Hunchback of Notre Dame

What an emotional and stunning performance. Not having had much opportunity to see the Huncback of
Notre Dame musical before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. However I was pleasantly surprised by how
moving the show was. Alex Weatherhill who not only directed the show but also was Musical Director
and Choreographer created a truly touching piece of theatre and coordinated an extremely talented
group to create this excellent performance. Everything from the staging to costumes was wonderfully well
thought out and really helped the talented cast a crew portray the moving story.
The venue was absolutely sublime and fit so well with the production adding great drama and intrigue to
the show. The main bit of staging being a small elevated platform was used to great affect and helped
the audience focus on the wonderful show. The lighting was simple but effective and all technical
elements ran smoothly and enhanced the experience.
There were so many notable performances by the cast, who worked so well together and made it
apparent how much they enjoyed working on this show. One notable performance was by Kian Moore
who played Quasimodo, he created a wonderfully believable character with so many layer that you
could hardly help feeling sorry for him throughout the show and become emersed in his performance.
Another one of the more memorable performances was from Amy Hunter who played Clopin, her big
personality shone on the stage and you couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiasm she oozed with this
character. Martin Richardson who played Frollo created a truly powerful character with complex levels
and dynamics and had the audience on the edge of their seats throughout. By far the most beautiful
singing performance was from Nicole Wade who played Esmeralda who at various points had the
audience in tears.
The choir, led by Andrew Davison and chorus were exceptional and created a wonderful opportunity for
each and every member to shine whilst allowing the main story to still be told. A wonderful addition to the
cast was some students from Coventry University who played the statues and gargoyles. These students
fit in so well into the cast that you would think they were solely a part of the ensemble. Another fabulous
part of this show was the inclusion of sign language into various element of the show ranging from
having Paul Whittaker OBE whom stood with the choir signing the entire show to incorporating sign
language into the choreographer. I have never had a chance to see a performance with this incorporated
and it really added a new layer to the show.
This performance was definitely one to see and the emotional reaction from both audience and cast
highlighted how truly stunning the show was. Alex and the team should be very proud of all the hard
work they put into the show. It definitely showed how much they enjoyed putting the show together of
how all the cast and crew came together. A massive well done Scarborough Theatre Company. I can’t
wait to see your next masterpiece.

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