Bert LaBonté cast as Toulouse-Lautrec for the return Melbourne season of Moulin Rouge! The Musical

IN THE NEWS, MEDIA RELEASE

Moulin Rouge! The Musical is thrilled to announce Melbourne’s own Bert LaBonté will join the glittering world of bohemians and aristocrats for the production’s much-anticipated return Melbourne season, stepping into the role of Montmartre artiste Toulouse-Lautrec.

One of Australia’s leading men, Bert LaBonté’s career spans three decades across theatre, television and film. LaBonté received the coveted Helpmann Award and Sydney Theatre Award for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2012 for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman (Gordon Frost Organisation), and was nominated in 2005 for Spelling Bee (Sydney Theatre Company) and again in 2017 for The Book of Mormon (Gordon Frost Organisation).

LaBonté’s theatre credits include Fences (Sydney Theatre Company), Richard III (Melbourne Theatre Company), The Grenade (Sydney Theatre Company), Cloudstreet, Jesus Christ Superstar (UK tour for Really Useful Group), and Guys and Dolls (Ambassador Group). His screen credits include Five Bedrooms (Networks Ten), Pieces of Her (Netflix), Lie With Me (Fremantle), FISK (ABC), Jack Irish (ABC), Wentworth (Foxtel), Upper Middle Bogan (ABC), Tomorrow When The War Began (ABC). Film credits include Animal Kingdom (Porchlight Films) and The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee (Kathy Morgan International). 

LeBonté joins Des Flanagan as bohemian dreamer Christian, who stars opposite sparkling diamond Alinta Chidzey who plays Satine. Simon Burke AO plays legendary club impresario Harold Zidler, James Bryers is The Duke and Montmartre’s other resident artiste will be played by Ryan Gonzalez as Santiago. The club’s famed entertainers known as the ‘Lady M’s’ will be played by Samantha Dodemaide as Nini, Olivia Vásquez as Arabia, Chaska Halliday as La Chocolat, and Christopher J Scalzo as Babydoll.

The Return Melbourne season in August 2023 marks a full-circle moment for the production, which premiered to stellar reviews at the Regent Theatre in 2021. Melbourne was the first international city to host the 10-time Tony Award winning show after its dazzling Broadway debut, with the season also coinciding with the 20th anniversary year of Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film. The sold-out premiere season commenced at the end of the last Melbourne lockdown, and since opening around Australia the production has welcomed nearly one million Australian theatregoers with sold out seasons in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. The Brisbane season is also on track to be a complete sell out.

TICKETS

• Purchase tickets to the Return Melbourne season via Ticketek. There is no authorised reseller.
• Tickets start from $69 + handling fee. For those wishing to be surrounded by the action, a small number of Can Can! table seats are available at every performance.
• For best available tickets try a Wednesday 1:00pm or Tuesday to Thursday 7.00pm performance.
• All Moulin Rouge! The Musical tickets purchased through Ticketek are covered by the production’s flexible Exchange Policy.

Media Contacts

• Caitlin Irving, The Peach & Pineapple Co. caitlin@peachandpineapple.com / 0412 270 124
• Zara Bryson, The Peach & Pineapple Co. zara@peachandpineapple.com / 0418 677 702

ABOUT MOULIN ROUGE OF PARIS

The Moulin Rouge of Paris, managed by Jean-Jacques Clerico (CEO), is a dazzling and spectacular universe, the symbol of the Parisian way of celebrating since 1889. Starting life as a popular cabaret and dance hall, the venue became an iconic music hall in the Roaring Twenties, and then a theatre where numerous famous French and international artists stepped out into the limelight. Today, the Moulin Rouge and its 60 artists present the Féerie revue show: two hours of amazement between cabaret and music hall styles where dance scenes and surprise acts intersperse – without forgetting the Moulin Rouge’s most emblematic dance, the French Cancan! Since its creation, the Moulin Rouge of Paris has always been an invitation to live and share all the emotions and effervescence of a unique party extravaganza. http://www.moulinrouge.fr/ 

Photo by Daniel Boud.

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