I fell in love with Moulin Rouge when I was 10. Even though I was too young to grasp the undertones in its storyline fully, I was just old enough to understand the power of femininity and romance. I was entranced. Enthralled. Fully seduced by the melancholy glamour of a magical underworld, tucked away in Monmartre—so much so that though years had passed, it permeated my subconscious and infiltrated my wardrobe. (And most likely inspired a desire to perform, which explains how I managed to finagle an alternate universe where I moonlight as a dancer. Sometimes.)
Of all the quirky things I own, this Discount Universe number—a mad, polka-dotted confectionary of a mini dress—qualifies as the most insane, possibly out-of-place piece in my wardrobe. I had to have The Montana the moment I laid eyes on it, and for two years, it hung unworn in my closet, not yet christened with memory. I never regretted the purchase even when I flicked past it, or chose another dress in favor of something less…frilly.
Because its moment came. I had tickets to see Moulin Rouge! on Broadway a second time (!) and this was the only dress I could possibly wear for the occasion. What better place than the theater district—amongst artists, lovers, bohemians, the curious—at this show is there to celebrate this dress? The first time I saw Moulin Rouge! on Broadway I’d fallen in love with the lead and the dancers, but wasn’t convinced by the modernized, onstage rendition of Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film just yet. To match the movie (much less top) would require the impossible: what could surmount nostalgia? Only the monumental.
And a second chance, as it turns out. I saw it again (this time with the original cast, which made all the difference) and left the Al Hirshfield Theatre buzzing with inspiration.
Or, perhaps it was the Bohemian Writer* in me—but Green Fairy or not, I bought into the Moulin Rouge magic.
. . .
xx
*One day, I hope, but at that very moment, “The Bohemian Writer” was simply–and literally–one of the specialty cocktails my boyfriend ordered for me (chosen based on the name alone): a blend fo vodka, absinthe, chartreuse, lime, cucumber, and mint. It did just the trick.
Your turn. Thoughts?