Chungju Lee “‘Moulin Rouge!’, I felt like I was performing from the first audition”

Actor Lee Chung-ju's musical 'Moulin Rouge!' I recalled the time when I auditioned.

Lee Chung-ju met with Ten Asia at a studio in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 17th and told various stories about the currently performing musical 'Moulin Rouge!'

'Moulin Rouge!' is a mash-up musical that tells the love story of Satine, the star of the club Moulin Rouge in Paris, France in the 1890s, and Christian, a young composer.

On this day, Lee Chung-ju said, "As you may already know, 'Moulin Rouge!' I auditioned for a long time a year ago. In fact, I wanted to do it ever since I heard that 'Moulin Rouge!' was coming to Korea. Even if I audition hard, I may not be able to do it, but I still really wanted to do 'Moulin Rouge!'. So, I did the audition itself with all my heart. “I prepared. My heart started racing from the moment I heard that the show was coming to Korea.”

He continued, "I remember submitting the documents and preparing diligently when the audition notice went out. All the songs in the musical are pop songs. Of course, the people who judged the auditions were the Australian production team. At the time of the first audition, I sang pop songs with untranslated English lyrics. “I sang. It was my first time doing such an audition,” he added.

'Moulin Rouge!' contains over 70 songs that have been loved for over 160 years across three continents, from Offenbach to Lady Gaga. It is a mash-up of not only famous songs from the original movie 'Moulin Rouge', but also world-famous pop hits such as Madonna, Sia, Beyonce, Adele, and Rihanna.

'Moulin Rouge!' is a first-class replica performance produced to suit the Korean situation with the direct participation of the original creative and production staff. The stage set, props, costumes, wigs, etc. are used not only in Korea but also in the United States and Australia to embody the original production quality. , produced simultaneously in England, Germany, and France. As a result, it is also the work with the highest production costs in Korean production history.

Lee Chung-ju said, "I was singing during the first audition, and it felt like I was performing. It was my first time feeling this way. I auditioned thinking how happy I would be if I sang this song on stage later. I "I could feel nervous and anxious, but in a strange way, I felt like I was performing." 'Moulin Rouge!' “I had such a refreshing memory at the audition because I had fun with it. “I wondered if auditions could be this much fun,” he said with a laugh.

In the play, Lee Chung-ju plays Christian. Christian is a pure artist who has just arrived in the romantic city of Paris. All he has is natural talent and passion, but he falls in love with the sparkling dream star Satine at first sight and dreams of eternal love, 'Spectacular! A person who creates 'spectacular'.

Lee Chung-ju said, "The audition process was not easy, but 'Moulin Rouge!' After I was accepted for the role of Christian in the Asian premiere, I couldn't really feel it. I thought, 'Is this really what happened to me?' I was thrilled, but I was also grateful. That feeling continues to this day. It was hard while practicing, and even though I was performing. "It's difficult. It's a pressure to receive so many people's expectations and attention for such a big performance. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel pressure."

He also said, "I don't really feel like I'm performing while I'm singing. Even though I've performed quite a lot, I guess I'm just getting used to it. It's been like this for all my performances, but I'm always so grateful before I go on stage. I'm so thankful for the Asian premiere of my work. Being able to stand on stage and breathe as Christian. 'Moulin Rouge!' It seems like a work that will make me unforgettable for a long time as I begin 2023. I am having a grateful time. My main interest is 'Let's not get sick.' “I am so thankful that I finished the performance to the end, and being able to stand on stage is a dream come true. The audience is showing a lot of love, so I am having a grateful time,” he said.

Meanwhile, 'Moulin Rouge!' will be performed at Blue Square Shinhan Card Hall until March 5th.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr