The 42-year-old part-Spanish Australian actress/singer has been cast as the lead role of Broadway’s Moulin Rouge! The Musical, filling the vacancy left when the Tony Award-nominated Karen Olivo resigned in April.
With the casting of Mendoza, the full Moulin Rouge!cast is in place for the resumption of performances on Friday, September 24, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
The musical originally opened on July 25, 2019, but performances were suspended in March 2020 when Broadway went dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
Mendoza joins a principal cast that also includes Aaron Tveit, Danny Burstein, Sahr Ngaujah, Tam Mutu, Ricky Rojas and Robyn Hurder.
The casting is a bit of a homecoming for Mendoza, who portrayed a can-can dancer named China Dollin Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge!
“From the moment Natalie was cast as China Doll in Moulin Rouge! the film, we knew we had discovered a major young talent,” Luhrmann said in a statement. “That young talent has now blossomed into the lead in our Broadway production. I could not be more thrilled that Natalie will be lowered in that glorious swing as Broadway’s Sparkling Diamond.”
Said Mendoza, “Having been involved with the film from its early conception, the role of Satine has always been close to my heart. This rare jewel of an opportunity to play a character like her on Broadway feels like a full circle moment. With this stunning group of bohemian artists and this uniquely conscious creative team I couldn’t be in better care.”
Mendoza, raised in Australia, previously worked with the Broadway musical’s director Alex Timbers when she appeared as Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Loveat London’s Royal National Theatre.
He starred on the BBC One drama series Hotel Babylon andThe Descenthorror film franchise.
On the film side, she’ll next be seen in the buzzy Cannes Film Festival film Annette, directed by Leos Carax and starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard.
Mendoza’s other credits include Michael Winterbottom’s futuristic thriller Code 46, Miramax’s The Great Raidand, on television, ABC’s production of South Pacific, ITV’s McDonald & Dodds, CBS’ Blue Bloods and in upcoming episodes of Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan.
On stage, additional credits include Miss Saigon, Spiderman: Turn Off The DarkandGhost.
The 2019 Tony Award nominations have been announced, with the 27-year-old part-Spanish American actor/singer earning recognition.
Fontana, previously nominated in 2013 for his starring role as Prince Topher in the Broadwaymusical Cinderella, is nominated in the Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical category for his work in Tootsie.
Fontana portrays Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in the Broadway musical adaptation of the film of the same name, which starred Dustin Hoffman as the lead character.
Eva Noblezadais now a two-time Tony Award nominee…
The half-Mexican American actress/singer, who received a Tony nomination in 2017 for starring in the 2017 revival of Miss Saigon, is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for portrayingEurydice in Hadestown.
Prior to appearing on Broadway in Hadestown, Noblezada opened in the lead role of Eurydice in the Royal National Theatre‘s production of the musical on the West End.
Sergio Trujillowill be crossing his fingers on Broadway’s biggest night.
The internationally recognized Colombian choreographer is nominated in the Best Choreography category for his work in Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations.
Trujillo previously earned a Tony Award nod in the same category for his work on the Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan musical On Your Feet!
Hadestowntopped all nominees with nods in 14 categories including best musical, where it will go up against Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations, Beetlejuice, The Promand Tootsie.
This year’s Tony Awards will air at 8:00 p.m. on CBS on June 9 from Radio City Music Hall, with James Cordenserving as host.
Here’s the full list of nominations:
Best Play The Ferryman Choir Boy Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus What the Constitution Means to Me Ink
Best Musical Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations Beetlejuice Hadestown The Prom Tootsie
Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play Paddy Considine, The Ferryman Bryan Cranston, Network Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird Adam Driver, Burn This Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy
Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play Annette Benning, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery Janet McTeer, Bernhardt/Hamlet Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me
Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom Derrick Baskin, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice Damon Daunno, Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Santino Fontana, Tootsie
Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show Caitlin Kinnunen, The Prom Beth Leavel, The Prom Eva Noblezada, Hadestown Kelli O’Hara, Kiss Me, Kate
Best Orchestrations Michael Chorney + Todd Sickafoose, Hadestown Simon Hale, Tootsie Larry Hochman, Kiss Me, Kate Daniel Kluger, Rogers + Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Harold Wheeler, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations
Best Revival of a Play Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
The Boys in the Band Burn This Torch Song The Waverly Gallery
Best Costume Design of a Musical Michael Krass, Hadestown William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice William Ivey Long, Tootsie Bob Mackie, The Cher Show Paul Tazewell, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg — The Life and Times of the Temptations
Best Revival of a Musical Kiss Me, Kate Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Best Scenic Design of a Musical Robert Brill + Peter Nigrini, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations Peter England, King Kong Rachel Hauck, Hadestown Laura Jellinek, Rogers + Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! David Korins, Beetlejuice
Best Sound Design of a Musical Peter Hylenski, Beetlejuice Peter Hylenski, King Kong Steve Canyon Kennedy, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations Drew Levy, Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Nevin Steinberg + Jessica Paz, Hadestown
Best Original Score Be More Chill,music & lyrics by Joe Iconis
Beetlejuice, music & lyrics by Eddie Perfect Hadestown, music & lyrics Anais Mitchell The Prom, music by Matthew Sklar & lyrics by Chad Beguelin Tootsie, music & lyrics by David Yazbek
Best Book of a Musical Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations, Dominique Morisseau Beetlejuice, Scott Brown & Anthony King Hadestown, Anais Mitchell The Prom, Bob Martin & Chad Beguelin Tootsie, Robert Horn
Best Choreography Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate Denis Jones, Tootsie David Neumann, Hadestown Sergio Trujillo, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations
Best Scene Design of a Play Miriam Buether, To Kill a Mockingbird Bunny Christie, Ink Rob Howell, The Ferryman Santo Loquasto, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus Jan Versweyveld, Network
Best Costume Design of a Play Rob Howell, The Ferryman Toni-Leslie James, Bernhardt/Hamlet Clint Ramos, Torch Song Ann Roth, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus Ann Roth, To Kill a Mockingbird
Best Sound Design of a Play Adam Cork, Ink Scott Lehrer, To Kill a Mockingbird Fitz Patton, Choir Boy Nick Powell, The Ferryman Eric Sleichim, Network
Best Lighting Design of a Play Neil Austin, Ink Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus Peter Mumford, The Ferryman Jennifer Tipton, To Kill a Mockingbird Jan Versweyveld + Tal Yarden, Network
