What do you think of when you hear the words Moulin Rouge? Dancing girls, can can, music, movies, glitz, tourist trap, boobs…that’s what I thought of before I saw the show Sunday night in Paris. I really didn’t know anything about it other than some passing words from others and I knew about the movie that came out several years ago but I never saw it.
This was probably my 25th time in Paris and this was the first time I had ever actually thought to go see it. I had always heard it was a tourist trap and was very expensive. Well I am here to dispel a few rumors and confirm a few others and give you my honest take on the show.
First, it’s expensive. Any way you slice it, it’s expensive. The cheapest ticket is 95 euros and that is simply for the show with no drinks or dinner. If you add drinks, meaning two non-alcoholic drinks or a bottle of cheap champagne to share for two people, it jumps to 105 euros per person. It’s expensive but not egregious for a one-time experience.
It get’s egregious if you add on dinner which can run you about 200 euros per person if you decide to eat at Moulin Rouge in the cabaret style seating. My advice is to eat before or after the show. The food didn’t look that good and anyone we asked, said exactly that, it wasn’t that good-now onto the show.
The show is really fun to watch. It is an experience worth having once. I really enjoyed it. There were some parts I thought were stupid and could’ve done without but for an hour and 45 minutes of my life, I had a really enjoyable evening. Here’s what I liked.
First and foremost, I am a red blooded straight male. Moulin Rouge is basically a show of topless women in thongs dancing around. That’s all I’m going to say about that but if nothing else…eye candy is always good and for married men, you can get away with looking even with your wife there!
The whole show was essentially an unrelated series of events and little skits. They varied from dancing topless girls doing the can can to a bunch of male dancers dressed as clowns and other things doing really creepy dances. I felt like the male dancers in Moulin Rouge were kind of like lettuce-a filler with no real purpose.
They also had a ventriloquist, who was pretty funny and pulled multi-national audience members out of the audience to participate. There were lots of animals used as props including a dog, six small ponies…yes-small ponies. And finally there was a pool full of water that a topless woman jumped into, swam and danced with massive serpents. Again, yes really…that happened.
There were also some awesome feats of strength featuring a man and a woman doing some unbelievable balancing and strength acts that had the audience gasping. I was seriously floored by what these two were doing as the man lifted and balanced her as he contorted his own body around her. It was really cool to see and difficult to explain.
To summarize Moulin Rouge, perhaps the most famous show is the world-I will say this. It is a fun show. It is worth it to see it once. I may never see it again because I feel like I saw it, I enjoyed it and what could really change that would justify paying over 200 euros again. However, I am really glad I saw it and I didn’t think it was a tourist trap; at least not one that you couldn’t play out of (golf reference).
So next time you’re on the sex strip of Boulevard de Clichy by the Blanche Metro station under Montmartre and you’re thinking about Moulin Rouge. Go and see it, you won’t be disappointed. Just get your dinner elsewhere and don’t get suckered into buying any of that souvenir crap they sell either. Especially the souvenir pictures because they won’t let you take them yourself inside-hence why there is only one picture on this post. Enjoy the show.
Being a fan of the movie, I had imagined the Moulin Rouge to be this huge glorious show. However, every time I’ve been to Paris, it failed to attract me in. I’m glad to know it was enjoyable! Perhaps when I go back, I’ll make an effort to visit finally. Thanks for the advice, I’ll remember to save my appetite for after the show!
It reminded me of cirque du soleil!
Monica there were definitely some Cirque similarities for sure…I was saying that exact thing after the show
Haha yes definitely do and like I said, it’s worth seeing once just because of it’s fame
You had me at boobs!
haha nice
I have always been skeptical of Moulin Rouge because the movie was so bad and it seems like a tourist trap ut sounds like it is fun to do once…I will take this adice and do t next time I am in Paris, thanks Lee!
I never saw the movie but heard it was awful…let me know what you think if you ever see the live show
I would love to see Moulin Rouge. In fact, I would love to visit Paris!
Do it!
I saw it…yup lots of boobs! Pretty funny too at times and yes I could’ve done without the creepy dude dancers! Well put!
Haha appreciate that! And ya they were creepy…
what a concise review !! I’ve never heard of the topless woman with the serpents before. Also most straight women are quite comfortable with seeing other topless/naked women. But most guys i know , actually every straight guy i know would react the same as you. Men!
haha, thanks for the comment Shivangi
I didn’t know what to think when I saw it! I had heard rave reviews from a work mate and scooped up some tickets on line before heading to Paris. I had read it was a dress up affair and so we both “dressed” for the occasion – a nice dress for me with heels and a suit for my partner! Boy – did we feel silly as people in cut offs stood in line beside us! At first, I felt uncomfortable with the bare breasted women (I guess I figured a little more vegas show girl – revealing but covered) – but once I got past the misconceptions I had, I quite enjoyed the show as well!
We did do dinner – it was nothing spectacular, but it was a special occasion and we decided it was worth it on the night!
Thanks for the great comment Anita!
Plainly the show would not be the brilliant riot of Baz Luhrman’s film but I did not expect it would be so camp, so cheesy, so outmoded. There is no theme to connect the tableaux. There is no reason a woman should swim with two pythons in a tank which rose from the stage. There is no reason to parade ponies about dancers. The male dance troupe – bizarrely none of whom had a single visible tattoo, piercing or ear ring – seemed tired of the entire event and made little effort to dance as a troupe. The guy with the Russian stage name was determined to draw attention to himself by being so far out of step with the others it was funny. The costumes of the men and women are ludicrously camp and it isn’t outrageous to see exposed breasts – just gratuitous. Time the entire sorry spectacle was given the boot and the space was leased to Cirque du Soleil which, unlike the present incumbents, is in touch with modern tastes and can fill 105 minutes with brilliant entertainment. At the moment it’s like a sad seaside revue in a gone to seed English resort. Awful, offensive on so many levels and expensive.
A friend of mine was there 2 weeks ago and she could not believe how flat chested the girls were….any ideas why this is so???
Was there in July 2015. While the show was excellent, the dancers are fantastic and the food was fine, we were squashed in like sardines. There was not room to eat properly, you could not turn your chair to see the show. My husbands chair was constantly hit by the waiters trying to get through, the lady at the end of our table had to get up to allow the waiters through…not good. The lady at the other end was claustrophobic and she was meditating or she’d pass out. The food plates where being passed over our head and we were serving each other. Don’t get me wrong the show is a great hit and the dancers do a fantastic job. Must see but management need to rethink the seating arrangements, because its always booked out…now its down to greed.