Friday, August 16, 2019
Swarovski Crystals Are a Girl's Best Friend in 'Moulin Rouge!'
Theatre Development Fund – TDF: One of the most heartbreaking moments in Moulin Rouge! The Musical comes in Act II, when the villainous Duke of Monroth (Tam Mutu) forces his conflicted courtesan Satine (Karen Olivo) to change out of a lush maroon gown that fits her like a second skin. In a flash, she gets an unwanted makeover as she quick-changes into a subdued pastel ensemble, complete with hat and jewelry. It's reminiscent of Eliza Doolittle's metamorphosis in My Fair Lady, only Satine seems like she's being imprisoned, not set free.
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The transfer from screen to stage seems like a difficult one, design-wise. In cinema (and television), there is a lot more wiggle room in which to design: takes can be cut or modified with computer graphics. In live theatre (or ballet, or opera, for that matter), everything must be rigged. There is no pause to do a costume change. There can’t be. It would completely jerk the audience out of the story, the magic. So much of technical theatre - and design - is “faking” it: zippers instead of real corset lacing, the illusion and modernisation of the showgirl costumes (teddies and lingerie instead of can-can skirts). A mix of modern and period, original and authentic, Catherine Zuber not only revitalises the show and the story but also keeps it recognisable and accessible to the audience. That Zuber, too, was able to get enough creative allowance from the director of the stage adaptation as well as the costume designer for the movie to take from all creative inspirations is absolutely wonderful and not always the case.
--Emily Marshburn
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