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[0:06] Jesse McInally: Hello, I'm Jesse McInally.

[0:09] Andrew DeWolf: And I'm Andrew DeWolf.

[0:10] Jesse McInally: And welcome to Musicals with Cheese, the podcast where I tried to get Andrew to like musical theater. Andrew, how are you doing today?

[0:15] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, good lord. You had to ask.

[0:18] Jesse McInally: Yeah, you're right, I did. That's how this works every week.

[0:22] Andrew DeWolf: Oh.

[0:27] Jesse McInally: Yeah, so I mean, I'm trying to find a songwriter for my show, right? It's the show that's like about something. Um, I have this song that it goes it's not like anything you've ever heard before. It's like, you know.

[0:41] Andrew DeWolf: The hills are alive with random lyric and, you know.

[0:48] Jesse McInally: The hills are alive with the sound of music. How's that?

[0:53] Andrew DeWolf: Whoa, that's like really good. How did you come up with that?

[0:54] Jesse McInally: I'm just a genius.

[0:57] Andrew DeWolf: You're just a genius. How about we go over to the local club and I, uh, you do all of the work and I'll sit in, I'll sit in the bar and drink.

[1:05] Jesse McInally: My dude, my dude, my friend who's been sitting at the bar and drinking. I fell in love with the Cortesan, um, sparkling diamond girl.

[1:15] Andrew DeWolf: Man, that's not what I asked you to do, but I mean, did we get the show though?

[1:19] Jesse McInally: Yeah, we did, but also I'm in love, and she wants to hang out with this rich, famous, also very attractive duke that's gonna give her money.

[1:27] Andrew DeWolf: Damn, that's crazy.

[1:34] Jesse McInally: I like how you're playing this friend character as the most apathetic, useless human being on the planet.

[1:42] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know. I feel like that's accurate to the show.

[1:48] Jesse McInally: Whatever. This week we're talking about Moulin Rouge, the musical.

[1:54] Andrew DeWolf: Cue the Music Brie.

[1:56] Jesse McInally: This is where all your dreams come true. You are the Moulin Rouge!

[2:20] Jesse McInally: So Moulin Rouge is a musical with the music and lyrics by various artists and a book by John Logan, who actually wrote the screenplay to the Sweeney Todd movie. Fun fact.

[2:31] Andrew DeWolf: Oh well.

[2:31] Jesse McInally: It is based on Moulin Rouge, a film released in 2001 by Baz Luhrmann's, which in turn was based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, which I will explain how that connects later. It opened on Broadway at the L. Hirschfeld Theater, preview starting on June 28, 2019, and officially opening on July 25th. Beginning on March 12, 2020, the production was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, producers of the show indicated that one of the performers had possible symptoms of the coronavirus. At least four performers contracted the virus, including stars Aaron Tveit, Danny Burstein, and many others. At the time of the closing, producers said that they planned to reopen in April 2020, but obviously that didn't happen.

The date would continually shift as Broadway's closure was eventually pushed to fall 2021. The production is officially scheduled to resume on September 24th, where it is currently unopposed, so we could at least say that they probably won this one.

[3:36] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know. That might not be true considering what happened to the Lightning Thief.

[3:42] Jesse McInally: You know, this is one of the only—this, um, and oh fuck, what was the other one? Um, we got a bunch of jukebox musicals, and then the Lightning Thief, and they still refuse to nominate the Lightning Thief for Best Original Score, even though it's the only original score.

[3:56] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[3:59] Jesse McInally: Yes, Andrew. This is Jagged Little Pill.

[4:02] Andrew DeWolf: Um, yeah, it's ridiculous. Um, the plot of Moulin Rouge, set in Montmartre quarter of Paris, um, at the turn of the century, a world of indulgent beauty and unparalleled extravagance. Bohemians and aristocrats and bourgeois and mademoiselles, Moulin Rouge, the musical tells the fictional story of an ambitious lovesick writer Christian and a dazzling, entrancing lady called Satine. Their lives collide at the Moulin Rouge with its many characters, including the host of the Moulin Rouge, Harold Zidler, the brilliant and starving artist Toulouse-Lautrec, the greatest tango dancer and gigolo in all of Paris, Santiago, and the tempting Nini, and the Duke Monroth, the wealthy and entitled patron of the club who thinks he can buy anything he wants, including love.

[4:56] Jesse McInally: Um, Andrew, I don't know if I need to remind you of this, but we did a commentary on the Moulin Rouge film about a year ago.

[5:04] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[5:05] Jesse McInally: What did you think of that film and what do you remember of it and what'd you think of it?

[5:11] Andrew DeWolf: I kind of remember it not being that bad, but also being like the craziest thing I've ever seen. It's a live-action cartoon for a good majority, but also very sincere and never without energy.

[5:27] Jesse McInally: It is full of energy, beginning to end.

[5:29] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah. And it's like, it's like a jukebox in a way, like musical, but also it's not, because like it's all pop songs, but it's like pop songs mashed up.

[5:41] Jesse McInally: Yes.

[5:42] Andrew DeWolf: Um, although they're not, I don't know. They're not mashed up in a super creative way. It's more just like they play part of one pop song and then they do a different part of a different song, and it just kind of goes like that.

[5:53] Jesse McInally: I think there's only one song that's like that in the movie version, where all the rest of them are just kind of a full song.

[5:57] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[6:00] Jesse McInally: Like movie songs.

[6:02] Andrew DeWolf: You're right. The movie one is they do different styles on the song a lot of times.

[6:07] Jesse McInally: Like the Roxanne in the movie is like very distinctive versus the Police version.

[6:12] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[6:13] Jesse McInally: Or even "Like a Virgin," which is stylistically, visually, and just intentionally, a very different vibe than the Madonna song.

[6:21] Andrew DeWolf: They, uh, they do have that song that's like every love song ever written mashed up.

[6:26] Jesse McInally: Yes, and it's just like love medley. Yeah, they just like do one line of a love song and then do one line of a different love song, and it's just that for like three minutes.

[6:36] Andrew DeWolf: Which is slightly clever in the movie because it's like a love song responding to it, where it's like someone singing a sincere love song and they're counteracting it with a more cynical love song. Like where it's like, "What's love got to do with it?" and then like all that. It's a back and forth where it kind of feels like a conversation.

[6:54] Jesse McInally: I won't say it's successful, but its attempt is at least something.

[6:59] Andrew DeWolf: They do something with it, yeah. What do we think about this musical, Andrew?

[7:04] Jesse McInally: The stage musical adaptation of that film.

[7:07] Andrew DeWolf: I feel like it takes everything that was good in the movie and gets rid of it. Like all the craziness and like, I mean, obviously you can't do edits in a stage show, but like I remember the editing and the way they shot Moulin Rouge in the movie is just absurdist and like surreal.

[7:28] Jesse McInally: Um, I don't think you can say the same thing for the way they set up the stage show here.

[7:32] Andrew DeWolf: No. Um, they also change like most songs or they add a bunch of songs. I'm not sure which one it is.

[7:40] Jesse McInally: They did both.

[7:41] Andrew DeWolf: Um, like a lot of they took away a lot of the comedy, which bothers me for obvious reasons. Like the "Like a Virgin" scene is removed altogether, which is one of the highlights of the movie. Um, and I love the movie. I sincerely dearly love that movie. I do not like the show.

[8:00] Jesse McInally: Don't fully know how to feel about the movie, but I also don't really like the show.

[8:05] Andrew DeWolf: Um, so I at least you know for a fact I'm not coming in it, we're not coming in it from like, oh, the movie's perfect, and like I might be, but you got the Andrew.

[8:05] Jesse McInally: You got the Andrew factor here.

[8:16] Andrew DeWolf: I honestly, the movie I like, I don't even know what to think of it. I didn't love it, and I don't even know if I think it's successful in what it was trying to do because it's not another film like it's weird.

[8:29] Jesse McInally: No, I mean, that's true, but you could say that about a lot of movies that aren't very good. Um, this show, on the other hand, though, god, I don't know what they were trying—like what were they trying to do with this? They made it like more serious by like getting rid of most of the comedic aspects besides like you have the two comic relief characters, like the, um, like the two writers that he meets with who are like supposed to be funny, and they still have that comedy scene where they do, uh, "Sound of Music."

