Moulin Rouge! The Musical at Mayflower Theatre

Southampton's Mayflower Theatre is about to get a lot louder and a lot redder. Moulin Rouge! The Musical, the stage show born from Baz Luhrmann's film, lands on Commercial Road from 24 September to 24 October 2026, and it's the kind of production that rewards a bit of planning rather than a last-minute impulse.

If you've never seen it, the premise is simple: Paris, 1899, and a jukebox score that mashes up more than 70 songs, from Offenbach to Lady Gaga. It's a cast of 20 on stage, and the whole thing runs about 100 minutes, though with the interval and everything around it, you're looking at roughly two hours and 45 minutes in the building. It picked up the Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2023, so it arrives here with some serious credentials. Baz Luhrmann, born Mark Anthony Luhrmann in Sydney in 1962, directs, with photography by Johan Persson and Matt Crockett.

The cast is a big part of the draw. Verity Thompson takes the lead as Satine, with Nate Landskroner as Christian, Cameron Blakely as Harold Zidler, Kurt Kansley as Toulouse-Lautrec, and James Bryers as The Duke. Rodrigo Negrini plays Santiago, Kahlia Davis is Nini, Ann Sophie covers Satine, Ellie Jane Grant is Arabia, Scott Sutcliffe is Baby Doll, and Claudia Kariuki is La Chocolat. A full ensemble fills out the stage, with Sayaka Kato and James Revell as dance captains, and a deep bench of swings and covers to keep the show running night after night.

On tickets, there's a fair bit of room to be savvy. Balcony seats start at £25, with a full view of the stage and auditorium, though that rate doesn't apply to Friday or Saturday nights or Zone F and depends on what's left. The best seats, in the mid-stalls, are the ones to aim for on weekends. If you're flexible, the Tuesday-to-Thursday performances from 5 October are the ones to check first for better availability. A few practical notes before you book: it's suitable for ages 12 and up, children under five aren't admitted, and there are safety warnings for strobe lighting, flashing lights, fog, loud noises and on-stage gun props. The foyer and box office are street-level, accessed through the main Commercial Road entrance, and there are afternoon tea and VIP options if you want to make an evening of it.

There's a range of discounts worth knowing about. Executive and Executive Plus memberships shave 20% off a block of tickets on Tuesday 29 September, or £6 off the top prices on other nights. Groups of 10 or more get £5 off, and groups of 20 or more get £6 off plus a free ticket for every twenty bought. Under-16s get £6 off, and school and young people's groups of 10 or more pay £25 a pupil, Monday to Wednesday, with one free ticket for every ten, though that doesn't cover Zones A and B. The reviews have been consistently enthusiastic, with The Telegraph, Metro, Sunday Express, WhatsOnStage and Broadway World all calling it 'Spectacular!', the Mail on Sunday noting its 'sheer high-octane energy', and The Observer describing it as a 'whirling machine in which set, choreography and music lavishly fuse'.