Atlanta Ballet gives preview of Moulin Rouge” at new headquarters”

Absinthe, Can-can, Bohemians. Oh, my. The Atlanta Ballet gets ready to roll out “Moulin Rouge.”

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  • Andrew Alexander
  • The Atlanta Ballet warms up to give a preview of “Moulin Rouge” in a studio at its new headquarters.



Atlanta got its first glimpse of the Atlanta Ballet’s new production of “Moulin Rouge” yesterday at a preview party at the company’s new headquarters on Marietta Boulevard in west Atlanta. It’s the first show to be rehearsed in the Ballet’s new space, which is happy news for everyone involved. The company had long since outgrown its old headquarters on West Peachtree, and the new space is high-ceilinged, industrial, chic, spacious, cool, sleek, environmentally friendly, the whole bit. Unlike the old space, it even has (gasp) hot water. Most importantly, the dance studios at the new location are finally large enough so that rehearsal space is proportional to stages at the Cobb Energy Center and the Fox (In the old days, moving from rehearsal space to stage could be something of a shock since even the main rehearsal hall at the old HQ was smaller than the stages at Atlanta performance venues.)

And “Moulin Rouge” looks way cute. It’s not based on the Nicole Kidman-Ewan MacGregor singing and coughing up blood jumbled mess of a few years back, but has as its point of departure the famous Parisian nightclub of the same name. It takes a very novelistic, narrative approach to depicting the Paris of the 1890s, telling the story of a young painter who arrives in Paris and falls for a laundrette whose ambition is to become a performer at the Moulin Rouge. Dancing ensues. The preview audience of ballet patrons sipped champagne and were clearly delighted with what they saw. The show looks to be right on course to finding a sweet spot for Atlanta ballet fans: lots of Belle Epoque romance, Parisian glamor, elaborate historical costumes, and elegant dance mixed with the lightest touch of camp and humor. Like a warm slice of tarte tatin chased down with a shot of absinthe. Perfect for a chilly autumn evening in late October.

“Moulin Rouge” opens October 22 at 8 pm and runs for nine performances at the Cobb Energy Centre. Tickets start at $20. For more information visit Atlanta Ballet.

Watch a short preview from “Moulin Rouge” after the jump.