The Hunchback of Notre Dame

It was a lovely reception and welcome from the Lowestoft Players at their production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

The story is based on Victor Hugo’s novel with the same name, telling the tale of Quasimodo encased in the bell tower of the famous cathedral in Paris and his escapades.

Quasimodo (Casey Divall) portrayed the character to perfection with his singing and acting skills to the fore. Archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo (John Marjoram) was the epitome of nastiness throughout. A controlling and evil personification of his part. Esmeralda (Emma Venier) delighted us with her interpretation of a gypsy girl fighting for her survival in Paris and Phoebus de Martin (Chris Tanton-Willis) worked well with his counterparts to bring the character to life. These four had a good ‘togetherness’ on stage. The supporting cast were a big part of the storytelling creating their own animation throughout the show. The choir sang well boosting the ‘singing sound’ with a sometimes difficult score, but please note that it is unprofessional for a member to wave at family in the audience just as the production started.

The creative team (Stephen Wilson, Shirley Hurren, Jonathan Gibbs, Lynda Morgan and Deanne Dickson) made this show come alive with attention to detail in all aspects of every performance.

The choreographer (Shirley Hurren) used her knowledge of the genre of Paris in the 1800s with an apt style of the era.

A very imaginative set with good use of the stage, the levels used with the balcony and stairs gave the appearance of a bigger space to appreciate the musical play. I loved the bells moving appropriately when ‘pulled’.

The very moody dark lighting in the opening was excellent as was the lighting throughout with each different mood change. The costumes were ideal for the performance.

Slick changes of props and furniture always enhance the plot.

I really enjoyed the song top of the world, the cast portraying Quasimodo’s friend as stone, the powerful end to Act 1, the scene when Dom Claude was thrown by Quasimodo over the balcony very cleverly done, When Esmeralda died I found this very moving, well done, and the way that Quasimodo, at the end, explained about how two bodies were found intertwined together. Very emotional.

In my opinion be careful of the levels of music when speaking as if you don’t know the show it can sometimes be hard to follow. Additionally, with the use of more makeup, I would have liked to have seen Quasimodo look more disfigured.

What a treat it was watching a show I have never seen and being introduced to the delights of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Well done to all involved.

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