Each time the nationally touring production of “Moulin Rouge!” rolls into a new city, an entire truck is required to transport the show’s costumes: a rainbow palette of corsets, cancan skirts, tailcoats, top hats and heeled boots that evokes the opulence of the 1899 Parisian setting. In total, the production travels with 297 costumes for the principal actors and ensemble performers, plus about 200 for understudies and swings.
Wardrobe supervisor Michael Hannah oversees this demanding operation, assisted by three touring members of the wardrobe department. In each city, the production hires local theater professionals for additional roles: a stitcher, a launderer and nine dressers who learn the show from Hannah’s team. Together, they execute the complex backstage choreography that delivers eight shows a week for audiences.
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is currently playing through April 20 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.
Based on the 2001 film by Baz Luhrmann, the jukebox musical takes its name from a famous French nightclub — founded in the 19th century and still open today — and follows a fictional romance between cabaret performer Satine and bohemian songwriter Christian. As with the movie, the musical is a visual spectacle; among the 10 Tony Awards the Broadway production won in 2021, Catherine Zuber took home the honor for best costume design of a musical.
The Tribune recently took a backstage tour of the Cadillac Palace with Hannah and Arianna Rosario, who stars as Satine in the touring company. Among the items on display were the diamond-inspired dress and 20-yard boa in which Satine makes her dramatic entrance, a beaded green dress that she wears with fairy wings during an absinthe-fueled dream sequence, cancan skirts with colorful ruffles on their undersides, bejeweled boots custom-made in Italy by LaDuca Shoes, a red velvet coat embroidered with the Moulin Rouge’s iconic windmill, and several pieces designed to look like they were hand-painted by the French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
The musical’s first act opens with the Moulin Rouge on the verge of closing, unless Satine can seduce a wealthy duke into becoming its patron — but for the moment, these financial woes are hidden behind the club’s glamorous veneer. The production design “recreates a period of time that went bankrupt because it was so lavish and exorbitant,” Hannah said. “It’s got to be spectacular. It’s got to be glittery. It’s got to be larger than life. … We have to make the audience feel that they’re seeing something that is just so overdone, overwhelming, and I think we achieve that.”
Hannah added, “I have to give it to our producers because they don’t cut corners. If I need a new costume for something or if I want to replace something, I’ve never been told ‘no.’” An important part of his job is “to keep it looking new and fresh and to keep the viewpoint and the wishes of the designer, because if it looks shabby, it’s not going to work.”
The overall sense of spectacle was one reason Rosario, who was a fan of the original film, was drawn to the musical. She performed in the Broadway company for over a year and has been with the tour for a year and a half, initially appearing as the alternate for Satine and stepping into the role full-time in September 2024. “My life has consisted of a lot of ‘Moulin Rouge,’ but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the show,” she said.
Playing Satine, Rosario has a dozen costume changes, some of which are only 45 seconds long, and she’s either onstage or changing costumes for most of the show. “What people don’t seem to realize is that the backstage part of the show is as choreographed as the onstage part,” Hannah said. Rosario added, “Even just getting water backstage is choreographed in, and I have little bottles — props on stage — where I can take a sip of water if I need to, because there’s just no time to fit anything else in.”
Hannah said of Rosario’s relentless pace, “That’s kind of the leading lady’s thing, but she’s amazing. She’s wonderful to work with, and it’s a well-oiled machine back here.”
“Moulin Rouge” represents the finale of a long and storied career for Hannah, who has served as wardrobe supervisor for major productions such as “Les Misérables,” “Cabaret” and “Aladdin.” Although he’s worked on Broadway, film and television productions, he has always been a traveler at heart. Thirty-five years ago this month, he embarked on his first national tour in Chicago with “The Phantom of the Opera,” and now, he bids the touring life a fond farewell in the same city. After April 13, the “Moulin Rouge” tour will continue with a new wardrobe supervisor, and Hannah will retire to his home in Florida, where he looks forward to spending more time with his dog.
“I’ve always worked in my field, and that’s lucky for somebody in show business. That doesn’t happen all the time,” Hannah said. “Touring is great. Sometimes it gets lonely; there are things you give up, but there’s a lot that you get from it, and that’s the best part. … I intend to go home and continue with other artistic endeavors as far as costumes are concerned, but this has been my heart. It’s been fulfilling and challenging like crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” plays through April 20 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St.; tickets $40-$150 at broadwayinchicago.com