[8:58] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[8:59] Jesse McInally: It's just nowhere, the energy isn't there. And it seems like they're removing all the comedy away from the main characters of Christian and Satine, where let's think about Ewan McGregor's performance in the film where he's playing it like as ridiculously doe-eyed as possible.

[9:17] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[9:18] Jesse McInally: He's just—he's not even acting like a human being. He's like the romantic.

[9:26] Andrew DeWolf: Love is a many splendid thing. Love lifts us up, and then let's not forget Satine's whack ass scene where she's rolling on the floor, moaning and groaning, pretending to be like aroused by Christian's poetry, which they don't even try to do here. I feel like that would have been like had them in the aisles on stage.

[9:46] Jesse McInally: They also modernize the music quite a bit, which I on one hand I can appreciate because it's like, well, it's all pop songs, so like you're almost setting up Moulin Rouge to be like this thing where like every couple years you add new pop songs to it or something.

[10:01] Andrew DeWolf: Right.

[10:01] Jesse McInally: Which I could almost appreciate, but they're also like mashing up pop songs in like not like funny or good, like interesting ways. They're just kind of like, what if this pop song, but also we did some of this pop song at the same time.

[10:16] Andrew DeWolf: You know? I'm gonna tell you what bothers me the most about this song usage in this stage version. Um, maybe this is just me, and I brought this up to you a little bit earlier today. Um, in Moulin Rouge, let's just take the show "Must Go On," which is a Queen song, and a very popular, very well-known Queen song. Um, and they take that and then they turn it into like this dramatic operatic ballad sung by Jim Cummings pretending to be Jim Broadbent. Um, it takes you until like halfway through the song to realize, oh shit, that's a Queen song. Cause it sounds nothing like its original while still retaining the fact that it is that.

[10:59] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[11:00] Jesse McInally: This show, not at all. Shut up and dance with me, right? That is identical. They literally open it with her saying that line, and it's like, oh, okay, they're gonna do that, and then they just do it. They just—they just do it. Like it is not even a—I think they add like a small break in the middle where they talk, but outside of that, they just do the song. The song has no—there is no change in it. It is strictly like, hey, remember that pop song? Here it is wholesale.

[11:32] Andrew DeWolf: Which was the interesting thing about Moulin Rouge was their interpretation of the songs, not the fact that they're using pop songs.

[11:38] Jesse McInally: Yeah. And at least I can appreciate them at least with the, um, movie doing like different, uh, what would you call it? Uh, arrangements that are like very different.

[11:49] Andrew DeWolf: Very different arrangements.

[11:51] Jesse McInally: Where, yeah, I mean, really, in this one, other than mashing up the songs, which I don't think counts as an arrangement considering, again, they're not really changing the songs, they're just adding some little parts of other songs into the song. Like that's not really a different arrangement.

[12:07] Andrew DeWolf: No.

[12:11] Jesse McInally: Like literally at one point, like they just sing a little bit of "Never Gonna Give You Up" for no reason. Because it's a joke.

[12:15] Andrew DeWolf: That's the joke.

[12:16] Jesse McInally: The joke is remember that's a meme. Uh, David Hasselhoff's musical, um, DJ Saved My Life, like use that same gag.

[12:26] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[12:26] Jesse McInally: Um, and then some of them they don't even really mash them up or anything. Like, uh, I don't know. This might have been another movie, but I feel like when they did "Your Song," they just did "Your Song."

[12:36] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[12:37] Jesse McInally: Like they didn't—there isn't even a change. It's literally just like here's an Elton John song. Like in the movie, um, they kind of hide it until the moment he goes, "My gift is your song." Like, and he's talking over her moaning and groaning on the floor, pretending to have an orgasm.

[12:56] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[12:57] Jesse McInally: So it becoming Elton John's song is actually kind of a surprise. Um, and also they have wack ass music. Um, let's let's also talk about the Police song, "Roxanne." Um, in the movie, it is barely recognizable to be the "Roxanne" song.

[13:14] Andrew DeWolf: Um, it's like weirdly dark and look.

[13:18] Jesse McInally: It is very dark.

[13:19] Andrew DeWolf: Like to the point where it's really isn't recognizable, other than just like the basic melody and lyrics.

[13:29] Jesse McInally: Yes.

[13:30] Andrew DeWolf: Everything—everything else about it though is just completely changed. Because they wanted to suit their story and the style and the—and Brie, please let's do a comparison here. Um, I know we're not in the song section yet, but I really need to talk about the stoic difference. So here's a bit of the movie's "Roxanne."

[14:13] ♪ Musical number ♪

[14:54] Jesse McInally: His looks caress your skin. It's wrong. And then here's the version that they do in the musical, which is basically just the police song. And then they put a little bit of the movie version at the end. Which and and yeah, I and also don't get us wrong, the police song is fine. Doing that is fine, but it's not right for the show. No, it does not be a good one. This isn't his element. Yeah, this isn't a police jukebox musical. This is supposed to be something a little bit different than that. And yeah. Well, let's not get it twisted. We have talked in the past about musicals that are just copies of their film version on stage. And we don't like those. What we're saying is there were some theatrically effective moments that would have done well on stage that they opted out of, and the things that they replacement valued for them are nowhere near as effective.

[16:45] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah. Now we've gone into this debate right here. Um not even a debate, like uh diatribe. But Andrew, can you do me a favor? Can you talk about the plot?

[16:52] Jesse McInally: The plot of the show, um, which I think does hit most of the basic elements of the movie. Uh you have um the main character who's his name is Christian?

[17:07] Andrew DeWolf: Christian, yeah.

[17:08] Jesse McInally: Not Christian. That's that's a different. No, we're not we're not opening that up. Uh uh. Yeah, Chr Christian. Um meets uh meets these two writers who are like eccentric writers and they're writing a a play. They book him in as a songwriter, and they're like, oh, you gotta go talk to uh whoever at the um the Moulin Rouge to get us in there. Or is it called the Moulin Rouge?

[17:35] Andrew DeWolf: Yep.

[17:36] Jesse McInally: Okay. Yeah, so you gotta talk to whoever at the Moulin Rouge to get us in and get our play there. Uh he goes and he talks to uh their I think she is their like biggest performer or something. Yeah, she's like the mainline performer. Yeah, and they fall in love, uh, or at least he falls in love with her, and she's like in denial, essentially. Um, that she's in love with him. But there's like Shakespeare things where she thinks he's the rich Duke, and it's like, you know.

[18:04] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, it's situational comedy shit.

[18:06] Jesse McInally: Yeah. And then there is, of course, the actual rich Duke who is buying uh buying the Moulin Rouge, and he decides that he will allow them to put on their little show. Um he's okay with that. But uh, you know, he's he's gonna date the girl. Uh what was the girl's name? It was uh Satine.

[18:25] Andrew DeWolf: Satine.

[18:25] Jesse McInally: Um so the Duke is like, yeah, Satine, you're you're with me. Uh I own you. Um and of course there's a bunch of drama between uh the Duke and Christian, which I believe eventually ends with um Satine dying?

[18:39] Andrew DeWolf: I'm pretty s pretty sure.

[18:40] Jesse McInally: Yeah, like tuberculosis. Yeah, she dies and Christian is a super upset upsetti spaghetti. Um and like a grandiose kind of weird like upbeat endings, like after like all that death and shit. It it really throws you off tonally, but I get they're like, oh, Cape Bum smiling on the way out. I feel like um the dark tone in the second half just doesn't really sit very well with me. And I feel like this is both in the movie and in the show. It's just it's such a wacky and upbeat show, especially in the movie, um, up until like that second half where it just gets so dark for no real reason, and then it ends on an upbeat ending.

[19:25] Andrew DeWolf: You know, the movie does not end at an upbeat ending.

[19:27] Jesse McInally: Like the movie doesn't. The show does, though, yes. And that's kind of the reason why I think the movie kind of works, where it pays off all these upbeat insanity of the uh first half by ending on a such a dour way.

[19:40] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah. I don't know if I love that, though it does work better to not have the drastic mood shift at the end, uh, where they start singing hey ya or and uh just having a blast up on stage. Uh yeah. Um I do want to talk a bit about how the internet likes this show, um, which I have found myself to trying to do before we do this. So I put out there, fans of the Moulin Rouge movie, what did you think of the Moulin Rouge musical? And before I tell you what they said, Andrew, what do you think the consensus is?

[20:14] Andrew DeWolf: I don't really know, but I kind of get the feeling that they probably liked it.

[20:19] Jesse McInally: No, most of them really do not like this musical.

[20:23] Andrew DeWolf: Okay, well, I that's actually good because I feel like they shouldn't, but I do too. But every like fifth I I did get quote retweeted by a bunch of people being like the responses to this are overly negative and mean. I can't believe everyone's hating on this show. The people that responded to this obviously never saw the show. We we sat through the show. Um I I did at least. I mean, I wouldn't put myself in the category of people who love the movie, but yeah, I did watch the whole show. And it don't work. Um I don't know exactly why it doesn't work. The energy is low. I don't think Christian and Satine um have great chemistry. Um which I think is what does a lot of that movie good is Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor have very good chemistry, despite the wacky situations they're in. Um so it kind of works despite all that.

[21:19] Jesse McInally: Um Aaron Tveit, I think has a rough time having any kind of romantic chemistry with a lot of people on screen, I find um and on stage. Which is why he's usually played against type, like made the ghost and next to normal and all that. Um, where his looks he isn't the cute boy.

[21:38] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[21:39] Jesse McInally: Um but here he is supposed to be the cute boy, and it don't work. Um Yeah, I mean, the low energy thing you can really feel. And I feel like Baz Luhrmann's, who directed the movie, I wish he had directed this, because he's directed opera and stage, and he's able to bring his frenetic style to the stage in a lot of interesting ways. Like he directed the only good production of La Boheme in the last 20 years.

[22:05] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, but I don't know. I don't really know I don't really know how to describe why the show doesn't work.

[22:12] Jesse McInally: Yeah. And even you'd agree it doesn't work as well as the film, even.

[22:16] Andrew DeWolf: No, but I feel like the reason for that is simply due to things that it couldn't do. I I feel like the best parts of the film, even though they're kind of also the most baffling parts, are just like the wacky edits and film, like the the film techniques that they use that are just bizarre. Like they edit dialogue scenes like they're a song number, which in other any other case would be insane, but it works so well. There's like 400 different takes, there's weird zooms, there's a lot of strange choices. It's absolutely bizarre, but I feel like it works, but you can't do it on stage. Or if you can, you really have to fine-tune it, and it feels like they were really aiming to appease the Midwest mother here. Where it's like, I know this song! I know this song.

[23:04] Jesse McInally: Yeah. I feel like the only thing you're really gonna get out of this is if you're like very much into pop music and you're like, oh man, I I love Firework. I I love Shut Up and Dance. Oh my goodness. I I really love Sympathy for the Devil, which I don't think anyone actually does, but how does that song how does that song keep getting played on the radio? Like, honestly, does anyone know? Does anyone like any of these songs? Like, I can't any of the new songs in here I don't think I particularly like. Honestly the one I probably like the most is Shut Up and Dance. Because it's just kind of a dumb, goofy pop song, but it just What is it doing in a musical? It doesn't belong here. I it could have worked if they had some found a way to spin it somewhere new, but they have no interest in spinning this because they want the audience to know what song it is.

[23:59] Andrew DeWolf: Very true. That's the that's the dichotomy I'm having an issue with here. Like a lot of this would be interesting and new to me if they were willing to like change it up. Like Firework is a whack ass choice for uh an I want song. Um originally in the movie they had One Day I'll Fly Away, which is a good opening uh I want song like title. Firework doesn't have meaning. It doesn't mean anything. Firework is like a uh I I don't even know what you'd call it. It's like the the girl boss anthem or whatever.

[24:31] Jesse McInally: No, it's a John Tron anthem. What are you talking about?

[24:34] Andrew DeWolf: Oh yeah, that's right. Honestly, I mean John Tron he could be a girl boss. That's the shit that bothers me a lot about a lot of these songs. They're our generation, of course, and there's a lot of cultural nuance that comes with that. Um, where when I hear Firework, I don't even think Katy Perry. I think of that stupid Jontron video that was everywhere thousand years ago. Yeah. That or uh just I just think of Let It Go and how people have pointed out that it's exactly the same scene.

[25:00] Jesse McInally: Yeah.

[25:01] Andrew DeWolf: Like there's too much pul cultural relevance in these very, very popular songs. And while the songs in Moulin Rouge, the film weren't unpopular, they weren't exactly ones that were top ten hits at the time. They also weren't played one to one. Um is there even more to say about this? I'm not even sure. I am baffled at how much I dislike the show. Do we want to try to be positive for a couple minutes? Is there anything you liked about it?

[25:30] Jesse McInally: I like mashups like as a concept. I mean, everyone knows everyone knows I like mashups. Neil Ciceriga makes some of the best music that gets put out these days. But I don't think I can use that compliment though, because I don't think these are even they even qualify as good mashups. Because they they don't actually mash up the song. They just kind of like play one song after another, like just in really fast like succession. I don't know. I mean let's talk about the songs. Like, I know we're not in that section, but let's think of something like Nature Boy. That could in the film that's basically used as a recurring theme and an I want song for Christian. They put it as like the second to last song of Act One. As sung by Toulouse. Doesn't make sense. Christian doesn't have an I want song. Fun fact. Unless you No, you can't count that. Christian does not have an I want song.

[26:27] Andrew DeWolf: I was gonna say maybe your song, but I don't think that can.

[26:31] Jesse McInally: Um Nature Boy would have been a great I want song, like from the Christian, because Christian does talk to us and narrate. It could have been a really good like description of his own story and act as an I want song for what he wants. Instead he's just like, I came here looking for adventure. I am Christian from Ohio. You know, just as like random complaints, because you know what? Why not? We're trying to be positive, Jarrett, no, no, we're not trying to be positive.

[26:59] Andrew DeWolf: Uh I don't I really don't like how they just kind of play sections of the song they just did after after every song. Like what do you mean? Did you notice that? Like the they would have the um instrumentals continue and they would like keep playing like parts of whatever song they had just done.

[27:17] Jesse McInally: I mean, that's common enough in musical theater.

[27:20] Andrew DeWolf: It's so obvious when they're pop songs, though, with like a they do jump out more, but it's not the most it's not the most uncommon thing in the world.

[27:34] Jesse McInally: Yeah. I don't know. I'm just this show I did not like. I I don't know. I hate being unspecific with criticisms, but I just watched this yesterday and I don't really I didn't I don't have time to collect my thoughts on it, so it just kind of like Well, Ben Brantley apparently does, so.

[27:52] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, Ben Brantley can think go think it over really quickly. I think the stage effects are very good. I think the lighting and the way it's used is very effective. I think some orchestrations are cool. I think all the actors are trying very hard. I think a lot of the secondary actors are very, very good. Like the guy that plays Harold Zidler, David Bernstein. Although I I almost feel like that qualifies for every show, though. This is these are like like actors trying really hard. Like, I don't know. We almost never complain about actors.

[28:20] Jesse McInally: Sometimes, sometimes.

[28:25] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I mean, very rarely though. Like, most of the time, the actors are giving their all on almost every show. And this is one of those rare times where it's super important that the actors are right. Because this is very stylized, very weird. And I don't think they're all right here.

[28:42] Jesse McInally: The Duke as a character.

[28:44] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah. I just What do you remember about The Duke as the character from the movie?

[28:49] Jesse McInally: I kind of remember he was like mysterious and you didn't really see that much.

[28:52] Andrew DeWolf: No, he's in it a lot. He's like this weird str mustached, slick back hair, like ridiculous-looking cartoon villain.

[29:00] Jesse McInally: Did they did they introduce him more?

