- Moulin Rouge! The Musical will return to Sydney in March 2027.
- Today, the Australian-produced hit show revealed its principal cast members.
- Erin Clare will take on the role of Satine, Nigel Huckle will star as Christian, and Reuben Kaye will play ringmaster Harold Zidler.
The red curtain will rise once again on Moulin Rouge! The Musical, with an all-new Australian cast, returns to Sydney in March 2027.
Adapted from Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, the stage spectacular has become a global phenomenon. But despite its international success, the production has distinctly Australian roots, having been developed by Australian live entertainment company Global Creatures, co-founded by Carmen Pavlovic and Gerry Ryan OAM.
At the cast announcement, Carmen Pavlovic shared her excitement about bringing the production home, reflecting on the city’s longstanding connection to both the film and the musical.
“Sydney’s got a deep connection to the film and to our company, Global Creatures,” Pavlovic said.
“The film was made here on the Fox lot (now the Disney lot), and we’re headquartered here in Sydney. When we finally got to bring the show here, after the pandemic, it really was a lifeline to audiences, and it was the very kind of experience people needed.”
The production proved an enormous hit with Sydney audiences, selling out its 2022 season and leaving plenty of fans eager for another chance to experience the spectacle.
“We were amazed and delighted that the season sold out, and we just couldn’t meet the demand,” Pavlovic said. “So we’ve had incredible support for the show to come back.”
Why the show’s return matters for Sydney theatre
The return of Moulin Rouge! comes at a significant time for Sydney’s theatre scene, as the industry grapples with rising production costs, financial pressures and questions about the long-term sustainability of commercial musicals.
For Pavlovic, however, the production’s return reminds us of the appetite for live entertainment when audiences are offered an experience that feels genuinely unmissable.
“Theatres seem to present an opportunity more than ever for people to come together, connect, feel like they belong to something and get an experience that you just can’t get on a screen,” she said.
The production also represents a significant investment in Australian theatrical talent. Global Creatures received more than 2,000 submissions and held over 500 auditions to fill just 34 roles in the new company, underlining the depth of local talent competing for opportunities in the industry.
Pavlovic says it’s “exciting for us to nurture new generations of talent”, a commitment that has been central to Global Creatures since its founding with Melbourne businessman Gerry Ryan in 2007. From the outset, the company has been driven by the ambition to prove that Australian productions can stand alongside the world’s biggest theatrical hits.
The success of Moulin Rouge!, which began as an Australian-produced musical before opening on Broadway and expanding into international markets, offers a powerful example of that ambition. Its return to Sydney also brings that global success story back to the city where the company is based, while giving a new generation of Australian performers the chance to take centre stage.
Meet Sydney’s Satine and Christian
Taking on the coveted role of Satine is Erin Clare, whose previous credits include Heathers the Musical, We Will Rock You, American Idiot and High Fidelity.
Clare recently starred as Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice the Musical, which ran at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre for just over four months before its planned Sydney, Perth and Adelaide seasons were cancelled. Her casting in Moulin Rouge! The Musical marks a welcome return to Sydney’s stage, offering Clare another opportunity to take centre stage following the disappointing cancellation.
She told us that when she first saw the movie Moulin Rouge! as a kid, she “didn’t really understand the context at all, but I knew that when I grew up, I wanted to be Nicole Kidman.”
“It’s such a dream,” she continued, describing Satine as “powerful, stoic, strong” and “the ultimate showgirl”.
Her leading man, Nigel Huckle, is no stranger to the stage, having previously played roles including Chris in Miss Saigon and Tony in West Side Story. But Christian, the idealistic young writer who falls in love with Satine, offers a different challenge.
“Chris is a realist, Tony is young and impressionable, but Christian is an idealist and an optimist,” Huckle said. “I think that’s why he and I are such a perfect match.”
Huckle is a strong choice for the role, and also a sought-after performer. Before taking on Christian in Moulin Rouge! The Musical in March, he’ll return to the US to take on the role of Enjolras in Les Misérables.
Reuben Kaye takes on Harold Zidler
The final cast member to be revealed, the larger-than-life owner and impresario Harold Zidler, is Reuben Kaye.
He’ll bring his charisma and comedic timing to Harold Zidler, the charismatic impresario who runs the Moulin Rouge and holds the story’s extravagant world together.
Known for his work across comedy and cabaret, Kaye said the role offers a rare opportunity to draw on his own experience performing in burlesque venues across Europe and the UK.
“I think there are very few roles that I am suitable for, and even fewer producers who are brave enough to cast me,” he joked.
“But I think it’s one of those roles that speaks to my lived experience. I cut my teeth; I grew up in the burlesque and cabaret halls of Europe, so to bring that lived experience to this mammoth undertaking is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
For Kaye, the production’s central message of truth, beauty, freedom and love feels particularly poignant in today’s climate, and he hopes it will strike a chord with audiences.
“The world now is a scary place,” he said. “What we need most of all are the tenets of this show: truth, beauty, freedom and love.”
To find out more about Moulin Rouge! The Musical and to book your tickets, click here
