Gordon Combes’ production of the new musical “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” for the Northern Light Theatre Company is impressive on many fronts.
It is an adaptation of the animated film of the same name (out of the Walt Disney Animation Studios), which in turn is based on the famous 1831 Victor Hugo novel also of the same name. The music is by Alan Menken (the second most prolific Oscar winner in recognition of songs and scores principally for Disney creations such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas), with book by Peter Parnell (whose other texts include On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Cider House Rules (Parts One and Two), and The West Wing), and song lyrics by none other than the late and great Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Wicked, The Prince of Egypt). With such an impressive pedigree of creatives behind it, you know before the curtain rises that you are in for a treat with ‘Hunchback’, and it doesn’t disappoint.
The story is well known, and for those of a certain age, memories of Charles Laughton as Quasimodo, the hunchback, in the classic 1939 film will come to mind. The story doesn’t exactly follow the Hugo novel – some of its darker themes are softened to ensure the musical has a broad appeal across the widest possible range of ages. That’s code for don’t scare the children (although there are two scenes that evoke medieval cruelty). Afterall, kids are the bread and butter of Disney box office receipts! Suffice to say, Quasimodo, who is horribly disfigured and deformed, was abandoned at birth and taken into the guardianship of the church. He was raised away from public gaze and eventually put to work as the bell ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral. He longed for human contact and one day, at the Feast of Fools, he chances upon a gang of gypsies and the enchanting Esmeralda. Quasimodo is entranced by her sweetness, and so too is his guardian Frollo, a priest of the church. Esmerelda rebuffs Frollo’s advances who takes vengeance by denouncing her as a witch. We all know what happened to witches in mediaeval times, when the Inquisition was rife, but Quasimodo comes to her rescue as does Phoebus who was a guard in the employ of the church but who wises up to Frollo’s sinister machinations. Needless to say, virtue wins out in the world of Disney, good triumphs, and evil doers are punished.
Hunchback of Notre Dame is BIG in its conception, and, with no fewer than thirty musical numbers, it’s a big ask of any musical theatre company to pull it together. Noting there are only five named principal characters, they are busy, very busy. They need to be quality singers and actors, and have stamina, and in Sam Mannix (playing Quasimodo), Andrew Crispe (Frollo), Catherine Breugelmans (Esmerelda), Robin Breugelmans (yes, Catherine’s real-life husband, in the role of Phoebus), and Parisya Mosel (Clopin), we have five very strong and convincing leads who work tirelessly throughout the show and give their all. Indeed, at the final curtain call Mannix looks spent. He has nothing left in the tank, and the audience love him for it.
The five principal characters have numerous songs to sing, and for the main part they are well executed, and their characterisations are convincing. Andrew Crispe is commanding as Frollo, and his singing voice is superb. His deeply resonant baritone voice adds chill and menace to the role. Although his articulation is precise, not everyone’s is as refined as his, and on opening night the amplification could have been raised to assist others in the company whose voices are not as well trained and developed as his. Having said that, it seemed sound engineering adjustments were made in Act 2 and the overall aural result was better.
In addition to the principals, there is a large ensemble (for the many choruses and crowd scenes), and an even bigger standard SATB choir. The choir is located in four cloistered areas on stage positioned over two levels, and the occasional antiphonal effects are splendid. Their choral singing is, apart from a hiccup or two at the beginning of Act 2, very good, and is even more impressive in the knowledge that the conductor is off-stage, and the entire cast relies on seeing and reacting to musical director Matthew Rumley via TV monitors in the auditorium. Professionals occasionally find this difficult, so kudos to Rumley for training the ensemble so well. Rumley’s orchestra is also off-stage, and is large. The percussionists and keyboard players are especially noteworthy for working with Rumley to keep it all together. Musically, the score of ‘Hunchback’ is challenging and the orchestra’s execution is a highlight of the production.
Sue Pole’s choreography is simple and well handled by the ensemble, and the few routines that leaned more towards rustic folk dances added sparkle. Combes’ and Ann Humphries’ costume design has a touch of medieval authenticity about it, and the principals in particular looked the part. Crispe’s ecclesiastical robes are impressive and create the illusion from the very start that Frollo is pious and good. Clothes maketh the man, sometimes! Early in the show, we see the ‘making’ of the hunchback. In full view of the audience, Sam Mannix puts on a prosthetic to simulate Quasimodo’s severely deformed spine, and smears black grease paint over his face to suggest facial deformity. (Think Charles Laughton!) He then adopts a husky tortured voice, and his transformation is complete. The audience is left in no doubt that physical deformity really is skin deep, and at the end of the play there is a reversal that is very touching.
The set needs to depict multiple and diverse settings. Gordon Combe and John Sheehan’s design is across two levels with a ladder and circular staircase connecting the upper and lower levels. It works well when it is clear we are in the cathedral, but not as effectively for other locations. In Act 2 Ian Barge’s lighting design comes into its own, and the differentiation of locations is clearer. The representation of the famous rose window of the Notre Dame cathedral is a central and imposing part of the set. In fact, it is majestic and beautiful. There are also various gargoyles decorating the set which add a nice touch, and the two large ones (down stage left and right) would likely be more imposing if they were raised on columns and explicitly lit.
Northern Light Theatre Company’s production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” is worth seeing. It is bright, colourful, well sung, well-acted and gives one food for thought about humanity’s propensity to not always treat the downtrodden and less fortunate with compassion.
