Moulin Rogue

Much to the surprise of Lahorites, Moulin Rouge's 'uncut' version was staged on Saturday night. Given the genre ofthe film, questions like how did ever Shah Sharahbeel direct such a film and Amna Burki adapt it for performance before a crowd that was not used to seeing such plays on stage went unanswered until the audience actually saw it (to believe it).

Though having directed the much-liked Phantom of the Opera and Noises Off, it probably wouldn't have been difficult for Sharahbeel of Centre Stage Productions to do Moulin Rouge but showing Parisian culture and that too of the famous Montmartre night club of 1899, a love triangle and the following dance sequences demanded some nerves. "In case the censorwallas decided to call it off or alter the play, two days before its performance which they did, meant two months of hard work down the drain," said Sharahbeel. But how he managed to do it without chopping off a single scene shall be told later.

The movie of 2001, Academy Award winner and Golden Globe achiever, this adapted version of Moulin Rouge combined old-style Hollywood glamour, Orphean myth, and boulevard farce, performed on creatively designed sets, tells the story of Christian, a young writer in Paris who begins a doomed romance with the city's most famous courtesan, Satine. Satine is the 'sparkling diamond' of the night-spot, whose future depends on her marrying a Duke.

Omair Rana plays Christian, the Orphean hero, and Meera Shafi is Satine, the lover he seeks in the "underworld" of the Moulin Rouge. But Satine is a courtesan, physically available to only the lucky few, and emotionally unobtainable. At one point she says to Christian, "I can't fall in love with anyone, I make men believe what they want to believe."

But what Satine does desire is stardom as an actress, not a courtesan. Enter the Duke, played by Syed Osman Bukhari. As lecherous as he is wealthy, the Duke has promised to build a theatre in the Moulin Rouge and finance an original musical production in return for Satine's affections.
The play now becomes a musical within a musical. Christian, with his friend, artist Toulouse-Lautrec, (played by Ian Eldred), are commissioned to create the theatrical production. The result is a love story that parallels the emotional triangle between Christian, the Duke and Satine.

As the play's rehearsals, Spectacular Spectacular, gather steam, so does the affair between Satine and Christian. The characters face conflict within themselves especially Satine who is torn between true love and her duties as a courtesan. Both Christian and Satine have no choice but to sing out their love, hopes and frustrations until they make the world see the worth of 'unconditional' love ... but then it is too late.

A moving show of inner turmoil becomes all the more obvious when Satine sings a reinforcing musical number 'Come What May' to shake away the blues. But then she is forced to think the other way. Harold Zidler (Mohd. Ijlal Khan), the plump owner of Moulin Rouge whose stunning performance draws many laughters from the audience, tells her 'the show must go on.' The play has its share of merry moments and touching scenes shown in a place devoid of all feelings. The character of Chocolat played by Jalal Manzur, a eunuch draws affection when he says, 'Nobody loves me.' His semblance: short bushy hair, pink velvet slacks, red camisole with a distinct blue bow on his leg-shaking, back-jerking moves become irresistibly funny.

The audience empathises with Christian when Satine chooses the duke over her love. Satine feels the pain and calls her lover back. Satine suffers a fatal stroke of tuberculosis and doesn't recover. Christian turns the gun onto himself and dies.

Hence a beautiful musical comedy turned tragedy lives on to tell the tale of truth, beauty, freedom and love. After a 2 1/2 hour captivating performance, Sharahbeel asked the audience if they wanted the play to continue (till the 26th) unchanged to which he got a big round of applause from over 1300 people in a packed Alhamra Hall. Hence the show will go on. The guests of the occasion Governor Khalid Maqbool, DG PHA Shabbir Ahmed, Secretary Environment Kamran Lashari were present and so were Saba Pervaiz, Samina Ahmed, Naeem Tahir, Ali and Wajiha Tahir.