The Hunchback of Notre Dame

PGS Theatre Productions pulled all the stops out for this wonderful production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame! 

As the audience took their seats they were treated to a wonderful set, consisting of the cathedral windows, choirstalls, and gargoyles, nothing was left to chance, every detail was there, just a super set the product of a lot of hard work! This set the scene and increased the expectation of a wonderful show to come and that is exactly what we got!

The choirstalls made a perfect setting for the chorus, dressed in red cassocks as a cathedral choir of such a prestigious building would be. Often in darkness and very still, they were unobtrusive until required to perform which they did beautifully. Strong voices, excellent harmony, and great musicianship.    

 Quasimodo was a star in every way, the acting and singing were performed with tremendous skill and empathy with his tortured soul and deformed body. This great portrayal set the tone for the rest of the cast. His relationship with the gargoyles as his only friends was moving.

 Esmeralda (another star) sang beautifully and her portrayal of the Gypsy beauty with the gentle heart was believable and excellent. Her genuine care for Quasimodo was sincere and touching.

Claude Frollo was a truly wonderful performance, his authority combined with his guilt over his desire for Esmeralda, all coloured by his hatred of the gypsies blaming them for his brother Jehan’s death after a liaison with a gypsy girl resulting in the birth of Quasimodo for whom he had cared ever since, brought a whole range of emotions to this excellent portrayal. Some of the audience may have been confused by the white ensemble as these days only the Pope wears white, but maybe this is an historic issue and there is a reason for this

Phoebus the captain (also besotted with Esmeralda) made the part his own. Great movement, a fine voice and clear diction 

Clopin gave a superb performance with a voice to match, super stuff along with St Aphrodisius who was so convincing in the part!

The Gargoyles looked so good, frozen in their positions when anyone, but Quasimodo was there. Their movements were subtle and convincing, and the head costumes were brilliant.   

The Cloche Folles did well and moved well too, singing throughout, again great voices. The King was a great cameo with a lovely French accent! The supporting characters were splendid, however small the part, the performances were excellent. 

The lighting was very good, as were the effects. The burning of Esmeralda was extremely well done and the nod to the recent devastating fire at Notre Dame, with the modern siren sound (just enough) and the French fire officers in modern and authentic dress was an excellent and moving touch.

This whole production shone, and the quality of this show made it one that PGS can be really proud of, there wasn’t any negative thing to say about it. It was faultless! A truly wonderful performance. My heartfelt congratulations to all concerned especially to the Director Mark Sidley, Musical Director, Paul Foster and Choreographer Carol Wilson, all of whom with the various others involved did a magnificent job.  

It was an evening that I shall remember for a long time, alongside a most appreciative audience, whose standing up at the end was spontaneous and well deserved.

Graham Liverton 

Regional Councillor NODA Southwest

 

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