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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter.

Check in on your theater kid friends this week, because Aaron Tveit has left his Tony-winning role in Moulin Rouge again. This feels like a recurring nightmare for Moulin Rouge fans around the world. 

Tveit originated the role of Christian in Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway. In the five years since the show opened on Broadway, Tveit has had three separate runs as Christian. He left the role for the first time in May 2022, not long after winning his first Tony award for the role. He came back for a limited time in January 2023 and again in July 2024. He just can’t seem to stay away from Moulin Rouge. Fans have compared him to a kid who keeps visiting his high school after he graduated. 

Whenever Tveit returns to his role in the show, fans get very excited. They all flock to the theater to see if he’ll do his iconic “El Tango de Roxanne” opt-up, or to see if he’ll hold up his somewhat cringey yet iconic peace signs throughout the show. As the show’s life goes on, the anticipation for another Tveit return grows. Fans will come from all over to see him in this role. They’ll even pay inflated prices – commonly referred to as the “Tveit Tax” – for tickets to see him. His popularity seems to rise with each return. 

Tveit did not disappoint with his final performance this past Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024 . From videos online, you can see that fans gave him an extra warm welcome when he stepped onstage. Fans were thrilled to hear him do his renowned “El Tango de Roxanne” opt-up, and he even did a version of the song that was only ever performed during Broadway previews. From recordings online, you can hear the crowd go absolutely insane when he starts singing another song from the show, “Chandelier,” during “El Tango de Roxanne”. This is  considered a deep cut for Moulin Rouge fans, as this mashup section was taken out of the song during the Broadway previews. This mashup only makes appearances once in a blue moon. After the show, he even came out to sign autographs and meet people who were waiting at the stage door! 

Fans are confident Tveit will return for yet another run in Moulin Rouge, as he posted on his Instagram story, saying, “Until the next! Thank you!!” The official Moulin Rouge Instagram account made a post with the caption, “Until we meet again,” which made fans speculate even more.

All we know for sure is that the theater kids of stan Twitter were  in shambles last night, between Tveit’s “El Tango de Roxanne,” and theories about when he may be returning. Replacing Tveit is John Cardoza, who played Christian in the national tour of Moulin Rouge. He just performed his last show originating the role of Young Noah in The Notebook on Broadway. This will be his Broadway debut as Christian. Starring alongside Cardoza is Solea Pfeiffer as Satine. She’s replacing Joanna ‘JoJo’ Levesque, who also concluded her run this past Sunday. This will mark Pfeiffer’s debut as Satine in Moulin Rouge!

Emily Laird

Pace '25

Emily is a new chapter member of Her Campus at Pace University and she is in her Senior year studying Arts and Entertainment Management. She grew up in central Pennsylvania and has one older sibling, a brother. This is her first year in Her Campus and she is excited to write articles this year for the chapter! She mainly writes about entertainment and pop culture that interests her. In the future, Emily's goal is to work within the music industry and with live events. Right now she works as an off-broadway usher! She is actively looking for more opportunities to enhance her professional experience. After graduation, Emily plans on staying in the NYC metropolitan area to live and work. Emily enjoys all things creative. In her free time you can find her reading a book, at the theater, attending a concert, or crafting. She is a long-time Swiftie and has seen Taylor Swift three times and has one more concert coming up. Her favorite book is "Daisy Jones and the Six", and she loves the recent Amazon Prime TV adaptation of the book as well. Her friends would describe her as a hopeless romantic who is a little too optimistic at times. She is also a self-proclaimed 'fan girl'.