After a glittering opening on Broadway, picking up 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Lighting Design along the way, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is finally bringing Paris to the West End. The show, inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s hit film, is set in the world-famous cabaret club in the heart of Paris’s night life district and has transformed the Piccadilly Theatre into a lavish spectacle.
PRG first supported the musical on Broadway, where PRG North America played a large part in building the now iconic set by crafting the 15-foot FOH elephant and Moulin Rouge neon sign, creating all scenic drops, providing the 30’x14’ rotating platform for Satine’s dressing room, and providing the Stage Command system for all automation control. Now, the show goes on for PRG as our UK team have worked closely with Lighting Designer Justin Townsend and UK Associate Lighting Designer Chris Hirst to deliver all lighting for its West End debut, all installed by Production Electrician Fraser Hall and his team.
“This is our third production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical working with PRG. Only PRG can provide the worldwide service and support in such a chaotic moment as we come out of lockdown,” Lighting Designer Justin Townsend said, “Peter Marshall (Sales Director, Theatre) has worked as a collaborator making this hugely complex musical fit into the Piccadilly Theatre and the budget. I’m grateful to work with and know another strong department of PRG.”
The Moulin Rouge! The Musical rig is one of the largest PRG UK has ever supplied to the theatre market. In total, PRG has supplied a massive 25 tons of lighting fixtures for the West End rig, including over 200 moving lights, and more than 350 LED instruments all controlled from an ETC EOS network programmed by Daniel Haggerty. The rig is largely made up of Mac Viper Performances and wash lights plus GLP X4L wash fixtures with Ayrton Magic Dots and Clay Paky Sharpy washes, as well as Lycian 1295 ELT follow spots.
Our fixtures are even transporting the “Spectacular, Spectacular” into the audience itself. Moulin Rouge! The Musical, creates a singularly immersive musical experience, transporting its audience to the iconic Parisian nightclub. To achieve this effect, PRG were tasked with supplying an “auditorium rig”, which included various LED pars and battens to light the entire auditorium and create a theatre within a theatre.
On this monumental project for the UK Theatre Team, Peter Marshal said: “This is the largest rig I’ve ever supplied to a West End production and it was a pleasure to work with Lighting Designer, Justin Townsend, Chris Hirst along with Fraser Hall and the team, and I must also mention our Project Planner for this show Jason Hodgetts, who’s contribution was invaluable.”
Special thanks to PRG Sales Director, Theatre Peter Marshall, Executive Producer Patrick Murphy (Global Creatures), Lighting Designer Justin Townsend, US Associate Lighting Designer Nick Solyom, UK Associate Lighting Designer Chris Hirst, Production Manager Matt Towell and Production Electrician Fraser Hall.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical started it’s run at the Piccadilly Theatre London on 12 November.
