Fresh from the West End and Broadway, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is this month stopping off in Birmingham. The production has earned standing ovations throughout its world tour - no doubt in part thanks to its glitz, grandeur and unapologetic jukebox soundtrack. For Kurt Kansley, who plays Parisian painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the show, the adoration flows both ways.

Kurt caught up with What’s On to explain why the musical holds a special place in his heart...

The Broadway and West End blockbuster Moulin Rouge! The Musical opens at Birmingham Hippodrome this month and promises to be a high-kicking song & dance extravaganza.

Based on the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, it tells the love story of dancer Satine and writer Christian, set against the heady parties of Paris’ most famous nightclub.
Among the host of colourful characters who feature in the tale is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, based on the real-life late 19th century artist and played in the show by actor Kurt Kansley.

Kurt hails from Australia and has lived in the UK for 22 years, along the way playing parts in a host of hit shows, including The Lion King, Guys And Dolls, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Miss Saigon and Hair. He says that Moulin Rouge! is a spectacle not to be missed.

“It’s an incredible show. I’ve done some big shows before, and they often come with problems because they are big machines, but this has been a dream because it’s run very well. The creative team are meticulous about keeping the show at a certain standard, and the dancers work so hard, as do all of the actors on stage.

“The show is a beautiful spectacle. The costumes are incredible; then there’s the orchestrations and the band. In many ways, I loved it when I watched it, but doing the show is even more fun. As soon as I step over the threshold onto the stage, I come alive. And there’s this beautiful love story and some wonderful songs. It’s an amalgamation of everything.”

Alongside acting, Kurt is also a musician, a teacher and a writer of musicals. In fact, he was seriously considering hanging up his acting shoes to move into other areas of the theatre world when the chance to play Toulouse-Lautrec came along.

“It has just refreshed everything; I love it. Toulouse-Lautrec is one of the few characters based on a true historic character: the artist who painted a lot of the famous images that you see when you go to Paris - and buy a fridge magnet! He painted for the Moulin Rouge and painted a lot of its characters.

“In the show, Toulouse-Lautrec represents the bohemians, the creatives. In the rehearsal process, I studied his background, and he was actually quite an aristocratic figure; he was a descendant of the king. It’s set in 1899, which is when France was well into its Republic phase. He wanted to escape the world of money and aristocracy, so threw himself into the slums of Paris to live among the bohemians and experience the artist’s life. So they kind of build on that narrative in his character in the show, and in a way he’s the leader of the bohemian group.

“It’s one of the best roles I’ve ever played. It’s a lovely mixture. The show starts quite energetically, with these lovely comedy moments - but then, as we get into Act Two, there are so many heartfelt and touching scenes that he’s involved in.”

Alongside his research, Kurt also had to perfect his accent.

“I’m the only character that has a French accent, even though the show is set in Paris. I worked with our lovely linguistics coach, who looks after the West End as well, which was a really nice challenge for me.

“I was born in South Africa and moved to Australia as a young boy. I love accents and playing with accents; I think that’s an actor’s default. We like to listen and then play and mimic. I enjoy all those challenges.”

The stage musical features excerpts from more than 70 songs, and Kurt gets to sing one of the show’s most famous: Nature Boy. The song is particularly special for the actor.

“I’m a jazz pianist as well, so in between working in theatre jobs, I would play in jazz venues in Australia, and also in London. When I was working in different West End shows, afterwards I would go and play some jazz music in little jazz bars. My favourite song in the world is Nature Boy, and it always has been.

“There’s a lot of lovely history about the song. It was written by a composer called Eden Ahbez, a hippy in the 1940s who lived under the Hollywood sign. He wrote one song, this beautiful song, and it’s been covered by so many artists.

“The message and the last lyric in the song is ‘The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.’ The lyrics and the message in the song are so poignant and so important - it’s such an important part of the message of Moulin Rouge!, and I guess of life as well.”

And it’s a message which Kurt has certainly taken to heart: “I got married in May, and one of the readings that me and my husband had at the wedding was Nature Boy, because the lyrics are so beautiful. Sometimes, when I’m singing the song, I have a little emotional moment. It’s so lovely, because the show starts with this big band and these huge numbers, and then I have this one moment with just me and a guitar, and the guitarist plays so beautifully. It is very serendipitous that I get to sing that song.”

The national tour of Moulin Rouge! began in April, and Kurt says audiences are enjoying the experience.

“I can guarantee that the Birmingham audiences are going to love this show. Every night we get a standing ovation. There’s a moment at the end of the show where we are all standing still and singing to the audience. I look out into the audience and I see people wiping their eyes because they’re crying - and then the roar of the crowd at the end of the show is insane. I’ve never worked in a show that has so much noise and so much elation at the end, with the audience on such a high.

“There are a lot of things that audiences can get out of Moulin Rouge!, and there’s a bit of everything for everyone. There’s a fantastic love story, beautiful dancers, wonderful storytelling and a lot of nostalgia.

“There are over 75 pop songs too, from Offenbach to Lady Gaga, and there’s so much music that pulls at the heartstrings of any demographic of person who might have a memory of a particular song. There’s a lot to be said about a jukebox musical, and what I like about Moulin Rouge! as a jukebox musical is that it doesn’t apologise for being one. Instead, it celebrates it.”

Moulin Rouge! The Musical shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from Wednesday 15 October until Saturday 15 November

By Diane Parkes