Casting: Come What May Special Focus on Evolution
The upcoming West End premiere of Moulin Rouge! The Musical was cast between lockdowns and with various restrictions, meaning everyone involved needed to adjust accordingly. One Editor Cameron Ball peers behind the curtain to see just how an international production of this scale evolved to assemble a cast fit for this spectacular spectacular. The tenacity of dancers and theatre creatives is well known. Casting a West End show is a complex science, piecing together a jigsaw of dance, drama and music. It normally takes a matter of weeks, but that’s before we add a global pandemic, travel restrictions, cancellation of live dance activity and a creative team based in different parts of the world. With this new equation, the reimagining of the casting process for the eagerly anticipated Broadway hit Moulin Rouge! The Musical was going to test even the most experienced of theatre professionals.
Photo: Matthew Murphy
Cameron Ball
Seasons may change The producers have had to push back the originally announced spring 2021 opening dates, with Moulin Rouge! The Musical now exploding onto a refurbished Piccadilly Theatre stage from 12 November. The casting process for the show was began in spring of 2020, and the auditions eventually spanned more than a year. Talking to those involved in the proceedings, it’s clear that some novel approaches were applied. The casting directors Pippa Ailion CDG and Natalie Gallacher CDG (credits include The Lion King, Wicked and The Book of Mormon), held regular online meetings with the US-based creative team to navigate the process during these unforeseen circumstances. As Gallacher explains, “Luckily as we hadn’t already started the in-person process we could plan accordingly. Every time we came up against a stumbling block we collectively came up with a plan to overcome it. It took a lot of detailed planning, a lot of patience and a lot of good humour!”
Moulin Rouge! The Musical Broadway cast
“At its heart, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is about a group of artists fighting to keep their stage show alive. That element of the story has felt very real for us as a company, as we’ve contended with the COVID-19 shutdown and delay to our UK premiere, and we cannot wait for the red windmill to start turning in London!” Carmen Pavlovic, Producer and CEO, Global Creatures
30 The One Dance UK Magazine | Autumn 2021
