6 minute read
Casting: Come What May
The West End production of 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' was cast between lockdowns and with various restrictions, meaning everyone involved needed to adjust accordingly.
ONE magazine's 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.
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 (other 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
Photo: Matthew Murphy
Dancing on a diamond
Dance naturally plays a huge role in the show, as it did in in Baz Luhrmann’s postmodern, dazzling film on which it is based. Sonya Tayeh’s choreographic whirlwind of can-cans, tangos, jazz and more recently won the Tony Award for Best Choreography and is being recreated for the London stage. The acting and singing roles could be auditioned via self-tape and with Zoom working sessions, but this wasn’t possible for the dance elements. Giving auditionees opportunity to showcase their talents in a safe way was paramount.
The casting team managed dance auditions with a similar health and safety approach to that of dance in education, following the industry health and safety advice published by One Dance UK and others. All involved complied with distancing protocols and strict capacity limits, testing and one-way systems, and auditionees initially danced in twometre square boxes or ‘diamonds’.
Associate Choreographer Rebecca Howell, who led the dance auditions on behalf of the US-based Tayeh, explains that as guidelines changed, so did the audition process: “Partnering is an integral part of the show, so we needed to explore this. The guidelines evolved and we were eventually granted a very limited amount of contact time. So, we adopted an alternative approach of learning the vocab apart, as thoroughly as possible, in order to capitalise on the restricted time they had together. It was a lot to ask of our candidates, but they triumphed.”
The US creative team were ‘in the room’ virtually, with professional camera operators and sound technicians streaming live content from the auditions, and large screens set up for as-live feedback and notes. Ailion is proud of how smoothly this innovative process went: “It allowed the US team to be an intrinsic part of the process and therefore get a feel for the performer. It also meant the UK team could give valued opinions as they had been in the room with each candidate throughout the casting process.”
A can-do attitude
Judging by the clamour for tickets, the public’s appetite to be immersed in this bohemian French world (which promises to be a decadent evening: you can book “can-can” table seats to be surrounded by the action onstage) is strong. The appetite for musical theatre dancers to be cast was even stronger. In the auditions, how did dancers fare after such an arduous lockdown period, with competition for jobs even tougher than normal?
Pippa Ailion, Natalie Gallacher and the casting team were acutely aware of this. “As we had a lot of submissions the small group sizes were limiting, but we just made sure we extended the process to allow us to see as many dancers as possible safely. For some candidates this process was their first in-person audition after over a year out. There were a lot more nerves than usual. It is our job to make them feel as supported as possible so they do their best work.”
Howell noted that although dance artists were coming back to the audition ‘circuit’ after a long break, “there was an immense feeling of relief and comradery in the audition room. Everybody in that studio supported, applauded and laughed with each other, grateful to be able to do what they do best. It was such an honour and joy to share that with all the artists, and I hope it is something that we all embrace and carry forward as the industry finds it feet again.”
Bringing 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' to the stage was a decade-long journey for producers Global Creatures, and further productions are planned for Australia, Japan, a North American Tour and other international territories. That the show will high kick its way into the West End is a testament to the creativity, tenacity and resilience of all involved, and for those on stage, the applause will no doubt feel all the more special.
Carmen Pavlovic, Producer and CEO, Global Creatures
'Moulin Rouge! the Musical' Broadway Cast
Photo: Matthew Murphy
Further information
'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' is now playing at London's Piccadilly Theatre.
