Moulin Rouge!, the latest blockbuster from Aussie production company Global Creatures, rocketed onto the diamond-encrusted stage of Broadway’s Al Hirschfield Theatre with all the hallmarks of a crowd-pleasing and very palpable hit. With an expanded, every-one-a-winner soundtrack, a first-rate, hard-working cast and a staging that looks a million dollars and counting, it takes feelgood to a whole new level in a clear case of “Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya!” all round.

Jacqueline B. Arnold as La Chocolat, Robyn Hurder as Nini, Holly James as Arabia and Jeigh Madjus as Baby Doll. All photos © Matthew Murphy

Nominated for eight Academy Awards – including Best Picture and Best Actress for Nicole Kidman – and winning two: for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design, Baz Luhrmann’s 2001, high-octane jukebox movie of Belle Époque bohemian life was the first musical nominated for Best Picture in 10 years. Given the film’s cult status, it’s no mean feat to pull off a stage version, but here it succeeds thanks to a bold sweep of the last 20 years of popular music giving the score a more contemporary feel and a...