On the Scene at Megan Thee Stallion’s Broadway Debut

It’s a nondescript Monday night in New York’s theater district, all grey skies and freezing wind speeding down 8th Avenue. But you’d never be able to tell from the crowd inside the Al Hirschfield Theatre, which bubbles with anticipatory energy. 

Even before the curtain lifts, the Broadway musical Moulin Rouge! never lets its audience run out of things to look at. Contortionists catwalk across the stage and second-story boxes while dancers pose around golden bird cages and sword-swallowers stretch over leather bars. The lights dim, the neon sign lifts, and a lingerie-clad quartet immediately launch into an upbeat cover of “ Lady Marmalade.” But all the excitement in the air has a specific direction, one that’s made abundantly clear as a familiar face is spotlighted through the heavy velvet brocade curtain. It’s Houston hottie Megan Thee Stallion, the newest addition to the Broadway show, clad in a top hat. The screams begin instantly, and they don’t stop all night long. 

“No matter your sin, you’re welcome here,” Megan croons onstage. “No matter your desire, you’re welcome here. For this is more than a nightclub. The Moulin Rouge is a state of mind.” A Broadway stage might not be the most expected pit stop for a three-time Grammy-winning rapper, but she’s bringing audiences out in droves. 

Simone Sanborn, 27, had never seen a Broadway show before. But when she saw Megan’s casting, she knew she needed to be in the audience. So she flew from Texas. “I’m really impressed with Megan,” she tells Rolling Stone. “I know Broadway shows are nothing to sneeze at stamina-wise.” Lola Kelly, Keena Ranero, and Janel Accor, three friends from New Jersey, made seeing the show a girls’ night out. “We live for her,” Ranero says. “It’s our job to support other Black women. So we had to come out.” 

“She’s stepping out of her box,” Accor adds. “She has star quality. She’s the It Girl.” 
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Based on the campy 2001 film directed by Baz Luhrman, Moulin Rouge! is a Tony-award winning musical that follows the heartbreaking escapades of Parisian bohemians dedicated to the ideals of freedom, beauty, truth, and love. The entire show is a jukebox musical, replacing most of the original film’s soundtrack with modern singles from artists like Rihanna, Beyonce, and Katy Perry. Everyone from Bob the Drag Queen to Titus Burgess has played Zidler, the gregarious and larger-than-life proprietor of the cabaret where the show takes place, but Megan Thee Stallion is the first woman to take on a gender-swapped version of the role. She operates as both the nightclub’s MC and the show’s personal guide through the Paris love story. Sure, the story makes little sense when you think about the mechanics of a Black woman owning anything — much less a nightclub — in early-twentieth-century France. But that doesn’t matter. There’s something playfully delightful about watching her demanding props, doting on a club full of sex workers and cabaret performers, and dazzling in sparkling bustiers and top hats, all while casually interjecting with her signature tongue-out “Ah” whenever the moment calls for it. 

Megan Thee Stallion’s Broadway experience hasn’t been all roses and standing ovations. The performer was forced to leave a March 31 show halfway through and was transported to a nearby hospital. The next day, she called the incident a “real wake-up call,” revealing the schedule had put immense pressure on her health. “I’ve been pushing myself past my limits lately, running on empty, and my body finally said enough. It honestly scared me,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’ll be right back on that stage Thursday, stronger, clearer, and ready to give you 100% the way you deserve. Thank you for always riding with me and loving me through everything.” 

But if anything, the rapper’s honesty in the moment has made fans even more excited to see her tackle Broadway. “I’m so proud of her,” Imani Eddins, 28, says. “She’s been through a lot these past few years. It’s an emotional thing.” The show has also clearly embraced the star power and built in fandom the rapper brings everywhere she goes. Audience members can buy Stallion-themed merch, which consists of everything from posters, keychains, and mugs to tote bags and T-shirts. And not to be outdone, the show ends its curtain call with a medley of beloved Megan Thee Stallion hits: “Body,” “Savage,” and her verse from the Cardi B collab “WAP.”
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“I see my girl over there turning up!” the rapper points, as the still-costume clad cast dances around her to “Body.” The energy is electric as previously demure audience members jump up and down, scream, and dance along in their seats. “Put your hands up, Moulin Rouge!” 

And that party doesn’t end even when the lights come up. People rush outside to crowd around the stage door, cutting off access to the sidewalk entirely. Some people walking by join the fray; others yell “I love you Megan!” as they walk to their next destination. It takes more than half an hour for Megan to make an appearance, all while the temperature continues to drop. 
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But fans are there for a reason, and they start up a round of deafening cheers as Megan once again appears. It’s chaos, with people shrieking and waving their Playbills in the air. One fan in a birthday crown and sash climbs a nearby tree to try and get a better view, ignoring security guards and a disgruntled NYPD officer who attempted to get him down. Less than 10 minutes later, that same fan is running down the street with others, shrieking and holding up their photos and signed papers in triumph. When I catch up to him to debrief about the tree, he’s too euphoric to care. “It was so worth it,” he says, matter of factly. “I’d climb it 100 times over.”  

As the crowd continues to cheer, the light from the Al Hirschfield Theatre stage door sparkles off of the phones stretched out to catch even a glimpse of the Houston hottie. It doesn’t matter that the theater is closed, the dancers have gone home, and there’s no music to be found. It’s like Megan Thee Stallion is right back on the stage — the Moulin Rouge’s sparkling diamond once more.