‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ dances into Calgary for eight shows

Check your gym partner closely this week. They might be a Broadway star.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical is bringing its first North American tour to Calgary landing at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium this week. It’s one of the biggest Broadway titles of the last decade, winning 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Its arrival marks a rare moment when a global theatre phenomenon quietly blends into everyday Calgary life before lighting up the stage.

Jeff Sullivan is a swing, which means he covers many roles as needed, including big ones like Christian and the Duke. As he packs his entire life into suitcases to tour the continent, he searches for normalcy through fitness.

“I am fully on the road, immersed. I have all the things I need. I’ve got two bags, some carry on items, and I just go to the next city and the next city,” he said.

Sullivan, who is originally from Newfoundland, has been touring since 2014 and says this is his sixth national tour. He joined Moulin Rouge! in August 2024 and has now performed the show close to 450 times.

“It’s the best one I’ve ever had,” he says. “It is my dream job” .

Between performances, Sullivan gravitates toward one place in every city he visits.

“I’m a big fitness buff, so I always love to find the communities in every city, whether it’s a group fitness class or CrossFit class or an OrangeTheory class,” he says. “It doesn’t quite matter what it is. I just enjoy finding the community in that sense” .

That search for routine, he says, unlocks a version of the city that most tourists never see.

“Once you do, you unlock a whole different part of the city,” Sullivan explains. “Instead of it just looking on TikTok, trying to find what to look for in each city, you kind of get to find a local experience of events or a market, a farmer’s market that’s happening. It just becomes a lot more familial and less lonely on the road” .

Touring contracts typically last a year, and performers spend holidays, birthdays and everyday life far from home.

“We do pack up our whole lives and leave everything behind for a year at a time,” Sullivan says. “So it can be hard, especially during the holidays, but finding the locals and meeting those people along the way makes a big difference” .

Based on Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film, Moulin Rouge! The Musical expands the story into a nearly three hour immersive experience filled with lavish costumes, high energy choreography and a music catalogue that spans more than 160 years. Familiar songs from the film return, layered with newer hits released since the movie’s debut.

“If you love it from 2001 when Moulin Rouge came out, it is that multiplied,” Sullivan says. “A Broadway musical is two hours and 45 minutes with an intermission, so you’re going to get more songs. It’s been updated. You’ve got Gaga in there. You’ve got Beyoncé.”

He encourages audiences to arrive early.

“The second you walk into the show, you feel like you’re immersed,” Sullivan says. “Get there 10 minutes early. We have a little pre-show that happens where people linger on stage. It’s very sexual, very fun” .

For Sullivan, one moment stands out every night.

“The best part of the entire show is ‘Roxanne,'” he says. “It’s such a good rock song. It is danced by the ensemble impeccably. It’s just absolutely stunning visually and aurally” .

Moulin Rouge! The Musical plays the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium from Jan. 6 to 11, 2026, presented by Broadway Across Canada.

Tickets are available through BroadwayAcrossCanada.ca and Ticketmaster.