In 24 hours, Justin Levine went from happily, furiously working on arrangements for “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” to wondering how to redo half the show after watching a dozen songs evaporate.
In 24 hours, Justin Levine went from happily, furiously working on arrangements for “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” to wondering how to redo half the show after watching a dozen songs evaporate.
“In one day, we lost 12 songs scattered across Act One,” Levine told the Herald. “It was endlessly frustrating, endlessly. It was an exercise in attachment.”
As arranger, orchestrator, and music supervisor, Levine’s job was to build “Moulin Rouge” out of a century of pop songs. The musical, which runs Jan. 16 to Feb. 4 at the Citizens Bank Opera House, features bits and pieces of 70 some songs composed by more than twice as many writers. Very few tunes were off the table and the end result uses works by Nat King Cole, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Beyonce, and Adele.
Levine and the production team had to secure the rights to each scrap of music. When they could get the rights, they lost weeks of work.