[29:01] Andrew DeWolf: No, he's introduced at the same time here. He just looks ridiculous.

[29:05] Jesse McInally: Do you rem like look up a picture of him right now?

[29:07] Andrew DeWolf: And I have to look this up. I I should have rewatched the movie, but honestly, I didn't want to. I told you that you should look at a couple clips.

[29:18] Jesse McInally: I'm sorry. I'm on the Moulin Rouge wiki, and it's there's a page for the Duke. The Duke was a selfish and vile man. He took the only good thing about life away from two more than perfect young lovers.

[29:48] Andrew DeWolf: They came for him.

[29:50] Jesse McInally: They they that is not accurate journalism.

[29:52] Andrew DeWolf: Look, the Duke sucks as a character in like he is very unlikable.

[29:58] Jesse McInally: I do like the scene where he's trying to like fix the character that he relates to in the play that they're putting on.

[30:06] Andrew DeWolf: I do like that scene, because I think that that's very funny.

[30:09] Jesse McInally: And that's from the—well, it actually it kind of reminds me of how like shitty people will do that with media that they watch.

[30:15] Andrew DeWolf: Like people will be watching like Fight Club or something, and they'll be like, "This Brad Pitt character really should have—he should have been the good guy, really, if you think about it."

[30:22] Jesse McInally: It's just like that Captain America show where the like Nazi Captain America is like, "He's such a cool guy, like him. Why are they making him the villain?"

[30:28] Andrew DeWolf: It's like really cool.

[30:30] Jesse McInally: Like, why did they make him the bad guy?

[30:32] Andrew DeWolf: It's like, dude, just because you relate to this piece of shit doesn't mean he's not a bad person.

[30:36] Jesse McInally: You know, this Hitler's got a bad rap.

[30:39] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, he's able to round up a group of people. It's great.

[30:43] Jesse McInally: Bruh.

[30:44] Andrew DeWolf: Um, the Duke is boring in the musical because they made him traditionally attractive, rich, and suave in a way that why wouldn't Satine go with him?

[30:57] Jesse McInally: Like they make him an obvious, like, hey.

[31:01] Andrew DeWolf: Well, I mean, the implication isn't that he's like to the core unattractive.

[31:07] Jesse McInally: It's more that he's like terrible as a person.

[31:09] Andrew DeWolf: But and doesn't love her.

[31:11] Jesse McInally: Yes, but the movie kind of—the thing is this musical, the—this story can't be subtle.

[31:18] Andrew DeWolf: Because if it's too subtle, then you're bored.

[31:23] Jesse McInally: Because there's not much to offer.

[31:24] Andrew DeWolf: You gotta paint with a big wide paintbrush here.

[31:28] Jesse McInally: It is a very boring story.

[31:29] Andrew DeWolf: There's just not much to do.

[31:31] Jesse McInally: Which is the reason why the film works because it makes such extravagant choices, therefore you kind of ignore how boring the story is because you're like, "What the fuck's going on?"

[31:40] Andrew DeWolf: It's the ultimate style over substance, but then they've kind of added—they've subtracted a lot of the style, added a sprinkle of substance, and then you're just kinda bored.

[31:50] Jesse McInally: They took the general look of the movie.

[31:53] Andrew DeWolf: Like the, you know, like, oh, what would you call it?

[31:57] Jesse McInally: The colors, the aesthetics.

[31:59] Andrew DeWolf: Deep reds and like, yeah, the aesthetics of it.

[32:02] Jesse McInally: Like they took all of that, but they didn't take the important stuff, which is like this has to be so over the top, like that it's not even funny.

[32:12] Andrew DeWolf: Like if I was gonna put Moulin Rouge on a stage, you would have to have like people swinging on wires like in every song.

[32:18] Jesse McInally: Yeah.

[32:18] Andrew DeWolf: Like I don't even know.

[32:19] Jesse McInally: There is no airwork in this musical.

[32:22] Andrew DeWolf: Like, yeah, like just none.

[32:23] Jesse McInally: Like they were just always standing on the stage.

[32:26] Andrew DeWolf: Like there was some good, like, okay dancing, but like honestly the dancing wasn't even that over the top.

[32:30] Jesse McInally: No.

[32:31] Andrew DeWolf: And the minimalist is not what you go for when you do Moulin Rouge, I'm sorry.

[32:36] Jesse McInally: They should have done some wacky stuff like they did in like Pippin, you know, like where they have like people come out and do magic tricks or something.

[32:43] Andrew DeWolf: Like just crazy stuff.

[32:45] Jesse McInally: Get 'em all in.

[32:46] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, like that's kind of what you have to do.

[32:49] Jesse McInally: 'Cause otherwise we're looking at the most bare bones simple love story ever written with a villain who is just literally he uses "Sympathy for the Devil" as his theme song.

[33:01] Andrew DeWolf: Like come on.

[33:02] Jesse McInally: Like there's nothing here.

[33:06] Andrew DeWolf: And the thing is the story is playing it dead fucking serious too.

[33:12] Jesse McInally: Like that's the other thing.

[33:13] Andrew DeWolf: Like the movie is goofy until it isn't.

[33:16] Jesse McInally: This is serious until the—yeah, it basically is all the way serious with some pop songs.

[33:22] Andrew DeWolf: And they have like the, uh, those like joke characters, like the writers.

[33:26] Jesse McInally: They have them like trying to make like actual serious points, like, you know, where they're like, "Oh, you know, the Duke character has to be bad," like they're trying to fight back against the Duke or whatever.

[33:37] Andrew DeWolf: And it's just like this is—this is dumb.

[33:40] Jesse McInally: This is really dumb.

[33:41] Andrew DeWolf: Let's talk a bit about Toulouse the Trek.

[33:43] Jesse McInally: Um, who is played by John Leguizamo in the movie.

[33:47] Andrew DeWolf: Um, how they made him in love with Satine in the musical.

[33:52] Jesse McInally: Yeah, I don't understand it.

[33:54] Andrew DeWolf: I didn't either.

[33:55] Jesse McInally: Um, Toulouse maybe they just wanted it to be a square love square.

[34:00] Andrew DeWolf: Well, I have my own opinion.

[34:02] Jesse McInally: It is in my impersonation, I could be interpreting this wrong.

[34:06] Andrew DeWolf: I thought Toulouse was kind of in love with Christian and was kind of disappointed that Christian kind of ran off with Satine.

[34:12] Jesse McInally: And there was like that pining and like was there for him to catch him when he falls and is always trying to help Christian and you know, it kinda in the way that it's subtext and singing in the rain that Cosmo might be gay.

[34:26] Andrew DeWolf: Um, I felt like they're like, "Nope, we don't want no gays in this," so they just had to make him in love with Satine.

[34:32] Jesse McInally: He's got a serious case of the not gays, is what you're saying.

[34:35] Andrew DeWolf: Yes, I am.

[34:36] Jesse McInally: And y it feels out of place.

[34:39] Andrew DeWolf: And I feel like you'll agree with me.

[34:40] Jesse McInally: Uh, it—I mean, it just—it adds nothing to those characters. Those characters in the movie are barely characters, and it's the same here, but like why are we even—why are we even giving them this?

[34:51] Andrew DeWolf: Like they don't—like whatever.

[34:53] Jesse McInally: I think they don't need to be there.

[34:55] Andrew DeWolf: I think in the movie Toulouse is there to pine after Christian and uh Santiago is there to sing "Roxanne."

[35:01] Jesse McInally: Pretty much, yeah.

[35:02] Andrew DeWolf: Which is fine.

[35:03] Jesse McInally: That movie's not like aiming to like cure cancer and shit.

[35:07] Andrew DeWolf: That movie knows painfully what it is.

[35:10] Jesse McInally: For better and for worse.

[35:12] Andrew DeWolf: Alright.

[35:12] Jesse McInally: I think we've said enough, and we have to figure out what have other people have said about this.

[35:17] Andrew DeWolf: You're right.

[35:18] Jesse McInally: It's time to compare our opinions with those of the New York Theater Critics.

[35:22] Andrew DeWolf: It's time for Brie-vie.

