“Moulin Rouge!” has announced a returning pair of principal actors. Tony Award winner Aaron Tveit and Grammy Award nominee Joanna “JoJo” Levesque will step back into the production in the roles of Christian and Satine, respectively, on July 23 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. The pair is scheduled to appear through Oct. 13. Tveit will succeed Derek Klena and Levesque will replace Courtney Reed, both of whom will play their final performance on July 21.
Tveit and Levesque are no stranger to the world of “Moulin Rouge!” Tveit originated the role of Christian, winning the Tony for Leading Actor in a Musical. He returned to the role for a three-month tenure in 2023. His most recent Main Stem appearance was replacing in the titular role in the 2022 “Sweeney Todd” revival.
Levesque previously played Satine from April to July 2023. The singer-songwriter released her eponymous debut solo album at the age of 13. Her song “Say So,” a collaboration with PJ Morton, won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. Her memoir, “Over the Influence,” is slated for a September release.
Based on the 2001 film of the same name, “Moulin Rouge!” features Tony-winning direction by Alex Timbers and Tony-winning choreography by Sonya Tayeh. The Belle Époque-set book by John Logan chronicles young writer Christian as he falls in love with Satine, the star of the Moulin Rouge nightclub, upon arriving in Paris. The production opened on July 25, 2019, and went on to win 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The production recouped in 2022.
Besides Klena and Reed, the current principal cast of “Moulin Rouge!” includes Austin Durant as Harold Zidler, André Ward as Toulouse-Lautrec, David Harris as the Duke of Monroth, Ricky Rojas as Santiago and Sophie Carmen-Jones as Nini. Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Stephen Kopel.
“Moulin Rouge!” is produced by Carmen Pavlovic and Gerry Ryan OAM for Global Creatures and Bill Damaschke.
