Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2019-07-29)

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THEATER July 29, 2019

CAGES

Thegildedcages

nearthewindmill

andelephantcame

attherequestof

choreographerSonya

Tayeh,whowanteda

waytoboldlyframe

dancers.

CUSTOM“GILDING”

MoulinRouge!openedlastsummer

fora limitedrunatBoston’s

EmersonColonialTheatre.That

century-oldvenueprovideda built-

inornatenessthatMcLanehad

tore-createattheAlHirschfeld

Theatre,herewithbalconyrails

featuringcherubsandwindmills.

“Allthatwehadmade,”McLane

says.Whatlookslikecarvedwood

is coatedfoamthat’spaintedgold

withgoldleafaccents.

CHANDELIERS

Eachofthedozensparkling

chandeliersoverthestage

is different.“They’recheap,

fake-elegantchandeliers

thataremeanttohavea

senseofdecadenceand

lavishness,”McLanesays.The

characterHaroldZidler—the

desperateimpresarioofthe

club—wouldn’thavebeen

ableto“afford 12 matching

chandeliers,”heexplains,so

“it’smakeshiftgrandeur.”

THEATRICALIMMERSION

DirectorAlexTimberswantsaudiences

toimmediatelyfeelliketheyarestepping

intotheMoulinRouge,sothedécor

ofthestageextendsthroughoutthe

entiretheater—withdecorativesconces,

customizedwalltreatments,anda dozen

differenttypesofredvelvetandsatin.

ELEPHANT

Thefindesièclecabaretfeatured

a pachydermstatue—purchased

bytheownersfromthe 1889

ExpositionUniverselle—that

presidedovera gardencafe.Not

largeenoughtocontainliving

quarters,asit doesinthefilm,it was

still“abeautifullysculptedobject,”

McLanesays.