When Moulin Rouge! The Musical visits Alberta this January, audiences will have a Canadian to cheer for. Newfoundland’s Jeff Sullivan has spent the past year touring internationally as the show’s sole Canadian cast member—a homecoming he never imagined.
“I’ve been with the tour just over a year as the one-and-only featured Canadian,” says Sullivan.
His first stop through the show’s Broadway Across Canada leg in Toronto was emotional. “Being on this tour and taking it to Canada is a homecoming I could never dream of. To bring Broadway back to the people I come from means the world to me.”
Sullivan says he has family here in Alberta who will come see the show, which plays in Calgary Jan. 6 – 11 and then Edmonton Jan. 13 – 18. Sullivan adds that the show recently gained another Canadian castmate from Toronto, Justina Aveyard. “Maybe we’re taking this over a tiny bit,” jokes Sullivan.
Sullivan performs as a swing and understudy, ready to perform as any part in the ensemble, and stepping into two major roles: Christian and the Duke. “You have to be ready at a moment’s notice—months, days, hours, even minutes in advance. I once took over as Christian during intermission. When I walked out, the whole audience applauded.”
He says he loves the pressure. “It’s one of my favourite jobs. You get addicted to it; you get to save the day.”
Alberta audiences are in for a spectacle, Sullivan asserts.
“It’s a beautiful, delicious show,” he says. “Lights, costumes, and songs everyone knows. Pop hits from the last fifty years tell a story set in 1899, and I think that’s why it’s so successful.”
Sullivan grew up surrounded by Newfoundland’s rich musical culture and always participated in musical activities through school and community but says he initially planned to become a doctor. Everything changed after a scouting trip to Florida earned him a theatre and performing scholarship.
“Very few people around me had opportunities like that. My parents, my teachers were saying, ‘You should really do this,’ and that’s when I believed it myself.”
Today, every performance is a tribute. “I dedicate this show to my mom, Marina, who passed away six years ago. It’s an honour to come back to Canada and tell this story for her.”
See Jeff in Moulin Rouge! The Musical
AMA members can save on tickets to Broadway Across Canada shows! Purchase your tickets online and receive up to 20% off Broadway Across Canada tickets, and you’ll also receive a drink voucher for the day of the show! Calgary’s Moulin Rouge! The Musical performance takes place Jan. 6 – 11, with AMA discounted tickets on sale until Dec. 29, and Edmonton’s performances take place Jan. 13 – 18, with AMA discounted tickets on sale until Jan. 5. Regular priced tickets are available until showtime.