By Cindy Whitehair
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a musical based 1831 novel of the same name written by Victor Hugo and with songs from the 1996 Walt Disney adaptation. I have been waiting for this show since the movie came out. It’s playing in Logan in the beautiful Ellen Eccles Theater, a nearly 100 year-old building in the heart of Logan’s Historic District. Remodeled in 1991 and restored to her original glory, the Ellen Eccles Theater is home to the largest full production stage north of Salt Lake County. This Neo-Classical delight is on the National Register of Historic Places and for a very good reason – this is a stunning building. It is a poignant and beautiful building to house The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame tells the story of Quasimodo (Ezekiel Andrew), the hunchback, bell ringer at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris France, his uncle/caretaker the Archdeacon of Paris, Dom Claude Frollo, (Kevin Nakatani.) The year is 1482, during the Feast of Fools. Quasimodo has snuck out of the cathedral (against his uncle’s warnings) to see the festival. The beautiful (and kind) Esmeralda encourages Quasimodo to enter the contest for the “King of Fools” and he wins—until everyone realizes that he is the deformed bell ringer and they begin to taunt and beat him. Esmeralda breaks up the attack, while Frollo looks on. Quasimodo is smitten with Esmeralda – the only person who has ever shown him kindness in his short life. Frollo also becomes smitten with Esmeralda and trumps up sorcery charges against her and orders his captain of the guard (Phoebus) to arrest her and bring her to the cathedral. Instead, Phoebus helps her escape, and becomes an enemy of the church in the process. Both are eventually caught and sentenced to die, but Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda and Phoebus escapes in the process. Quasimodo takes Esmeralda back to the cathedral and claims “sanctuary” but she dies in his arms after thanking him for being such a good friend. Frollo violates the sanctuary and attempts to kill Quasimodo for defying him but Quasimodo overpowers Frollo and in his grief over Esmeralda’s death, he throws Frollo over the cathedral parapets to his death.
Technically, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a treat. The set design (Tim Case) is perfectly simple. Since most of the action takes place in the bell tower of Norte Dame Cathedral, all you really need are stairs, the rose window, and the bells. The creative stage lighting (by consistently stellar Chris Wood) draws your focus or down as needed to go from Bell Tower to city streets and back again. The costuming (Mallory Maria Prucha) is equally creative and multi-functional. The “masks” (for lack of better description as they were carried on the gargoyles’ arms like shields) are delightful. Sound design (Carl J. Whitaker) makes the balance of full philharmonic orchestra and vocals seem easy.
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As visually stunning as The Hunchback of Notre Dame is, the actors shoulder the burden of this show and they do it admirably. There are simply not enough superlatives to describe the powerful performances from both Nakatan’s Dom Claude Frollo and Andrew’s Quasimodo. The raw emotion that Nakatani and Andrew give you will leave you in tears, as it did many in the audience (myself included.) Captain of the Guard Phoebus de Martin (Edward Brennan) and Esmeralda (Jessica Gruver) play the doomed star-crossed lovers who end up as the catalyst that drive both Frollo and Quasimodo into their own personal abysses.
Be aware, The Hunchback of Notre Dame the musical does not end the same way the movie does. The musical remains truer to the book in that aspect, but is still not completely true to the book. While there is no language and no sexual content, this is not a show for younger audiences because it does deal in some very adult themes (lust, bigotry, persecution of minorities.) You do find out what makes a monster and what makes a man. But all in all, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is well worth a day trip up to Logan. The soaring music and stellar performances will stay with you, long after you come home.
Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater presents The Hunchback of Notre Dame – a musical based on the 1831 novel of the same name written by Victor Hugo with songs from the 1996 Walt Disney Animation Studios film adaptation. Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, playwrights Peter Parnell and James Lapine.
Ellen Eccles Theater, 43 S Main Street, Logan, UT 84321
July 21, 27 1:00 PM, July 29, Aug 3,5, 8 7:30 PM
Tickets: $13.00-77.00
Contact: 435-750-0300, 800-262-0074, in person at the box office, 59 South 100 West Logan, Utah 84321 or online
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