge just taught me just to love and be loved yeah, just like a love heart. Yeah, a love deep.
Speaker 1:I remember, like proper, like crying.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:When she died in his arms and it was like I never got to have a happy ending, like it really affected me. I had the feels for Christian and Sontine. Sontine, yeah, yeah. What are your sonovations then?
Speaker 2:Okay, so I love, come what Way, I do love that song.
Speaker 1:It kind of makes you cringe a bit. I cannae do it.
Speaker 2:I do love it, but I also adore the elephant melody, Like I love your song.
Speaker 1:I just adore the elephant. I was like yes.
Speaker 2:And I really, really, really do love Ewan McGregor's. Like you know, certainly not a trained voice, but I love his version. He's raw, like I love the movie. But from listening to the stage version and obviously researching more, I think I have love for both of them, at least separately. So I'm going to say that is my main standing ovation. Still come that bloody song. My main standing ovation Still come.
Speaker 1:that bloody song is your standing ovation, come what may.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's one of them. I do love it.
Speaker 1:It's just over sung drivel to me. I do like it. No good for you. You're just right. I have a few. First of all, like when I walked into the Piccadilly. I have never seen a theatre like it. It was like you stepped onto the set of the movie. They had the elephants coming from the boxes, they had the staging which was almost, you know, like one of those books that you know, those flip up books that you open up and there's like different layers to it, like an onion.
Speaker 1:You could have peeled like layers off and there was still so much to see. Do you know what I mean? They also had created like, uh, a runway or like a catwalk. Do you know? Know what I mean? But then they had seats in the middle bit Do you know what I mean? Between the stage and like enclosed by the runway. Do you know what I mean? And they had it set up like Moulin Rouge seats and chairs and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:I have never spent so much money on a theatre ticket. So I got a seat Now it was a theatre seat, but it was right at the front, so it wasn't one of those seats in, okay, enclosed, because that would have been too much for me. I think I would have been over cut and also I wouldn't have liked the idea of when they, the actors or the dancers, came out onto the wee runway bit, that they would have been behind me. Do you know what I mean? So I was in the front row of the theatre. So the runway. I was right beside the like, right in front of the runway, holy moly. Now I saw more filly knickers than I would care to see again, and they all had them on, unlike you when you did the can-can and you forgot to wear.
Speaker 1:You forgot to wear your filly knickers, did you forget you were wearing a song?
Speaker 2:too Did you get to see A Little Friend.
Speaker 1:I did get to see. I saw Adam Gillan who was the understudy for Christian, and he was amazing, like amazing, Absolutely brilliant. The whole show was amazing. But the set up of the theatre was just class. And then how they used the space. They used all those things like the catwalk. They also had a really clever pre-show where the Moulin Rouge dancers just roamed the space and it was like so class.
Speaker 1:It was like you'd walked into the Moulin Rouge in Paris, like it was just so incredible. And then they open a number Welcome to the Moulin Rouge was like wow, wow, wow, like talk about opening with a bang, it did it opened with a bang, it closed with a bang. The more it open with a bang, it closed with the bang the more and more encore was class two the best, some of the best curtain calls I've ever seen choreographed. And then I've mentioned it, I love roxanne. I love that section and I love the choreography in backstage romance. That was really cleverly put into the musical and it consisted of Bad Romance, obviously by Lady Gaga, tainted Love, seven Nation Army, the White Stripes, toxic from Britney Spears and Sweet Dreams are made of this from the Eurythmics, but like the choreography was just insane.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a real spectacle, isn't?
Speaker 1:it. That's exactly it, and it was a spectacle from start to finish, to the extent that I don't know if I ever want to see it again.
Speaker 2:Okay, right.
Speaker 1:You know, have you ever experienced theatre where you've gone and you've seen something and you're like You're satisfied. So satisfied in that you're happy for that to be your everlasting memory of it. Perfect, does that make sense? Yeah, now was it the most deep and meaningful piece of theatre I've ever seen? No, but did I walk away going? Wow, what a night in the theatre was I entertained. Yes, and worth it and worth it, I mean.
Speaker 1:I know it was a lot of money. But you know what? I am happy with my decision that I paid the money. I paid for the seat that I got and that's where I wanted to see the show and having sat there, I experienced everything about that show, including the spit and the frilly knickers. I'm okay with that. I don't think I would ever want to. I certainly don't think I'll ever go back and see it in London. Would I go and see the UK tour? Maybe Just out of curiosity to see how they yeah, how they do it how they scale it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because it was so. The scale was so huge and so massive in London.
Speaker 2:Yeah, hmm, interesting yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:No, I love it. I think you should all, as in, I'm just listening to the soundtrack, but I think you should all give it a go, listen to it especially if you're a fan of the movie.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because I think you'll find oh, I love the mashup here and they haven't really done anything new to the storyline.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's it. Like they didn't play about, they only played about with the music. But I think, having seen it, seen it, I appreciated it. I thought it was really cool and it's kept it fresh. It could go on and on and on for years now. It really could, because there's an element of freshness to it.
Speaker 2:I enjoyed that.
Speaker 1:That was fun we'll have to get Adam on. He was sensational, really brilliant, and seeing someone from here in a show like that, playing a role like that, it was like wow, good for you, it was amazing. Yeah, do you want your? What Would Paddy? Do for this week. Yes, please do. You'll have to do some for me, I know.
Speaker 2:I never feel like you're doing them all.
Speaker 1:So what Would Paddy Do? Be swept away in a backstage romance like the Moulin Rouge the musical, or tap your way through the dazzling choreography of Anything Goes.
Speaker 2:Anything Goes, tap 100%. Who are you kidding?
Speaker 1:I know, just give us a hoofer show. We're never, nothing's ever, going to beat that.
Speaker 2:No, definitely not. Yeah Well, that was fun, really exciting. I'm so glad that we got to explore that musical because it is fun. I enjoy it.
Speaker 1:It's been on our list for a while, hasn't it? But the time was right. In the current French revolution we're having, Can we, please, can we? Go to Italy. Have we found an Italian musical yet? I don't think so. I don't think. Oh, light on the Piazza, is that Italian? I would need to listen to that. I don't think I've ever listened. It's a musical.
Speaker 2:I've never listened to oh, my goodness, okay. Well, yes, we'll leave France to the side and we will explore some other countries, but thank you for joining us and we will be back next week.
Speaker 1:Is that to me or to the listeners? Just checking the listeners Great, yeah, thanks for joining us Till next week. Bye.
