Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2019-07-29)

58

THEATER BloombergPursuits July 29, 2019

Secrets from designer Derek McLane’s sumptuous

set for Moulin Rouge!, the Broadway musical

adapted from Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film

By Brian Schaefer

Spectacular, Spectacular!

TITLESIGN

Theneonsignthatgreetstheatergoersmirrors

thecurrentsignageat theMoulinRougeinParis,

makingit oneofthehistoricallibertiesMcLane

tookwithhisdesign.CatherineMartin,whowon

Oscarsforthefilm’ssetsandcostumes,toldhim

almosteverythingshedidcouldhaveexistedin

1899,whenthestorytakesplace.“I triedtodo

thesamething,”McLanesays.“Butthereare

somecheats.”Neonis one:It wasn’twidelyused

untilthe1920s.

HEARTPORTAL

Inthefilm,theheart-shaped

windowintheapartmentofthe

courtesan,Satine,andrecurring

heartsinthenightclubstood

outforMcLane.Tocapture

thebusyenergyofLuhrmann’s

quickediting,McLaneriffed

ontheheartshape,creatinga

seriesofcontrastinglayersof

water-jet-cutsteellattices—

“significantlymoreelaborate

thantheywere”inthesetfrom

themovie,hesays.

MONIQUE CARBONI

WINDMILL

Theiconicwindmillthatgivestheclub

itsnamerequireda dramaticpresence,

buttherewasn’troomonstage.So

McLanecommandeeredboxseatsforit

andputanelephantontheotherside.

“Itwasreallyjustanactofwhimsy,”

hesays.“Wouldn’tit beoutrageous

toviolatethetheaterwiththisgiant

elephantandthisgiantwindmill?”

CURTAINS

MoulinRouge!wasthethirdfilm

inLuhrmann’sRedCurtainTrilogy,

precededbyStrictlyBallroomand

WilliamShakespeare’sRomeo+ Juliet.

Thus,thecoloraboundsinMcLane’s

design.“Reddrapesarea classicpart

oftheater—youassociatethemwith

Broadway,”hesays.Buttheyalsoevoke

boudoirsandbrothels.“Dependingon

whattypeofredyouuse,theycanbe

classy,ortheycanbereallydecadent.

I pushit towardthedecadent.”