[35:25] Jesse McInally: It's time for the video.

[35:30] Andrew DeWolf: It's time for previews.

[35:32] Jesse McInally: Alright, Andrew, what we got.

[35:34] Andrew DeWolf: Without Brie.

[35:35] Jesse McInally: We miss you, Brie.

[35:36] Andrew DeWolf: We miss you a lot. Come back next month.

[35:38] Jesse McInally: I feel like you—

[35:42] Andrew DeWolf: I feel like Brie would keep us so much more on track right now.

[35:45] Jesse McInally: I feel like we're so off the rails that Brian would be like, "Let's get back to this, boys."

[35:51] Andrew DeWolf: That might be true, but she's not here, so the reality—

[35:54] Jesse McInally: Chaos reigns.

[35:57] Andrew DeWolf: Ah, yes.

[35:58] Jesse McInally: Alright.

[35:59] Andrew DeWolf: New York Times critic Ben Brantley said of the original Broadway production, "This one's for the hedonists. All you party people should know that the Al Hirschfield Theater has been refurbished as an opulent pleasure palace wherein decadence comes without hangovers. That's where the euphoric Moulin Rouge, the musical, opened on Thursday night in a shower of fireworks, confetti, and glittering fragments of what feels like every pop hit ever written. In Moulin Rouge, life is beautiful in a way reality never is. All is permitted and forgiven in the name of love. Bohemian poverty is exquisitely picturesque. And even songs you thought you never wanted to hear again pulse with irresistible new sex appeal."

[36:50] Jesse McInally: Ew.

[36:50] Andrew DeWolf: Did he love this show?

[36:51] Jesse McInally: He did.

[36:52] Andrew DeWolf: He did.

[36:54] Jesse McInally: But there's an all-important difference when the MC in Cabaret, famously embodied by Joel Gray and later Alan Cumming, pardon me, promises that in here life is beautiful, he's lying.

[37:07] Andrew DeWolf: Said in Weimar Berlin, Cabaret is ultimately a cautionary musical, finding the social heedlessness and divine decadence.

[37:15] Jesse McInally: Does—wait, what does that mean?

[37:17] Andrew DeWolf: What is he saying here?

[37:18] Jesse McInally: I think—is he just—is he just saying that unlike Cabaret, this actually is just a—

[37:18] Andrew DeWolf: I think that those paragraphs are reversed.

[37:28] Jesse McInally: Um, where instead of life being a lie like in Cabaret, beauty being a lie in Cabaret, in Moulin Rouge, it actually is.

[37:35] Andrew DeWolf: I don't think that's true.

[37:37] Jesse McInally: Satine dies!

[37:39] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, yeah, there's no Nazis in it, but like the Duke's still there and tries to sexually assault her.

[37:46] Jesse McInally: Wait, uh, did we watch the show, Ben?

[37:48] Andrew DeWolf: Did you—were you in the audience?

[37:50] Jesse McInally: He was too busy like, "Oh, fireworks."

[37:54] Andrew DeWolf: The stuff of radio wallpaper has been repurposed here, but it's never performed as karaoke throwaways.

[38:00] Jesse McInally: I disagree.

[38:01] Andrew DeWolf: It literally is definitely done.

[38:03] Jesse McInally: It does that for sure.

[38:05] Andrew DeWolf: When Miss Olivio sings the Katy Perry chart topper "Firework," or Mr. Tveit does Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," it's with an uncompromising personal passion.

[38:17] Jesse McInally: Dude, what do you—they just sing the songs?

[38:22] Andrew DeWolf: Also, like, geez, insult to Adele. Are you trying to say "Rolling in the Deep" isn't performed with personal passion?

[38:29] Jesse McInally: That's the thing.

[38:29] Andrew DeWolf: Like, I think Adele performs with more personal passion than Aaron Tveit.

[38:34] Jesse McInally: I think, yeah, absolutely she does.

[38:36] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know about "Firework."

[38:38] Jesse McInally: I feel like Katy Perry and the word passion probably shouldn't be in the same sentence, but imagine her as Fosk and Passion.

[38:47] Andrew DeWolf: No, no.

[38:50] Jesse McInally: When this impure emporium of impure temptations is really selling its pure escapism, you may not believe in it all by the next morning, but I swear you'll feel nothing like regret.

[39:03] Andrew DeWolf: He loved the show.

[39:04] Jesse McInally: It's so wacky to me.

[39:07] Andrew DeWolf: Do we have anything about him on the movie?

[39:09] Jesse McInally: Does he—did he talk about the movie ever?

[39:11] Andrew DeWolf: No.

[39:13] Jesse McInally: I—I don't know.

[39:15] Andrew DeWolf: Like, okay, if you like the show, whatever.

[39:19] Jesse McInally: Yeah.

[39:19] Andrew DeWolf: That's fine.

[39:20] Jesse McInally: Some of these praises, though, like, what are you talking about?

[39:24] Andrew DeWolf: Like, Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" was performed with an uncompromising personal passion.

[39:30] Jesse McInally: Like, what do you—like what?

[39:32] Andrew DeWolf: They just sang the song.

[39:34] Jesse McInally: And it's played just so weird as hell, too.

[39:37] Andrew DeWolf: I—I don't know.

[39:38] Jesse McInally: This is of all the shows that Ben Brantley goes easy on, this was not the one I would expect.

[39:44] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, it feels about right, to be honest.

[39:47] Jesse McInally: It's all glitz and glamour with a little bit of passion.

[39:54] Andrew DeWolf: We'll never escape you, Ben Brantley, will we?

[39:56] Jesse McInally: Well, in theory, we all—we will have to eventually.

[40:00] Andrew DeWolf: Maybe we'll escape him when he comes on our show one day.

[40:04] Jesse McInally: We would not let him on our show.

[40:06] Andrew DeWolf: If he wrote an email, I might consider it, to be honest.

[40:10] Jesse McInally: It would be Ben.

[40:12] Andrew DeWolf: Hilarious.

[40:13] Jesse McInally: And I'd get to tell him to his face how much of a piece of shit I think he is.

[40:16] Andrew DeWolf: It would be great, Andrew.

[40:18] Jesse McInally: It would be great.

[40:20] Andrew DeWolf: Ben Brantley, come on our show so we can insult you.

[40:23] Jesse McInally: We can make some very personal insults.

[40:26] Andrew DeWolf: Let's do it.

[40:27] Jesse McInally: To your face.

[40:28] Andrew DeWolf: Don't you love it?

[40:30] Jesse McInally: Let's do a—let's do a mid-show and then we'll get into the show.

[40:33] Andrew DeWolf: Wait, you didn't say if you disagree with him or not.

[40:36] Jesse McInally: Oh, I didn't.

[40:37] Andrew DeWolf: I don't agree with him.

[40:39] Jesse McInally: Me neither.

[40:40] Andrew DeWolf: Let's go into a mid-show.

[40:48] Jesse McInally: Hey guys!

[40:50] Andrew DeWolf: We've gone off the rails and are officially like, uh, on the road running from the police.

[40:55] Jesse McInally: Um, but you know what? We're gonna need as much money as we can, so you know what? You should give us a little money.

[41:00] Andrew DeWolf: Um, follow us on Patreon.

[41:03] Jesse McInally: If you go to Patreon, you can give us money.

[41:05] Andrew DeWolf: We got a weekly Schmigadoon breakdown with me and our editor Liz Eston.

[41:09] Jesse McInally: Um, we love it, Liz.

[41:11] Andrew DeWolf: Um, you can hang out with our Patreon meetups.

[41:13] Jesse McInally: We do those once a month, and you can hang out with us.

[41:16] Andrew DeWolf: Well, not Andrew all the time, but mostly us.

[41:19] Jesse McInally: Um, and there's a lot of other cool shit on there.

[41:23] Andrew DeWolf: Andrew, who's supporting us on Patreon?

