fORT yORK
sunday, June 26, 2022

moulin rouge!

With the short film Cell Block Tango: Reimagined

The third piece of Baz Lurhmann’s Red Curtain Trilogy (following Strictly Ballroom and Romeo + Juliet, both of which featured in past TOPS programmes), Moulin Rouge! immerses its audience in an immediately recognizable world of fantasy, drama, and romance. With each musical number, Australian auteur filmmaker Luhrmann reimagines the magic of turn-of-the-century Paris cabarets in his unique style, building a red-curtained stage of glitz, glamour, and dreams. When naive young writer Christian falls for the mysterious and beautiful cabaret star Satine, the two fall immediately in love, but are forced to keep their relationship a secret while they try to save the historic Moulin Rouge, one song at a time. This passion-filled and exuberant jukebox musical about forbidden love invites audiences to escape to a different time and place that is simultaneously every time and place, showcasing the allure and pitfalls of the magic of the stage.

Toronto-made short film Cell Block Tango: Reimagined weaves together the stories of a group of talented musical theatre performers, each of whom have experienced marginalization. Differences and prejudice have overshadowed their talents, type-casting them in various stereotypes. Director-performer Saccha Dennis takes artistic inspiration from the musical Chicago’s classic “Cell Block Tango” number to create an energetic and inspiring production that speaks to the barriers that still exist on the stage, and the need for equity in the performing arts.