Uplifting & Joyful, Moulin Rouge! At the Orpheum

They arrived at the opening performance halfway through the first half of Moulin Rouge! at the Orpheum. Wreathed in a cloud of strong perfume and loud opinions, they sat four abreast, a bit older but not wiser, or perhaps unable to read the room. The audience shifted around them, waiting for them to settle, to quiet. Sometimes people arrive late. Things happen. As we watched Christian, played by Jay Armstrong Johnson, and Satine, played by Arianna Rosario, and their beautiful, tragic Bohemian love story unfold in perhaps the queen of all jukebox musicals, a noise started from the darkness behind us. Warbling, possibly drunk and decidedly out of tune, one of the latecomers was singing along.

Meanwhile, the action onstage was the singing and dancing spectacular that any theatergoer could hope for. Behind us the tuneless noises continued. Some people turned to glare. Others hissed at the unwanted singer to no avail . “Who is singing?” an elderly gentleman whispered to his wife next to me. Doubling down, the lone warbler got louder. Her friends began to whoop and cheer as if they were at a concert. Those around the group collectively rolled their eyes at one another and tried to focus on the show onstage. To be fair, this production brings a festive atmosphere. We all cheered. We all laughed. It is that kind of show.

Baz Luhrmann left some big footsteps to fill after the iconic musical film. The 2002 movie set the tone with well chosen songs that blended styles, genres, and culture. The stage production replaces and adds music in an attempt at an upgrade. Lorde, Katy Perry, Nat King Cole, and Lady Gaga are among the artists included. Lines of lyrics are traded back and forth in conversation, sometimes to a fatiguing degree, but it does work to keep the pace going and complements the book by John Logan.

It is 1899 in Paris, and hopeful poet Christian has arrived in the neighborhood of Montmartre. He hopes for love. He boards at a hotel across the famous nightclub, the Moulin Rouge. There, he meets a group of fellow artists.

Jahi Kearse, as Toulouse Lautrec and merry mischief maker, leads Christian to the club in hopes of collaborating on a new show. The club’s owner, Harold Zidler, played by Bobby Daye, is drowning in debt and attempting to woo a wealthy yet evil duke, played by Andrew Brewer, to partner with them financially. The leads sell the doomed love story under Alex Timbers’ direction in a fantasy of bright, tight, and often corseted costumes by Catherine Zuber. Set designs by Derek McLane cleverly remind us where we are in time, and the ensemble cast is jaw droppingly good at what they do. Dancing, dipping, and leaping through intricate choreography by Sonya Tayeh, they do not let the emotions drop. This production’s version of “Roxanne,” with Danny Burgos Santiago singing and dancing alongside Nini, played by Kaitlin Mesh, is worth the wait.

Both a homage to the film and to Bohemian ideals, and wrapped in Justin Townsend’s lighting design, Moulin Rouge! delivers on fun. Your spirits will be uplifted. You will likely leave the theater with a tune in your head as confetti floats around you. An absolute joy from beginning to end, Moulin Rouge! will be at the Orpheum until December 28.

Note: If you love musicals and want to sing along at a live performance, know that it is considered rude to the performers as well as to other audience members. If you really have to sing out loud and cannot help it, there are sing-alongs all over the city on offer, Broadway nights at bars, and karaoke bars aplenty. And if you truly cannot help but sing out loud in a theater, consider some singing lessons so that you can at least be in tune while your fellow theatergoers plot your downfall.

“Moulin Rogue! The Musical” continues through December 28 at the Opheum Theater in San Francisco. Tickets range from $72-$308. Visit broadwaysf.com for more info.