The Royal Winnepeg's Ballet production of the Moulin Rogue welcomes you to Paris, set against the gilded backdrop of Roosevelt University's Auditorium Theater to the music of La Vie En Rose. Before revealing a simple, moveable theatrical set, the audience is transported to the streets of Paris, the Moulin Rouge, underneath the Eiffel Tower and crossing a bridge across the river Seine.
The audience witnesses the growing relationship between Nathalie, danced by Jo-Ann Sundermeri and Matthew (Dmitri Dovgoselets) as they meet by chance in the streets of Paris, fall in love, to their romance's tragic ending.
Audience members experienced the Moulin Rouge through familiar renditions of the Can-Can and exciting tangos. We followed the story of the lovers and their friends through pieces by Shostakovich, Offenbach, Strauss, and other composers. The choreography was designed to accentuate the notes and musical transitions of the pieces, so the audience would understand and feel the depth of the story but also learned about the characters and their personalities through the ballet. Nathalie, softness and sweetness accented by her piques on chimes and high notes, while Tolouse's personality was flighty and exciting, Zidler's strong and dominating personality was performed through the deeper tones of the music and his leaps across the stage.
The choreography and the music choices were complimented by the costumes for each character the audience met on stage. An audience member was quoted "The costumes accentuated the different personalities of the dancer's characters, soft flowing colors for Nathalie and I loved the red corseted dress for La Goulue, her rival. It matched her red hair and firey personality! Preparing Matthew for the Moulin Rogue was fun too, the Tailor and his assistants reminded me of Cinderella being transformed by her mice. Such fun to watch!"
Amidst a thundering climax, bringing silence through the audience, we revel in the opportunity of young love, the excitement of entertainment slightly forbidden, to the tragedy of what some will do to keep a love they do not have. A moving performance with
unparallelled storytelling!
Although you think you may know the Moulin Rogue, you will really feel the beauty of the love between Nathalie and Matthew in the Royal Winnepeg's production. A show that is not to be missed, and can be experienced by ballet lovers and fans of live performances.
