'The Show Must Go On' - Original Film Version
Performed by Nicole
Kidman, Jim Broadbent and Anthony Weigh
Written by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, Arranged by Craig
Armstrong
Produced by BLAM, Josh G Abrahams, Craig Armstrong and Marius DeVries
This is one of the most powerful songs in the film and effectively sets the scene for the dramatic betrayal of Christian. Zidler sings The Show Must Go On after telling Satine that she is dying and must end her relationship with Christian in order to save him. But we all know that Zidler's main priority is the show and he believes that, in order for it to be a success, Satine must rid herself of the writer and instead focus on her new dual role as the star of his production and lover of the financier. The song depicts this sombre situation perfectly. Zidler's authoritative operatic vocals are in complete control of the entire sequence, and Satine's weakened voice is dwarfed by the overwhelming command of Zidler - the man who keeps her under his wing and forces her to do his will.
The Show Must Go On is extremely powerful both in terms of lyrics and its musical embodiment of the concept of the sequence. Zidler walks backstage as female costume makers join in with the song and lament with him about what it is they're all living for. However, Zidler's reflection is fleeting and, as he bursts through the curtains of his stage, he becomes almost tyrannical as he walks down the stairs and along the hall. This dynamic sequence makes me flinch every time I watch it, particularly when the camera focuses on the determined face of Zidler as he sings the word 'destiny'. While Jim Broadbent did provide a lot of his own vocals, he did have some help in songs such as this from the magnificent Anthony Weigh to give Zidler's voice its amazing operatic scope.
Baz Luhrmann mentions in one of the DVD commenataries that some people mistakenly think that The Show Must Go On is an original composition for the film. Indeed, I did not recognise the song until my friend Becky pointed out that it was actually originally written and performed by Queen. The original version can be found on Queen's 'Greatest Hits II' album, and is definitely worth a listen if only to compare the two interpretations of this powerful song.
Lyrics:
Zidler - Another hero,
another mindless crime behind the curtain in the pantomime
On and on, does anybody know what we are living for?
Whatever happened, we leave it all to chance
Another heartache, another failed romance
On and on, does anybody know what we are living for?
The show must go on, the show must go
on
Outside the dawn is breaking on the stage that holds our final destiny
The show must go on, the show must go on
Satine - Inside my heart is breaking, my make-up may be flaking, but my smile still stays on
Zidler - The show must go on, the show must go on
Satine - I'll top the bill, I'll earn the kill, I have to find the will to carry on with the, on with the, on with the show
Zidler - On with the show! On with the show! The show...
Zidler and Satine- ...must go on