[41:25] Jesse McInally: Oh boy, we got um our current patrons are Melissa Goldman, Terry Needleman, John Donna, Layton Ackles, Danielle Rennox, Jess the Stampede, Ewan Casky, uh, Task Gear, Fire of September, Monica Thoreau, Nina Manier, Brent Black, Haley Murray, Lathaniel Stacy Coombe, Joseph Evans Green, Carrie Ahern, Mary Louise Choquette, John Vanels, Heck UI Go by Elijah now, Russ Walker, Musical Hell, Emily Graceley, uh, Tablam, Kyle Summers, Janae C, Scoot in the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Belice R.

[41:55] Andrew DeWolf: Liz Lim, Allison Stoller, nothing is certain except Beth and Taxes, John Van Ales, Desbian, Ren Cullen, Wait in the Wings, Spectacle Machine, Jacob Stroop, Raphael Martinez Celeste, Robert Benjamin, Rachelle T, Jessica T, Genevieve Hartnett, Cass, Mitchell Young, Jai Key Tacup, uh, Tim Allen Robinson, Katie McDonough, Timothy Keys, Jeffrey Machado, Jacuse, Toon Vanessen, R.

[42:20] Andrew DeWolf: Elliott, Chris Marcott, uh, Katie, Katie Turburg, Mimu, Kiji Marie Anastasio, uh, Leela, RJ Noriga, Sebastian Canino, uh, Evan Reagan, uh, Olivia Nicklacion, and uh Lizzy Keynes.

[42:43] Jesse McInally: I swear some of these names are here just so I can't pronounce them.

[42:46] Andrew DeWolf: Don't worry, next week they'll—they're gonna change, you know it.

[42:51] Jesse McInally: Oh yes.

[42:52] Andrew DeWolf: Um, but they give us a little extra financial support that helps us keep the lights on here, Musical Cheese.

[42:57] Jesse McInally: If you'd like to join them in supporting us and get tons of fun parts, such as Patreon-only commentaries and a bunch of other shit, come join us over at Patreon.

[43:04] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, Angie, ready to get back to the show?

[43:06] Jesse McInally: Let's talk some music of the fresh and uh boy drank all that magnolia one the old cup black satin sheets where we started the free game Kitchy Gishi Ayaki Latai Creole Hello Chickens Yes, it's me, your end 11 Harold ZINDA fresh welcome to the Moon Room Because can Can!

[44:14] Andrew DeWolf: Okay, so that opening number where it's mostly just "Lady Marmalade" and the "can we can cause we can can" I hate it.

[44:23] Jesse McInally: It's an effective opening.

[44:24] Andrew DeWolf: I'm gonna disagree there.

[44:27] Jesse McInally: I hate the "cause we can can can" thing.

[44:30] Andrew DeWolf: I just—it's just I hate it.

[44:34] Jesse McInally: Yeah, I don't mind it.

[44:35] Andrew DeWolf: It sets up the world.

[44:36] Jesse McInally: It almost made me think that this was gonna take place in media res, which would have been better than like reversing.

[44:42] Andrew DeWolf: I would have preferred it to just start at the night where we meet Christian and Satine. Like that idea fascinated me enough where I was like, if you just do that, we can actually spend some time to get to know these characters together instead of like the intro with Christian coming to the Moulin Rouge and meeting all these guys. We could get rid of that in a sentence. And then they didn't do that. Then we flash back anyway, so I was really pissed.

[45:07] Jesse McInally: I kind of thought the same thing. I was expecting it to be like a honestly. I was curious as if they were gonna do like a different story entirely, but then they went back and they're like, oh, here's the sound of music thing. That would have been interesting if they had just done a different thing with the stylistic choices of the Moulin Rouge movie.

[45:23] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[45:23] Jesse McInally: Because I was like, well, they're gonna do different music, like maybe they'll do something a little different. Maybe we'll see something a little different. Um wish they did because you know, of what we got, but what are you gonna do?

[45:35] Andrew DeWolf: Not this. Um what did you think of just I think the guy that plays Ziddler is very, very good. I think he nails this scene and kind of nails the performance. He's giving it his all, and I think it honestly I wish there was more of the character.

[45:50] Jesse McInally: I agree. It feels like after this song, he's kind of like barely in it. Am I wrong about that?

[45:57] Andrew DeWolf: He's in it, but nowhere near as a presence, and he doesn't even get his own songs like they cut the show must go on, which is his big number. They cut like a virgin. They cut all of his big moments, which kinda sucks.

[46:10] Jesse McInally: Yeah. Um it it really does feel like he's just gone because you know, in the in the movie he does get other big stuff, and in this one he's just like bye.

[46:21] Andrew DeWolf: It it really stinks because he's like the most stylized character. He's got the like ring uh the ringer arithmetic. Ring mask and aesthetic. I don't know. I would have liked to be. I think they he was just too fun and they didn't like fun.

[46:35] Jesse McInally: You know, fair enough. But this is I we didn't mention this earlier, but this is from the director Alex Timbers, who did Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and a bunch of other stuff. I don't like I feel like he's good with like the comedic side, like the weird satirical side. I don't know why he went so serious with this.

[46:54] Andrew DeWolf: I maybe he just had a different interpretation of the material. I I don't know.

[46:59] Jesse McInally: I I don't think it worked though.

[47:03] Andrew DeWolf: No, nope, it didn't. Um what about shut up and raise your glass?

[47:09] Jesse McInally: You mean basically when they just perform Shut Up and Dance with Me?

[47:12] Andrew DeWolf: No, they perform Shut Up and Dance with Me, Raise Your Glass, and I Wanna Dance With Somebody. They basically just perform Shut Up and Dance, though. Like, like honestly.

[47:20] Jesse McInally: She took my arm. I don't know how it's happened. We took the phone. She said.

[47:29] ♪ Musical number: "Shut Up and Dance" ♪

[48:01] Andrew DeWolf: It doesn't sound feedery enough to me.

[48:04] Jesse McInally: Not at all. And the opening to it is like this tongue-in-cheek gag of like she says shut up and dance. And the in the the people in the uh like the instrumentals are already playing the song when she says it. So it's like, come on, are we really just gonna do this?

[48:20] Andrew DeWolf: It takes every moment it can to be as cringe as hell, and then is like, yeah, we'll do that.

[48:27] Jesse McInally: It's like, yeah, we're really gonna go there. But you can almost hear like the the wine moms cheering when the song comes on. Shut up and dance with me.

[48:37] Andrew DeWolf: If you can imagine, like, like your dad performing this with his band at a shitty bar at 4 a.m. You the song's probably in this musical.

[48:47] Jesse McInally: Yep. I think it's moving on.

[48:49] Andrew DeWolf: Wait, wait, wait. I think the dancing in the scene is fun. I think it looks very nice. I'm trying to be positive.

[48:56] Jesse McInally: Yeah. You're trying.

[48:57] Andrew DeWolf: I'm not the dancing is definitely fine. It's there, it exists.

[49:02] Jesse McInally: Yeah. Um, firework. The first thing, even close to an I Want song we get is firework.

[49:08] ♪ Musical number: "Firework" ♪

[50:15] Andrew DeWolf: Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, Jess?

[50:18] Jesse McInally: No, nor is this an effective I want song. What the hell? Um Katy Perry is not a wordsmith. This song, even in the context of the show, this song cannot muster even an ounce of meaning.

[50:34] Andrew DeWolf: Let's take a look at these lyrics. Hold on, hold on, hold on.

[50:37] Jesse McInally: Yeah, go, let's go ahead. Like, we we know how it opens. Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind wanting to start again? Like, that's not a great intro. But let's take a look.

[50:48] Andrew DeWolf: Especially not when we're set in a world where plastic bags don't exist.

[50:52] Jesse McInally: You're right. Shit, you're right. What did they forgot it was a period piece, didn't you?

[50:57] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, I didn't forget, it's just like one of those things it's like, oh, plastic bags didn't exist, did they?

[51:05] Jesse McInally: Like, it's about like a girl. What is the song firework about? I think that is the philosophical question today.

[51:12] Andrew DeWolf: It's about a girl that wants to feel wanted, correct? Like it's a self-confidence song.

[51:17] Jesse McInally: Yeah, it's literally just like, are you feeling down today? Turn on this song and you'll be you'll feel better. I think that's like the whole song.

