By Julie Halversen Tate
In Draper, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is bringing Paris to Draper Historical Theatre. This stage musical, based on the 1831 Victor Hugo novel Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482, comes from the 1994 Disney Animated classic and the book by Peter Parnell is enriched with nine additional songs composed by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. The premiere of the stage musical was in Germany in 1999, and the first performance in English was in 2014. While the tale is an older classic, the themes of love, belonging, and good versus evil are no less prevalent in our day. Draper suddenly felt like historic Paris on the balmy spring evening when I attended.
The story centers around Quasimodo (Tanner Tate), the hunchbacked bell-ringer of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, and his desire to one day be accepted in the outside world. When he finally bravely attends the Feast of Fools, he encounters an angry mob who abuse him and he is rescued by the enchanting and beautiful Esmerelda (Navie Smith), a gypsy dancer. His master, Dom Claude Frollo (Patrick O’Boyle), and the captain of the Guard, Phoebus de Martin (Eric Smith), also fall in love with Esmerelda. Frollo has the power to hunt down Esmerelda and throw everyone aside who stands in his way, and ultimately Quasimodo must decide what is true love and friendship and what it means to be human.
DHT has assembled a fantastic cast for this show. Several of the leads are double cast, so on any given night there may be variations in the performances. Performance highlights include Tate’s portrayal of Quasimodo. He handles the role with tenderness and humanity, as if he intimately understands what it may have been like for Quasimodo to be trapped in the bell tower, with a child’s education and development. The emotion he infuses into the role is felt throughout the story, and the character growth throughout the course of the show is apparent by Tate’s performance. He captivates the audience with masterful vocals, from his dreamy performance of “Out There,” to the mental wrestle and anguish in the powerful “Made of Stone.”
The other leads are also exquisite. West as Esmerelda enchants the audience with her vocals and dancing. Her soul-searching performance of “God Help the Outcasts” inspires reflection.
Eric Smith takes the stage as an appropriately dashing Phoebus, complete with rich, charming vocals. His duet with West, “Someday,” stirs the soul.
Patrick O’Boyle, as Dom Claude Frollo, journeys from a pious, yet seemingly compassionate and somewhat likeable Frollo, to a creepy, lustful, destructive tyrant. His vocals as his character descends into madness are powerful and haunting.
Mackenzie Haslam brilliantly carries the timeline of the show as Clopin, the soprano “Queen” of the Gypsies, and keeps the production moving as a narrator. Her singsong narration is musical caviar! Together, these leads weave a rich tapestry of the complexity of humanity.
The rest of the cast and ensemble work together in every other facet of the production and perform roles as gargoyles, townsfolk, gypsies, soldiers, and other folk. Together they provide a backdrop of powerful harmonies and storytelling.
In the closing scene, as the cast sings “Finale Ultimo” and the characters embrace each other in true friendship and love, and as Quasimodo is rewarded for his undying, innocent love for others, I felt a renewed commitment to be sincere and true to those in my life who deserve my heart. If it can do that for me, it can do it for you as well.
Directed by Eldon Randall,, this production makes good use of its technical staff. The set by Robert Campbell is simple, with a few key pieces. At DHT, there is limited space for extravagance. A few benches and tables and chairs that are easily moved come on and off the stage, with a smaller stage and some high lofts. Anything more than is used would be intrusive to the space, so even though it is simple, it seems just right. The lighting and projection design are by Rob Reins. His contemporary digital backdrop is a nice touch and creates the real feel of old Paris and the Notre Dame Cathedral. The costuming, by Kylee Larsen, is quite remarkable! There are simpler outfits, like Quasimodo’s sackcloth top and knickers. Frollos’ robes, however, are layer upon layer of authentic garb for a Catholic priest, and the dresses of the townswomen and gypsies transport the audience right into 15th-century France. Phoebus shows up in a suit of armor and some of the other officers wear chainmail hoods. The gargoyles’ simple gray clothing is just enough to show their stone nature and allows their performances to be the center of attention. When the entire cast is on stage, it is a colorful feast. One of the highlight scenes of the show is the fight scene between the gypsies and the soldiers, complete with stellar swordfight choreography and town bedlam on the small stage. Dance Choreography is by Heather Shelley. It was amazing to see how much action and dancing can happen in such a small space. Somehow, the production team makes the small space work to their advantage, and there are moments in the production that sitting so close to the performers is advantageous and exciting. In the closing scenes, many of the viewers around me stifled sniffles and breathed deeply to calm emotions. It was so moving!
DHT recommends this performance for ages 12+ for heavy themes that younger children may not be able to understand.
Community theater is a gift, and this production is no exception. Come join the Feast of Fools at Draper Historic Theatre while Quasimodo can still be found out there.
Draper Historic Theatre Presents The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Book by Peter Parnell, Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, based on the novel by Victor Hugo.
Draper Historic Theatre, 12366 South 900 East, Draper Utah 84020
May 6-21, 2022, 7:00 PM. Matinees at 2:00 PM on selected days.
Tickets: $10-15
www.drapertheatre.org
Draper Historic Theatre Facebook Page
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