Moulin Rouge! The Musical: The Story of the Broadway Spectacular

Winner of 10 Tony Awards ®, Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film is remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza featuring over 70 songs including many of the iconic hits from the movie, as well as additions from Adele, Katy Perry, Sia, Beyonce, Rihanna and more.

A glittering backstage pass to Moulin Rouge! The Musical and its journey to Broadway, the book features contributions from cast and crew, interviews with Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, and a chronicle of its triumphant 2021 return.

An iconic Parisian club, a cinema masterpiece, and now a Broadway musical – the Moulin Rouge has been a tantalising pop-culture phenomenon for over a century. The 2019 Broadway debut of Moulin Rouge! The Musical astounded theatre critics.

Via a lush photo essay and oral history, the process of crafting Moulin Rouge! The Musical springs to life from early sketches, historical research, technical diagrams, and rehearsal photos.

Theatre writer David Cote gathers the cast and crew’s firsthand accounts of the excitement and challenges of creating a show that referenced as much as it reinvented the Broadway musical.

For lovers of musicals, fans of the movie, or anyone fascinated by the glamorous Belle Époque, this exquisitely realised book will seduce all – bohemian and aristocrat alike.

David Cote is a NYC-based theater critic, playwright, and opera librettist who has written for numerous publications such as The New York TimesThe GuardianObserver, and Time Out New York. He previously authored popular companion books about the hit Broadway musicals Wicked, Jersey Boys, and Spring Awakening.


Moulin Rouge! The Musical is published by Rizzoli International (Universe)and available at all leading book retailers including www.moulinrougemusical.com and Booktopia.

Image: Moulin Rouge! The Musical – courtesy of Rizzoli International