[51:25] Andrew DeWolf: The chorus is literally you just gotta ignite the night and let it shine. Just own the night for the fourth of July. Because maybe you're a firework. Come on, show 'em what you're worth. Make him go, oh, oh, oh, as you shoot across the sky.

[51:36] Jesse McInally: Doesn't rhyme. Also, Fourth of July. It's this is set in France.

[51:42] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I don't wait, what year did this take place in?

[51:45] Jesse McInally: I I couldn't tell ya.

[51:48] Andrew DeWolf: End of 20th century. So America did exist.

[51:52] Jesse McInally: Yeah, but why would I guess France did have an appreciation for the American Revolution.

[51:57] Andrew DeWolf: I guess. I mean, kind of. But still, it's ridiculous.

[52:00] Jesse McInally: Boom boom boom, even brighter than the moon moon moon. It's always been inside of you. Like, this is a pep up song, like for a B character, maybe. This is not your main I want song for your lead in genuine it just doesn't even make sense. Like, what what is she singing about?

[52:18] Andrew DeWolf: Like, I hate to keep comparing this to the movie. I'm brief, feel free to play a clip of the song when I bring it up. But Nicole Kidman sings an incredible song called One Day I'll Fly Away, which is actually about her wanting to get out of this life that she's not happy with. Where this is like, I'm great and I know I'm great. I'm a firework.

[52:36] Jesse McInally: I'm a firework. I just need to ignite the night. And let it shine. I hate it. I hate it so much. But oh my god, I love Katy Perry.

[52:48] Andrew DeWolf: I don't even think there's anyone that says that, but yeah. Katie Perry, because she knows she's a firewall.

[52:52] Jesse McInally: Karen Brantley said it, didn't he?

[52:57] Andrew DeWolf: Oh my god, Katie Perry.

[53:02] Jesse McInally: Jess, do you agree that it this song was sung with an uncompromising personal passion?

[53:06] Andrew DeWolf: No, it was rolling in the deep, but whatever.

[53:09] Jesse McInally: Actually, he's he he kind of implies that both of them were. Karen Olivo does what she can with it, but like take something without any depth and try to add depth to it. I wish you the best of luck.

[53:21] Andrew DeWolf: Alright. Um, what about your song?

[53:24] ♪ Musical number: "Your Song" ♪

[54:15] Jesse McInally: It's fine. This is an effective love s ballad. It actually does make sense in context of the show, too.

[54:23] Andrew DeWolf: Yes. I will say that. It's like it's actually a songwriter talking about writing a song for somebody. I know that's like the bare minimum here, but I I mean honestly, this is if we're gonna pick a song that fits into the show, this is the one. This is like the main one that actually fits.

[54:42] Jesse McInally: I agree. I think it's effective. And it but that's only because it comes from the movie, and you can't change that because that's such an iconic scene and song in the movie.

[54:50] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[54:50] Jesse McInally: Do they do it better in the show? No.

[54:53] Andrew DeWolf: What's not better? There's no singing moon.

[54:57] Jesse McInally: That's true. Um which is the best part of the movie. I do miss the singing moon, as dumb and stupid as that is in the movie. I love it. How about Sympathy for the Duke?

[55:45] ♪ Musical number: "Sympathy for the Devil" ♪

[55:56] Andrew DeWolf: It's sympathy for the devil. You can't always get what you want, ending with Give Me Shelter. It's stupid. But I don't mind it as an opening to the song, please allow me to introduce myself. Like that's a couple sympathy for the devil, it kind of works there.

[56:01] Jesse McInally: Yeah. I as a villain song, I guess it's probably the best they could muster. Um, and it also feels like a conversational piece. It feels like it belongs in a musical in a weird way, especially that introduction.

[56:13] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah. But eventually falling into you can't always get what you want is a little on your nose, on the nose.

[56:19] Jesse McInally: Yeah. Also, why is the Duke saying that? Doesn't the Duke believe that he can always get what he wants?

[56:24] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know. Yeah, you're right. It's bad. Um, in his opening during the opening number, he does sing a little bit about the best things in life offer. But you can save it, Father Bud and bees. I've got money. Which I guess works.

[56:42] Jesse McInally: Yeah. That's being very kind. Now the elephant love medley.

[56:45] ♪ Musical number: "Elephant Love Medley" ♪

[58:05] Andrew DeWolf: Andrew, all of those songs are in this one song.

[58:08] Jesse McInally: This is in the movie too, and uh honestly I don't like it. They added like ten more songs to this song. It was already bloated and already like the laziest of mashups. Cause they all they do is they just they're just like, here's one line of the chorus of this song, followed up by one line of the chorus of this song, followed up by one line of the chorus of this song.

[58:31] Andrew DeWolf: I disagree. Because it it does feel like a conversation in the movie. Where he's like, just one night, just one night, no way, cause you can't stay in the name of love. One night in the name of love. You crazy fool, I won't give in to you. Please don't leave me this. Like it's a response call. It it works because they are kind of having a conversation. It just happens to be in pop culture songs. Here it's just like random things.

[58:56] Jesse McInally: Yeah, it's just like any song that has the word love in it, send it over to us. We gotta add it.

[59:02] Andrew DeWolf: Yes, they don't understand that it is a call and response thing the way that it was in the movie, and they're like, if it says love, let's squeeze it in.

[59:09] Jesse McInally: Yeah. And I don't mean to sound negative, and it could be or diminishing because you could just say that about the original the way that you just did, but there was effort in the original to make it a conversation, an argument. I still feel like it just kind of feels like um pop culture jerk off y a little bit. Hey, do you know all of these songs? Cause we do too. You know what they didn't include though, which they probably could have.

[59:38] Andrew DeWolf: What's that?

[59:39] Jesse McInally: I would do anything for love.

[59:43] Andrew DeWolf: That's because Meat Loaf isn't relevant.

[59:53] Jesse McInally: We brought him into relevancy for a brief moment.

[59:57] Andrew DeWolf: Uh, we knew he couldn't stay.

[59:59] Jesse McInally: Yeah.

[59:59] Andrew DeWolf: Let's talk about "Come What May," the only song that was original for the movie.

[1:00:04] Jesse McInally: It was written for the movie, kind of.

[1:00:07] Jesse McInally: Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place.

[1:00:19] Jesse McInally: Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a way.

[1:00:34] Jesse McInally: No river too wide.

[1:00:37] Jesse McInally: Sing out this song, and I'll be there by your side.

[1:00:44] Jesse McInally: Storm clouds make on the heaven stars make a lie.

[1:00:52] Jesse McInally: But I love you.

[1:00:54] Jesse McInally: I love you to the end of time.

[1:01:00] Andrew DeWolf: Do you even remember this song in either film or the stage version?

[1:01:05] Jesse McInally: Not really.

[1:01:06] Andrew DeWolf: Figured you wouldn't.

[1:01:08] Jesse McInally: Um, I could look it up real quick. See if I could listen to a moment of it.

[1:01:12] Andrew DeWolf: No, it doesn't matter.

[1:01:13] Jesse McInally: It's a generic love song.

[1:01:15] Jesse McInally: Um, but in the context of both the movie and the stage show, Christian writes it so that he can sing it whenever he and Satine aren't around each other so that they know that they love each other, even if she's like sleeping with the Duke or something.

[1:01:29] Andrew DeWolf: Is this, um, was this written for the movie so they could try to win a, uh, Best Original Song?

[1:01:34] Jesse McInally: Yes, but it was disqualified because it was originally written for the "Romeo + Juliet" movie, so that's a shame.

[1:01:42] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, because I actually kinda dig this song, and I think they do a pretty good job singing it in the stage version, because it's a difficult song to mess up.

[1:01:50] Jesse McInally: How do you feel about the Glee version?

[1:01:52] Andrew DeWolf: Eh, it's once again a hard song to mess up.

[1:01:57] Jesse McInally: You hit the notes, you hold them right.

[1:01:59] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, look at that. A decent version of that song.

[1:02:02] Jesse McInally: Yeah.

[1:02:03] Andrew DeWolf: Alright. What's next?

