Moulin Rouge – The Musical at Kennedy Center Opera House

Set in the Bohemian period during the end of the 19th century, Moulin Rouge! The Musical was heavily taken from French history. The musical can be found in and is centered around the happenings of a real nightclub in Montmartre, Paris, called the Moulin Rouge, where the patrons come for unadulterated fun. By the turn of the 20th century, the nightclub became famous for its French Cabaret elegance – ecstatic, loose, and a somewhat crazy lifestyle. This Parisian nightclub that the musical was created from also impacted the production's preparation, with Baz Luhrmann and the musical's creators saying that they did directly borrow from the late 1900s time period, and it can undoubtedly be viewed in the show. The set, costumes, music score, and choreography (which showcases a lot of can-can dance) all obviously are a clear inspiration from to the 2001 adaptation of Moulin Rouge.

It is in this decade of history leading up to the 1900s and right in the middle of France's La Belle Époque, a time considered to be the peak of beauty and spreading artistry, where the fictional story of two lovers finally begins. Christian, an American writer who journeys to France searching for a successful career, meets Satine, the premier entertainer of the Moulin Rouge. The pair, despite the imminent danger of their relationship, fall crazily in love and have to be a concealed relationship with each other because of the Duke of Monroth's intervention.

Contrary to other accounts, the time of La Belle Époque was attacked by historians not as a time period of cultural and artistic development. Historians are convinced that this decade were all about the elite's triumph over the poor. the Broadway musical, however, chose to capture the era in a more endearing perspective by highlighting the romantic Bohemian values of truth, beauty, freedom, and love, as seen through Christian and Satine’s evolving love story throughout the show.

This June, theatre fans have the opportunity to enjoy the passion most likely also reveled in by the original patrons of the Moulin Rouge, as Moulin Rouge! The Musical will be showing at an equally colorful and spectacular venue, Kennedy Center Opera House. With interior decor just as beautiful as the set design that it is hosting, Kennedy Center Opera House is the best fit for Moulin Rouge’s limited production on Friday 19th June 2026. Seats are now available for purchase through the links that can be clicked on at the top of this page.