Lee Seokhoon of 'Moulin Rouge': "A Production That Truly Feels Like a Real Musical"

Musical "Moulin Rouge" Returns on the 27th
Lee Seokhoon and Cha Yoonhae Newly Join as Male Leads

"While rehearsing, I kept thinking, 'This is what a real musical is.' There are plenty of dances, a lot to see, the story makes sense, and there are many great songs. It's truly a production packed with things to enjoy." (Actor Lee Seokhoon)

"The greatest strength of 'Moulin Rouge' is that the audience can feel as if they have stepped right into the dazzling and beautiful world of the Moulin Rouge itself, experiencing the show from within." (Actor Cha Yoonhae)

Lee Seokhoon and Cha Yoonhae, who have newly taken on the role of the male lead Christian in the iconic show musical "Moulin Rouge," described the show's appeal at a press conference held on the 10th at Idles Jazz Bar in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The revival of "Moulin Rouge," which premiered in Korea in 2022, will open on November 27 at the Blue Square Shinhan Card Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

Actors Lee Seokhoon (right) and Cha Yoonhae, who played the male lead Christian in the musical "Moulin Rouge"
Photo by CJ ENM

The stage of "Moulin Rouge" is nothing short of spectacular. The setting evokes a time when humanity believed it had finally discovered paradise-a place that seemed to embody that very paradise.

Moulin Rouge is a social club located on Montmartre Hill in Paris, France, that flourished at the end of the 19th century. It is a symbol of the "Belle ?poque," which means "Beautiful Era." The Belle ?poque refers to the peaceful and prosperous period between the end of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and the outbreak of World War I (1914-1918). For about 40 years during this time, Europe saw no major wars. The Industrial Revolution brought remarkable advances in science and technology, liberating humanity from daily worries about food and allowing people to enjoy material abundance for the first time. This economic prosperity gave rise to a flourishing of the arts, but it was also an era of luxury and indulgence. Moulin Rouge became a symbolic space that encapsulated the various desires of the era.

Australian film director Baz Luhrmann created a global sensation in 2001 with the musical film "Moulin Rouge," which tells the romantic love story between Satine, the club's most popular dancer, and Christian, a poor poet. The musical adaptation, based on the film, premiered in 2018. At the 74th Tony Awards in 2021, the musical "Moulin Rouge" swept 10 categories, including Best Musical, Best Actor, and Best Actress.

John Hyeop, assistant director, explained that the stage was lavishly decorated using the symbols of Moulin Rouge. "Moulin" means windmill and "Rouge" means red.

He said, "We decorated the stage with symbolic objects from the Moulin Rouge club, such as the windmill and the elephant, as well as a dazzling chandelier and a red curtain stretching for one kilometer. The lead female character, Satine, changes costumes every time she appears, and the costumes become increasingly extravagant."

Ye Juyul, Head of the Performing Arts Division at CJ ENM, emphasized that the audience seating was designed to be immersive, allowing viewers to become more easily absorbed in the performance. Ye noted, "During the premiere, the audience stayed in the theater longer than at other shows. This is a distinctive feature, as it means audiences arrive early and enjoy the world of Moulin Rouge even before the show begins."

Lee Seokhoon also highlighted that there is so much to see, saying, "I hope the audience feels as if they are inside the Moulin Rouge together with us."

John Hyeop, assistant director of the musical "Moulin Rouge," is explaining the work at a press conference held on the 10th at Idles Jazz Bar in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Photo by CJ ENM

Along with the extravagant stage, 70 iconic pop songs spanning 160 years of pop music history add to the allure of Moulin Rouge. The show features far more music than other productions thanks to its use of the mash-up format. A mash-up is a new song created by combining and arranging two or more existing tracks.

For example, the final number of Act 1, "Elephant Love Medley" (ELM), is a newly created piece that brings together more than 10 pop classics, including Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love," and U2's "Pride."

Cha Yoonhae explained, "So many songs are included, and it's truly impressive how the slower numbers set the mood and then suddenly transition into songs with a much faster tempo, all seamlessly combined."

In the Korean production of Moulin Rouge, familiar pop hits are performed with Korean lyrics. Ye Juyul said that during the premiere, there was consideration given to performing the songs in English with subtitles, as it was thought Korean audiences might prefer hearing the original English versions.

However, Ye explained, "The main function of musical numbers is to convey the lyrics, so we decided to perform them in translation. To make the show more accessible, we revised some of the translated lyrics and lines that were found to be difficult to understand during the premiere run."