The most famous cabaret in history, the Moulin Rouge has been the subject of many books, paintings, movies and musicals - birthplace of the Quadrille, the Cancan and home to a cast of outrageous dancers known as the Diamond Dogs. When the Moulin opened, Paris was a city of exquisite contradiction; art was both elevated and abused, pomp and excess ran hand in hand with poverty and hardship, and the heady elixir of personal freedom bred lifestyles that were often reckless and addictive. Drawn to Paris by the city’s passion, a flame fuelled by the hearts of lovers and the souls of poets, Matthew and Nathalie tempt the fates as they seek love and destiny in the infamous cabaret...The Moulin Rouge.
Act I
As Paris awakes for another day, Matthew enters and is immediately robbed of his belongings by Gypsies. Nathalie is waiting for the other launderettes to arrive when she sees Matthew for the first time. As the couple dance together, the spark of love ignites. Zidler, the owner of the Moulin Rouge enters and everyone knows that he is the man who can take you from the streets to the spotlight, so the women dance for him, hoping to attract his attention. Nathalie pretends to be not too interested but she is exactly what Zidler is looking for. He offers her a position at the Moulin Rouge! Nathalie says goodbye to her friends and leaves with Zidler, but gives Matthew her red scarf as she is leaving. Toulouse arrives and sees Matthew sketching. Intrigued he asks to see Matthew’s work and critiques it rather harshly. Matthew does not know who Toulouse is and gets quite upset. Toulouse offers a paintbrush to Matthew and the dueling paint off scene begins.
Zidler brings Nathalie into a cold, dark and somewhat frightening rehearsal space, where she is told to wait before rehearsal begins. The other dancers are not impressed that Nathalie is there and try to intimidate her. La Goulue enters and challenges Nathalie to a Cancan competition.At the end Nathalie is victorious. She wins Zidler’s approval and the tower dressing room.
Toulouse and Matthew are in front of the Moulin Rouge cabaret with their paintings. Toulouse invites Matthew to the cabaret for the evening but Matthew is broke and underdressed, so Toulouse brings in tailors who transform Matthew into a gentleman in a tuxedo. After the first Moulin Rouge show, Nathalie sees Matthew and the two of them rekindle the spark from their first meeting. Matthew shows her the scarf she gave him and she whisks him away to be alone with him. Zidler notices that Nathalie is gone and is jealous; after searching the Moulin Rouge he closes it down and leaves to find her.
As people are leaving the cabaret, Nathalie and Matthew are on their way to the bridge. Zidler comes searching for her, but Toulouse distracts him to help the couple escape to the bridge where they dance a romantic pas de deux.
Act II
Toulouse is painting while drinking absinthe, and as the painting continues we see a green fairy appear. She dances with Toulouse and inspires him to finish the painting.
Meanwhile, Nathalie is getting ready to meet Matthew at the Tango Café. She is happy and in love. Zidler has now become obsessed with Nathalie and does not want her to go out. He tries to seduce Nathalie and only Toulouse entering saves her. Zidler has no idea she is meeting Matthew at the Tango Café but follows and finds the couple together. Zidler threatens to kill Matthew so Nathalie leaves with him in an attempt to appease the tyrant and save Matthew from harm. But Matthew is left heartbroken and confused. He drinks absinthe with Toulouse and encounters the green fairies. After he wakes up, Toulouse creates a plan for Matthew to pretend to be a waiter and get back into the cabaret.
At the show that evening, Matthew finds Nathalie and they try to escape through the mayhem of the Cancan. Zidler discovers them together and becomes enraged, stopping the show. He intends to kill Matthew, but Nathalie is mortally wounded instead. Matthew holds Nathalie as she takes her last breath.
THE END
Moulin Rouge (French for Red Windmill) is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris red-light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the facsimile of a red windmill on its roof.
The Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the cancan dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the cancan dance review evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe. Today the Moulin Rouge is a tourist destination, offering musical dance entertainment for adult visitors from around the world. Much of the romance of turn-of-the-century France is still present in the club’s decor.
Notable performers at the Moulin Rouge have included Ella Fitzgerald, Liza Minelli, Elton John, La Goulue, Josephine Baker, Frank Sinatra, Yvette Guilbert, Jane Avril, Mistinguett, Le Pétomane, Édith Piaf and others. The Moulin Rouge is also the subject of paintings by post-impressionist painter Toulouse-Lautrec.
“Moulin Rouge” is the title of a book byPierre La Mure, which was adapted as a 1952 film called Moulin Rouge, starring Jose Ferrer and Zsa-Zsa Gabor. Several other films have had the same title, including 2001’s Moulin Rouge!, starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. Both the 1952 and 2001 films were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Canan at the Moulin Rouge
The main feature of an evening at the Moulin Rouge is the performance. It is famous internationally as the ‘spiritual home’ of the traditional French can-can, which is still performed there today. The cancan had existed for many years as a respectable, working-class party dance, but it was in the early days of the Moulin Rouge that courtesans first adapted the dance to entertain the male clientele. It was usually performed individually, with the courtesan moving in an increasingly energetic and provocative way in an attempt to seduce a potential client. It was very common for them to lift their skirts and reveal their legs, underwear and occasionally the genitals. As time progressed the cancans seen at the Moulin Rouge became more and more vulgar and overtly erotic, causing much public outrage.
Later however, with the rising popularity of music hall entertainment in Europe, courtesans were no longer required at the Moulin Rouge and it became a legitimate nightclub. The modern cancan was born as dancers – many of them failed ballet dancers with exceptional skill – were introduced to entertain the guests. The cancan that we recognise today comes directly from this period and, as the vulgarity of the dance lessened, it became renowned for its athletic and acrobatic tricks.
The Moulin Rouge lost much of its former reputation as a ‘high-class brothel’ and it would soon become fashionable for French society to visit and see the spectacular cabarets, which have included a cancan ever since. The dance is recognisable for the long skirts with heavily frilled undergarments that the dancers wear, high kicks, hops in a circle whilst holding the other leg in the air, splits, cartwheels and other acrobatic tricks, normally accompanied by squeals and shrieks. As the dance became more respectable it became less and less crude, but the choreography is always intended to be a little risqué at times, somewhat provocative and ‘a little naughty’.
Today the cancan performed at the Moulin Rouge has iconic status in dance throughout the world.