The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The journey to get Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame onto the stage has been fascinating. Starting life in Berlin in 1999, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz returned to the show in America with a revised book in 2014. Quickly gaining a following, fans have been clamouring a Broadway production ever since (which unfortunately hasn’t come to pass yet due to union reasons). Given that The Hunchback of Notre Dame first found success in Germany, I suppose it was a full circle moment when the American production toured across the country in 2017 before making its Austrian debut in Vienna’s Ronacher Theatre in 2022.

For my personal relationship with The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I’ve been begging to see it on stage since watching the *slime tutorials* of the Papermill and La Jolla Playhouse productions and listening to the cast recording during my university days. So when the chance came up to see its final performance in Vienna, I jumped at the first chance to get a ticket. After waiting so long, how was it finally listening to the Bells of Notre Dame live?

Before I go on, I must acknowledge that The Hunchback of Notre Dame uses a racial slur to describe Esmeralda and her people. In collaboration with Roma and Sinti people along with Human Rights journalist and Board Member of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture, Gilda-Nancy Horvath, the creatives made the deliberate choice to include the term with quotation marks to avoid erasure. To learn more about the persecution of the Romani and the negative stereotypes that still affect how they’re seen in society today, you can read this article written by Horvath.

The only time I will use that word is for the name of the Sondheim musical.

Cast

Quasimodo: David Jakobs
Esmeralda: Abla Alaoui
Archdeacon Claude Frollo: Andreas Lichtenberger
Phoebus de Martin: Alex Snova (u/s)
Clopin: Mathias Schlung
Saint Aphrodisius: David Rodriguez-Yanez
Jehan: Roy Goldman
Florika: Sophie Mefan

Rating: ★★★★★

What is The Hunchback of Notre Dame about?

Under the care of his corrupt uncle Archdeacon Claude Frollo, deformed bell ringer Quasimodo lives up in the bell tower of Notre Dame Cathedral with only the gargoyles as his friends. Venturing out for the first time to the Feast of Fools, Quasimodo falls for Roma dancer Esmeralda after she shows him kindness. Also the object of affection for Captain of the Guard Phoebus and Frollo, Quasimodo does everything to save Esmeralda until the situation engulfs the city of Paris.

What are my thoughts on The Hunchback of Notre Dame?

Unlike Frozen, The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, the stage version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame falls into that second category of Disney musicals that lean into the source material while including the film’s songs a’la Mary Poppins. Given that fans have critiqued the film for its kid friendly elements clashing with the heavy themes of sexual repression, religious corruption, racism and genocide, I’m so glad that this stage version allowed the creatives to fully embrace the darker elements.

Finding that balance between Disney and Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame takes what people loved about the movie and even works around its issues to create something so unique. From the three comedic gargoyles being replaced by a Greek chorus who act as voices inside Quasimodo’s head to a new backstory for Frollo, the show adds more moral ambiguity than the black and white good vs. evil dichotomy of the film that left me with a lot to think about compared to other feel-good musicals. Gothically staged with Alexander Dodge’s beautiful cathedral inspired set and Chase Brock’s interpretive choreography, it brings a Middle Age story about social injustice to modern times that feels more relevant now.

What’s the music like?

Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz’s score for The Hunchback Of Notre Dame is among their best work, and to hear its majestic glory in the Ronacher was heaven to my ears. Stunningly orchestrated by Michael Starobin, the opening bars of The Bells Of Notre Dame gave me goosebumps as soon as they began. Honestly? It only got better from there. Inspired by traditional musical theatre and Notre Dame’s bells, classics including Out There, Topsy Turvy and Hellfire managed to stand out while staying true to the spirit of the animated film.

While I feel some Disney musicals have been hit or miss when adding new songs into their narratives, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an exception. Using the show as an opportunity to include cut songs like the stunning Someday and A Place of Miracles, other new numbers Menken and Schwartz created including On Top Of The World, Made Of Stone and Flight Into Egypt manage to stay on par with them.

What was the cast like?

The first person I must praise is The Hunchback of Notre Dame himself, David Jakobs (Elisabeth). Having played Quasimodo for six years, the love he had for the character shone through in this performance. Managing to differentiate how Quasimodo acts around other people versus on his own, the innocence he brought immediately made me endear to him. With a stunning voice during Out There and Heaven’s Light, one little touch I loved was the transitions into his falsetto that made me want to see him in a rock musical. Abla Alouai (Miss Saigon) brought fire and passion to Esmeralda in her fight for justice along with a beautiful voice in her numbers God Help The Outcasts and Someday.

The real scene stealer was Andreas Lichtenberger (Wicked) as Frollo in a career defining performance. While stern and domineering, what made his Frollo so terrifying was the humanity he brought to the character. Having moments of kindness towards Quasimodo and a backstory that reveals the personal reasons behind his hatred towards the Romani, it became unsettling seeing him believe forcing himself on Esmeralda is the only way to save her from “her sins,” feeling identical to real life figures in the Catholic Church twisting the Bible to manipulate vulnerable people. Add in a booming voice, it was no surprise his Hellfire got a minute’s long standing ovation.

Understudy Alex Snova played Phoebus in this final performance (principal Dominik Hees made an appearance for the curtain call). While I felt Phoebus was the least developed character, I enjoyed the charm and bravado Snova brought. More of a philanderer than his animated counterpart (less so than in the book I will add), he uses his hedonism as a coping mechanism from the trauma of fighting in the war and is the only man who sees Esmeralda for the person she is.

Mathias Shlung brought a tad more menace and order to Clopin in his fight to protect the Romani while making Topsy Turvy entertaining and crowd-pleasing. I must also praise the ensemble who switch between playing the gargoyles and townspeople, along with the Austrian Choral Association who added the grandness the music needed.

What are my overall thoughts?

Featuring some of the best music in Disney’s catalogue while embracing the darkness of the Victor Hugo novel, all else I can say is please bring The Hunchback Of Notre Dame to London as soon as possible. While intended to be staged in the regional circuit, I think seeing it in a theatre like the Ronacher showed it is possible to bring it to a bigger West End venue. Whether it’s somewhere grand like the Dominion or more intimate like the Criterion, I don’t care where it is as long as it means we can finally hear the Bells of Notre Dame ring.