The Boston Globe: The long-dormant Colonial Theatre will reopen in June with a world-premiere musical stage adaptation of the film “Moulin Rouge,’’ a curtain-raiser designed not just to resurrect the storied theater but also to help reestablish Boston as a tryout town for shows on their way to Broadway.
Millions of dollars’ worth of renovations are expected to be completed by late spring at the Colonial. The 117-year-old Boylston Street theater, owned by Emerson College, has been dark since October 2015.
5 comments:
I love that Moulin Rouge is getting a stage adaptation. I love this movie, and I think it is going to be absolutely beautiful done live. The movie has a lot of very loyal fans, and a very distinct look. I am very excited to see the lights/costumes/and special effects for this show. I hope that the original creative team are involved--especially Baz and the original costume designer. It does seem that there will be some changes: "The stage musical will include pop songs used in the film, such as “Lady Marmalade,’’ along with some newer tunes, while the book will be written by playwright John Logan, author of “Red,’’ a Tony Award-winning drama about the painter Mark Rothko." I am excited for new material, but hoping that they will retain as much of the original as possible.
What sounds really exciting is that this production is really going to cause an impact on the Colonial theatre, and Boston. The renovations sound like a huge undertaking--" renovations will also include a new dressing-room wing, lighting and sound systems, HVAC systems, and seats accessible to disabled patrons." All of that isn't going to be cheap, and I'm curious how exactly all of these renovations will be funded. It seems like this is a really good thing for Boston, and I hope it is successful.
Yessssss I am so excited for this!! The article mentions that this production has Broadway aspirations and I really hope it is able to make a Broadway transfer eventually. Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite movies, and I think it would be absolutely incredible onstage. I do feel like some of the chaos of the movie may be hard to recreate, though I am sure with the right design team it could work. I am also very glad that Alex Timbers is at the head of the production. I've been a fan of his since I saw Peter and the Starcatcher when I was sixteen, and I can definitely see how his fast-paced entertaining, vaguely ridiculous style in that show can translate into his direction of this. I cannot wait to see what new songs are added to the show, though I also absolutely can't wait to see the songs from the film onstage. Lady Marmalade is going to be a show stopper, and Come What May is going to end lives. Elephant Love Medley is going to be absolutely stunning. The article mentions Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo as Christian and Satine, who I think would be perfect choices, though it would be very hard to improve upon perfection, which is Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. I can't wait to comment on more articles about this show in the future.
The Colonial is a beautiful performance space and building right in the heart of Boston next to the Common. When I toured Emerson, it was right before the closing of the building and we got to walk through the space and talk about the potential changes the city and college were thinking about making to it. I have to say I’m very happy the dining hall idea got scrapped, that would have not held the Colonial to the same image of grandeur it deserves. I actually also got to attend a performance of Jersey Boys at the Colonial, and it was one of my favorite spaces to watch theatre, not to mention that Jersey Boys is also a wildly fun and well-done show. Moulin Rouge will hopefully bring to the Colonial the revival it needs, it’s a very high-energy piece while also being clad in gold and glamor, so hopefully that transfers and speaks to the history and new life of the theatre.
When theatre's shut down it is always a tragedy. From an economical stand point the town that the theatre shuts down in loses so much revenue for the town. Having a major theatre causes restaurants and transportation revenue to increase. When the colonial was set to close, I know many people who were applying to emerson and them losing that theatre defiantly lost some students. A theatre school, especially one with such prestige needs to have a suitable theatre. Seeing that theatre is opening with such high profile investors is great. Boston is going to benefit immensely with a group like Ambassador will change this theatre. This theatre will now be in direct competition with American Rep Theatre. They will both be having pre broadway tryouts. Hopefully in the future more investors and producers will have more out of town tryouts. All of this will economically benefit the town, the theatre and Emerson.
I love Boston. I have been there many times for work, and I think its a cool site with lost of character. I have always been interested in working with theatre house who main goal is to be pre-broadway enthusiasts. It must be a great honor to have working in a theatre that has sent a show to broadway so i can see the value in wanting to have a company in the heart of Boston to grow new broadway bound shows. And to set off the opening of this theatre new life with the stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge the musical is such an iconic staple in theatre goers heart, how can it do poorly. I think for sure this was a smart decision and I look forward to hearing be favorite French American songs and to learn some new ones. I look forward to seeing what happens with This theatre.
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