Standing ovation for Moulin Rouge’s record Tony Awards haul
Australian-produced musical Moulin Rouge is the talk of New York after a record 10 wins at the Tony Awards.
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Moulin Rouge! The Musical has dominated the Tony Awards with 10 wins from 14 nominations in New York.
As the event returned to full flight after the reopening of Broadway, the jewel in the haul was the nod for Best Musical.
Based on Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 Australian film, Moulin Rouge! is the first Australian-produced musical to originate on Broadway.
“It’s such an honour and a thrill to be able to bring fellow Aussies Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin’s epic and beloved masterpiece to the stage,’’ said Carmen Pavlovic, CEO of Global Creatures and Producer of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, in accepting the Best Musical award.
“On behalf of Bill Damaschke, Gerry Ryan and myself, it’s such an honour to be here. We love our Moulin Rouge! company, we love our show, and we love talking about it.
“But on an historic night such as this, it feels a little odd to me to be talking about one show as Best Musical. I feel that every show of last season deserves to be thought of as the Best Musical.”
Before she left for New York, Pavlovic told the Herald Sun it was an epic feat to have 14 nominations as the city gets its groove back.
“It’s fantastic that Broadway is reopening,’’ she said.
“The Tony Awards makes for a pretty remarkable time and I am very aware what a momentous occasion it is.
“It’s a serious moment and people are still recovering from a lot of hardship. It’s much more about an acknowledgment and a celebration of Broadway.”
The result is a record for an Australian-produced musical.
The 1996 Broadway production of The King and I earned eight nominations and won four; the 2004 Broadway transfer of The Boy From Oz earned five nominations including a win for Hugh Jackman for his turn as Peter Allen; Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical earned two nominations and won one and King Kong earned three nominations plus a special Tony Award for Sonny Tilders who designed the creature.
Moulin Rouge! also had 14 nominations last year. It was due to open at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre on September 4, but no new date has been slated.
Pavlovic is confident the show will open before the end of this year.
“We would (open at 50 per cent capacity) rather than not open, but it doesn’t give us a very satisfying outcome,’’ she said.
“It’s been a very costly process being shut down and trying to recalibrate box office and rebook tickets and all the rest. We understand, it’s health first.
“We would rather be building our way out, rather than overshooting and then shutting down again. So they’re delicate choices and there’s no real science to them. We’re hoping the plan overall makes sense.
“It feels like November or December is the moment out but what that looks like specifically who knows. But I think we can all feel like we don’t have the exact date but the end in sight feels near.”
Tony Awards for Moulin Rouge! The Musical
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical — Danny Burstein
• Best Scenic Design of a Musical — Derek McLane
• Best Costume Design of a Musical — Catherine Zuber
• Best Lighting Design of a Musical — Justin Townsend
• Best Sound Design of a Musical — Peter Hylenski
• Best Orchestrations — Justin Levine
• Best Choreography — Sonya Tayeh
• Best Direction of a Musical — Alex Timbers
• Best Actor in a Musical — Aaron Tveit
• Best Musical
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