The Hunchback of Notre Dame

I have seen and enjoyed BAOS productions many times in the part, but this is my first time completing a report. I did move from the allocates two seats in Row ‘A’ as I feared sitting that close to you with a notepad out would not be helpful to the cast! The show’s vocal numbers were not detailed in the programme, so I’ve used my best deductions to identify each one, so apologies for any errors.

To start with some context of the show,  The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a musical with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. It is adapted from Walt Disney Animation Studios' 1996 film, which in turn was based on the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo. The musical premiered in 1999 in Berlin as Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, produced by Disney Theatrical Productions and being the company's first musical to premiere outside the United States. It ran for three years, becoming one of Berlin's longest-running musicals. The English-language version, with a revised book by Peter Parnell, then ran in the US but curiously never on Broadway.  The musical is notably darker and thematically closer to the source material than the animated film, with Menkin and Schwartz repurposing and rewriting several songs to match the original tone of the Hugo novel. This included some original characters from the novel well as the new songs to extend the musical spectrum including Roma style. In trying to understand the underlying themes of the show - the original production teams commented that the show describes “how to behave when in contact with others different from ourselves” as well as being about "…Characters all coming together, all with purpose, all trying to do the right thing facing extraordinary obstacles... We don't offer a solution, but we go to this place that you or others may call dark, that I would call life."

I don’t usually start with the music in a report – but with this show I really must. Musically, the show was quite incredible overall. The quality of the vocal performances from the principals and the chorus in particular was absolutely outstanding and so great to hear. The dedicated Choir was the main driver for this, dressed with red robes to match the period, singing from books.  Not all groups use a dedicated choir for this production, though I understand Menken and Schwartz felt that having a live choir on stage was integral in achieving the full-bodied sound they had crafted – and your decision to follow this ambition really paid off. The music rests upon a series of musical leitmotifs, which are reprised either instrumentally or vocally.  The Bells of Notre Dame acts as a narrative device to tell parts of the story, which you used to excellent effect. As well as this, particular vocal highlights to me were Esmerelda, as the Finale of Act 1 and the extensive Finale of Act 2. The Entr’acte at the start of Act 2 seemed fiendishly difficult was extremely well-sung overall, keeping focussed even with a few challenging moments. Staging the Choir underneath the two first stage levels supported this greatly. Vocal support from the Story-Tellers was excellent too. The Orchestra were well-controlled and accurate and well-integrated with the vocals. Overall, this was a significant achievement from everyone involved – very well done!

The choreography was well put-together. Having the Choir also enabled the movement and choreography to be undertaken further by the younger and more energetic members of the Society. This dance experience allowed more complex routines, both as individuals and as pairings. Of particular note were Topsy Turvy, Rhythm of the Tambourine and the Tavern Song, though all of the choreography was most impressive. The sword fight too was well-staged.  Quasimodo’s ‘carried’ jump from the rope to save Esmerelda was very inventive and worked brilliantly. Great work overall here.

The fixed-set design was very impressive on entry to the auditorium. You were able to gain the height needed, particularly for a church bell-tower with symmetrical double-level platforms, allowing access from the front, back and two well-used side-mounted ladders. Between these were some quite excellent and well-used giant gates, which brought the whole structure together. The platforms were well utilized, including the seating of the choir beneath them. To change the appearance of the location with such a fixed set, projections were frequently used to good effect to help explain the change of scene – with the stained-glass window, the moving bells and the fire the most effective. This height did give some safety staging challenges with Quasimodo’s throw of Frollo off the bell tower at the end of Act 2. However, this is all the more impressive after I discovered a few days later just how little time you had to set this up with your production issues – very well done to the team who sorted all of this out in such a short period of time and for the cast and crew in working with it so successfully.

The lighting and visual effects were very well-constructed. There was a good use of colour - the reds and purples worked particularly well for me in creating atmosphere. Haze was well-used too, to support the lighting effects and it provided to be a suitably eerie effect. A good use of gobos and other projection was made creating a lot of great effects on the stage floor. The prison bars effect worked expertly and created a most dramatic effect. Some of the more intimate scenes and songs I felt could even have been lit a little less widely – just focussing on the key characters involved perhaps, which would have helped to drive a little more emotion into the action. That said, both Top of the World and In a Place of Miracles. were particularly well-set, combining the staging and lighting expertly.

