by Mike Hoban

 “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” – Book by John Logan, based on the 2001 movie written by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. Directed by Alex Timbers. Set Design by Derek McLane. Choreography by Sonya Tayeh. Costumes by Catherine Zuber. Lighting by Justin Townsend. Sound Design by Peter Hylenski. Produced by Global Creatures and presented by the Ambassador Theatre Group at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston through Aug. 19.

The Emerson Colonial Theatre officially re-opened its doors in explosive fashion this past weekend with the pre-Broadway run of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, an experience that could best be likened to a heart attack patient being jolted back to life with defibrillator paddles. The Colonial’s new operator, Ambassador Theatre Group, has spared no expense in bringing this 2001 movie favorite to the stage, and the results are spectacular. Simply put, Moulin Rouge is an absolute blast. Featuring a set that would make Cecil B. DeMille blush, an extraordinary cast led by Tony Award-winner Karen Olivo, and an ingeniously clever score that mashes up everything from “L’amour Est Oiseau” (from Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen) to Madonna’s “Material Girl”, Moulin Rouge is a visual and aural feast – particularly for fans of pop music.

Having never seen the movie, it is impossible to say how closely it hews to the original, but the plot is essentially this: Former street performer/hustler Harold Zidler (six-time Tony nominee Danny Burstein) runs the Moulin Rouge, a turn of the (last) century cabaret whose featured performer is the sultry Satine (Olivo), whom Zidler took under his wing after her parents turned her out to prostitution at the age of 13. In addition to her role as the cabaret’s star, she also functions as a courtesan for the wealthy patrons that help to keep the venue in business. Zidler has promised Satine to the Duke of Monroth – a stereotypically soulless one-percenter played with malevolent style by the wonderfully slimy Tam Mutu – but fate has other plans.

Christian (Aaron Tveit), an American composer who has come to Paris to write songs, falls in with a crew of Bohemians led by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Sahr Ngaujah) and his sidekick, Santiago (Ricky Rojas), the Argentinian dancer/gigolo. The pair are writing a musical they are hoping to mount at the Moulin Rouge, and enlist the talents of Christian to their cause. When they bring him to the cabaret, sparks inevitably fly between Satine and Christian, setting up the love triangle between the star-crossed lovers and the evil Duke. There is more at stake than just love however, as Zidler needs Satine to keep the Duke happy in order to keep the cabaret afloat, or the lot of them will be turned out to the streets from whence they came.

Moulin Rouge is anchored by a powerhouse performance by the captivating Olivo, whose gritty vocals and convincing conveyance of a sense of hope through her world weariness makes for a fully realized Satine. The boyishly handsome Aaron Tveit (who looks like a young, non-psychotic version of Mel Gibson) at first seems overmatched by Olivo, but redeems himself in the second half of the show, particularly on one of the show’s signature tunes, “Come What May”. Ngaujah and Rojas provide ample comic relief as Toulouse-Lautrec and Santiago, as does Burstein as the paternal Zidler. The design team has done a first-rate job as well, and Derek McLane’s set (which includes a giant elephant head stage left) is mind-blowing, as are Catherine Zuber’s costumes.

Much of the fun comes from the score, which stitches together snatches of songs that has the audience playing a game of “Name That Tune” throughout the show. So when Satine does her first number, it’s a combination of “Diamonds Are Forever/Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend/Material Girl/Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)/Diamonds”, and when the Duke meets Satine in her dressing room for the first time, it a Rolling Stones mashup consisting of “Sympathy For The Devil/You Can’t Always Get What You Want/Gimme Shelter”. The show does include some full numbers, including a really effective version of Elton John’s “Your Song” as its centerpiece, and Olivo and Tveit do them justice.

Moulin Rouge will never be compared to say, Cabaret, and is as much a spectacle as it is a musical, but its great fun, and well worth a trip to the elegantly restored Emerson Colonial Theatre. For tickets and info, go to: http://www.emersoncolonialtheatre.com/calendar/moulin-rouge-the-musical/