[1:02:04] Jesse McInally: Do we talk about "Roxanne"?

[1:02:06] Andrew DeWolf: Uh, do you want to skip right over "Chandelier"?

[1:02:08] Jesse McInally: Which I don't even understand how that related into the story.

[1:02:12] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, like it didn't.

[1:02:14] Andrew DeWolf: Like, the only reason to introduce "Chandelier" is if you're gonna swing from a fucking chandelier, which they do not do.

[1:02:22] Jesse McInally: Agreed.

[1:02:23] Andrew DeWolf: Why do you have the song "Chandelier" in there if you're not gonna swing from a chandelier? You know you're adapting a Baz Luhrmann's film, right? He's not the most subtle fucking person on the planet.

[1:02:34] Jesse McInally: Look, that would require wire work, and I mean what do you think this is? Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark?

[1:02:40] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, let's talk about "Roxanne" and how they messed this scene up.

[1:02:44] Jesse McInally: Wow, you sound pretty passionate about this. I'll just let you start.

[1:02:52] Andrew DeWolf: His hand on your hand.

[1:02:56] Jesse McInally: His lips caress your skin.

[1:03:00] Andrew DeWolf: Small enough, Sam.

[1:03:10] Jesse McInally: You don't have to wear that dress tonight.

[1:03:16] Andrew DeWolf: Walk these streets for money.

[1:03:19] Jesse McInally: You don't care if it's wrong or if it is right.

[1:03:24] Andrew DeWolf: This song is fine. I feel like they just did a version of like the normal "Roxanne" in this one. Like they mixed it with the Police version in a way where you get neither effect of the Police song nor the original cool tango version.

[1:03:38] Jesse McInally: Honestly, why would you not do the cool tango version? I feel like that's the most memorable part of the movie.

[1:03:42] ⚠ About 3 minutes of audio could not be automatically transcribed.

[1:07:08] Jesse McInally: You know, do something interesting.

[1:07:10] Andrew DeWolf: Well, no, we can't do that, Andrew. We can't have the show must go on because we don't want good things in our show. We don't want good things in our musicals. Why is the show must-go on not in here? Fucking so the show must-go on is so important to Moulin Rouge. It is so that it's now the Nostalgia Critic's theme song. Maybe that's why they cut it out.

[1:07:36] Jesse McInally: What's your overall thoughts and your cheese rating, Andrew?

[1:07:39] Andrew DeWolf: The Moulin Rouge movie is bizarre, and I don't know if I like it or not. The Moulin Rouge stage show is not nearly as bizarre, and I know that I don't like it because of that. I feel like it just it doesn't fulfill what the movie promised to me. Um as far as a cheese rating, I would give it I would give it passion du fromage, which is a French-sounding cheese that is very passionate. And as we know, this is uncompromising personal passion put on stage. So yeah, uncompromising passion by the words of Bent Brantley. Moulin Rouge, the movie, I love it. It's great. I understand it's chaotic. I understand it's not everyone's thing, but I enjoy watching it a lot. I watch it like once a year. It's a blast.

Um the musical isn't that great. I'm sorry. I know there's a lot of like very devoted fans out there to it. And we are yucking your yum. And I'm sorry that we didn't like this one. Um, but maybe next time we'll like something that you like, and we'll all, you know, we'll all jack off that musical together, but this time I Also, yeah, everyone is allowed to like whatever they want. So don't don't take this to heart. No, we don't. If you loved it, that's whatever. Yeah, and I can understand why people would like this. It's not like uh if you like this, you're stupid. We're not the Nostalgia Critic.

[1:09:01] Jesse McInally: No, no. You know, you know what I thought it was good. I I I I thought I had some creative visuals, and like overall, it was like pretty all right. I love that meme where he's like points at his computer and then like what? You've seen the one where he like he like points at his computer and then he looks directly at the camera and he's like, Whoa!

[1:09:25] Andrew DeWolf: What is that a meme?

[1:09:28] Jesse McInally: That's that meme. What the fu I mean this is the the Strollo critic really gets around. So my cheese rating is string cheese fireworks because baby, you're a firework. Thank you guys for listening. Um we're on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher at Musicals with Cheese. We're on Twitter at Cheesy Musicals, we're on Patreon at Musicals with Cheese, Instagram Musicals with Cheese, YouTube page Musicals with Cheese. We have a patron only podcast, Patreon with Cheese. Check that out. We're doing Shmigadoon breakdowns. Email us at musicaltheatrelives@gmail.com. Our title card is created by the amazing Jolene Casco. Go send her some love at Jolene Casco. Our keeper of the cheese is Juliet Antonio. This show is produced by the Incredible, the Wonderful. Please come back, or else this show will not work anymore. Brianna Jones.

[1:10:19] Andrew DeWolf: We're just talking about Doug Walker forever.

[1:10:25] Jesse McInally: Oh no. The show must go on.

[1:10:28] Andrew DeWolf: No, the review must go on.

[1:10:32] Jesse McInally: It's not even show. They say review. God, I hate that. I hate that form of internet. Like that period of internet. Um.

[1:10:42] Andrew DeWolf: It's pure, pure cringe, and that's where we were born.

[1:10:46] Jesse McInally: We were we were raised in the cringe.

[1:10:48] Andrew DeWolf: We were raised in the cringe. Some of you have merely adopted the cringe, but we were born into it.

[1:10:59] Jesse McInally: Bree, you need to come back. This is what the show will be without you. It'll be niche Nostalgia Critic references.

[1:11:09] Andrew DeWolf: Oh god. Wow, what a great review we just did, Jess.

[1:11:17] Jesse McInally: Wait, who's who's in my review right now? Someone is appearing in my review.

[1:11:23] Andrew DeWolf: The fan critic! I didn't know you'd be here! What are you doing in my review?

[1:11:31] Jesse McInally: Well, I came to stop you from reviewing this.

[1:11:34] Andrew DeWolf: We did this bit literally two weeks ago.

[1:11:37] Jesse McInally: No, I have to do the review. There's no other way.

[1:11:41] Andrew DeWolf: Well then let me do it with you.

[1:11:44] Jesse McInally: I can't let you because it's technically I'm the guy who does the review of this movie.

[1:11:51] Andrew DeWolf: You can't the fan critic to review fans.

[1:11:56] Jesse McInally: This is an ice oscillating fan that I found on eBay.

[1:12:05] Andrew DeWolf: I'm gonna fucking die. This is what our early episodes were. Was just you and I fucking around. We get back to our roots. I miss you, Brie.

[1:12:22] Jesse McInally: Um, our themes were created by the amazing Robin Nash of IOU Music UK. Thank you for all them. You made some great theme music. Jesus, how is Bree gonna fucking edit this episode? Um it's not possible. It's not possible. Thank you to the Broadway Podcast Network for having us on the platform and for not kicking us off for referencing the Nostalgia Critic 45 too many times.

[1:12:45] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, Andrew, is there anything else you want to say before we wrap this up?

[1:12:49] Jesse McInally: No, I think we've covered it all. You know what, Andrew? The review must go on.

[1:12:59] Andrew DeWolf: What would you do if you're like the last thing you saw before you lived was like the Doug Walker holding a gun to your head?

[1:12:59] Jesse McInally: Doug Walker holding a gun. And then he shoots it, and then it's just the last thing you hear.

[1:13:24] Andrew DeWolf: I uh just so we're clear, we all fucking hate Doug Walker here. We're not a pro Doug Walker podcast.

[1:13:31] Jesse McInally: What? Who is a pro? Is there pro Doug Walker people?

[1:13:34] Andrew DeWolf: Oh fuck yes, there are. Oh my god. I'm sure they're gonna be coming at us like, how dare you talk about Doug Walker! Our Lord and Savior.

[1:13:44] Jesse McInally: We go to the church of the bum reviews and we worship the the the foot of that guy with the glasses.

[1:13:51] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, Chester A Bum. What a what a lighthearted and kind portrayal of homeless Americans. You know, empathy. The first thing when I think about Doug Walker, it's empathy.

[1:14:10] Jesse McInally: We'll see you next time on Musicals with Cheese.