As well as projection as we have mentioned to add to the atmosphere, the smoke ‘disappearance’ effect for Esmerelda and Clopin worked brilliantly. You probably needed something as dramatic as this for Quasimodos’s throw of Frollo and the thrown objects / molten lead on the people below to maintain the drama, which may have been just projection to support the action and heighten the tension. However, this may have been affected by your staging challenges. Properties flicked between physical props and those of the imagination, which I suspect was for a similar reason. Where used, they were very effective – the rope capture of Quasimodo and their reuse for the hanging effect in Act 2 was a real highlight.

Sound was excellent, in terms of balance between the orchestra and the performers and the principals and the chorus and choir. This was no easy task with the huge number of people and microphones involved here. Cueing went really well too, particularly with all the Story-Tellers with individual lines in various numbers. Sound effects where used were effective and on-time. Impressive work overall.

The costumes were well-thought out and very effective. The red cloaks already mentioned for the Choir were well-suited to the period and worked well with the range of cast. The costumes for the townspeople / gypsies as the story-tellers were of the period, bright and worked well with the movement and dance they were used within. The soldier costumes were effective too and Captain Phoebus looked suitably dashing. The principals were well-costumed overall - Clopin and Esmerelda were in appropriate attire and there were some impressive robes used for Frollo. The Gargoyles were spectacular and suitably grotesque, contrasting to their characters. I feel I know what you were intending and symbolising with Quasimodo’s ‘hump’, though I’m not sure it completely worked with the choice of materials.  Hair and Make-up was very good and appropriate for the period. Some really nice work was done on the make-up for the Gargoyles, and I think you pitched the make-up at the right level for Quasimodo. Overall, some lovely work here.

I think this is a really difficult show to direct – it’s a serious and emotional piece and there isn’t a lot of humour as a contrast or as an audience may expected. A really good use of the space was made and with a variety of entries and exits, including entering through the audience which worked really well for a lovely opening scene in particular. The issues you faced with your set probably affected some of your planned movements, as occasionally some of the story-telling and characterisations were a little flat, maybe as positionings were not always where and when I imagine you intended them. However, this didn’t affect the overall enjoyment of the production.

In terms of the principal performances:

Quasimodo. This was a tremendous vocal performance. Out There in Act 1 is the role’s signature piece which was performed exceptionally well. Made of Stone in Act 2 was a real highlight also. It is difficult to decide how to play a character apparently deaf from bell-ringing and with other deformities, but I though you pitched this all within the part really well, ensuring the role could still be articulated sufficiently. As required, you completely had the audience’s sympathies and engagement in your portrayal. Great work.

Frollo.  What an incredible voice you have and so appropriate for this role. Hellfire is this character’s central theme and you gave a terrific vocal performance here.  You played the part of Frollo very straight, which gave an incredible level of gravitas at the start, though I felt it needed a little more emotion in the dialogue once spurned by Esmerelda and as he falls apart when losing control of all he knew. Overall, a very impressive performance.

Esmerelda.  Rhythm of the Tambourine was effectively your opening scene and your impressive singing voice and dancing ability shone.  God Help the Outcasts and Top of the World were real show highlights that you played a big part in. I’d have liked more made of your interactions with Phoebus, though your death was a moving part of the show and quite unexpected to many and was the emotional peak of the performance. Well done.

Phoebus. You were every part the dashing soldier and played the part well. You sang your signature number Rest and Recreation most impressively. I felt some of the dialogue needed a little more passion with Esmerelda, though Someday was a really lovely duet. Nice work.

Clopin, You built a really nice character and acted, sang and danced the part really well, with Topsy Turvy Part 1 and The Court of Miracles being especially well done.

The Story-Tellers performed impressively too - you were indeed blessed with some great performers in terms of singing and dancing ability. All had vocal lines and narration to add, which they did with accuracy and purpose. As a point, an audience cannot stop looking for someone when they are singing a line in a group and sometimes this was difficult to determine with the Story-Tellers - just a little more of a gesture or a positioning step here would probably have sufficed. The Gargoyles are not the comic relief from the 1996 movie, but serve as figments of Quasimodo’s imagination, providing insight into his thoughts and attitudes, effectively acting as a Greek chorus. The parts were well-sung (Flight into Egypt and Made of Stone for example) and supported the story well. Your collective movements were well-controlled and very effective.

In summary, this was another very strong performance from BAOS, with some quite exceptional principal and chorus singing and movement. Sound and lighting were impressive highlights, but your set and how you overcame your staging and performance issues with it were little short of miraculous! Congratulations to you all. Thank you for your hospitality and a very entertaining evening out.

PLEASE NOTE:

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that his assessment will be effected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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