Kelsie Watts will join the Broadway cast of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” as Satine beginning March 24 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. The recording artist is currently making her Broadway debut as Jane Seymour in “SIX: The Musical.” Watts succeeds Meg Donnelly, who is scheduled to play her final performance as Satine on March 1.
Arianna Rosario will take on the role from March 3 through March 22, with Nicci Claspell serving as the Satine Alternate during that engagement. Watts will assume the role full-time later that month. The casting comes as the Tony Award-winning production prepares to conclude its Broadway run, with producers recently announcing that “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” will play its final performance in July after a seven-year run at the Hirschfeld.
The current Broadway cast includes Bob the Drag Queen as Harold Zidler, Christian Douglas as Christian, André Ward as Toulouse-Lautrec, David Harris as The Duke of Monroth, Ricky Rojas as Santiago, Samantha Dodemaide as Nini Hailee, and Arianna Rosario as the Satine Alternate. Directed by Alex Timbers, the musical features a book by John Logan (based on the Baz Luhrmann film) and choreography by Sonya Tayeh.
The score incorporates contemporary pop songs, including “Firework” by Katy Perry, “Your Song” by Elton John, and “Chandelier” by Sia. Set in Paris, the musical follows the relationship between cabaret performer Satine and composer Christian. The music team includes musical supervisor Justin Levine, music producer Matt Stine, and music director Andrew Graham, with orchestrations by Levine, Stine, Katie Kresek, and Charlie Rosen.