By Tina Hawley
Grantsville Performing Arts Council’s production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, performed at the beautiful outdoor venue of the Grantsville Clark Historic Farm , is truly a safe haven for the outcasts. This musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s famous 1831 novel includes many of the songs you know from Disney’s animated film, as well as nine new numbers composed by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz that bring this play much closer to Hugo’s original work. It originally premiered in Germany in 1999, but the first English-language performance wasn’t until 2014. For such an old and well-known tale, this gorgeous retelling is relatively new to the American stage, but no less relevant for that, and I was so pleased to be able to view it in my own old stomping grounds of Tooele County.
The Clark Historical Farm in Grantsville is a history-rich location, with beautifully maintained farm buildings and a few scattered trees surrounding the stage and the lawn where the audience sits. I’ll admit, when I first arrived, I wondered how this quaint Kansas-esque setting could possibly be transformed into the sweeping grandeur of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Fear not! Despite being mainly staffed by volunteers, the Grantsville Performing Arts set design team (led by Phil Smith) has created an amazing set, including a breathtaking stained-glass window that caught my eye as soon as I saw the stage. When we were settled into our lawn chairs (Note: bring your own chair) and the play began, the spell is enhanced by the choir’s haunting music and a genius twist of sound design by Anthony Mesler that gives every scene inside the cathedral an echoing quality that really makes it seem like we were sitting in a vast marble building, rather than some grassy field.
Surprisingly, the story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame does not begin with the titular hunchback. Instead we are first introduced to Claude Frollo (played by Matt Price, also the director), a young ward of the priests of Notre-Dame, and his wild-child brother Jehan (Jason Matthews), who is expelled from the order for smuggling the gypsy girl Florika (Emilie Shinn) into the cathedral for a bit of fun. Years after Jehan and Florika disappear together, Frollo, now the Archdeacon of Notre-Dame, receives a summons from his brother on his deathbed, who places his and Florika’s newborn son in Frollo’s care before his death
Horrified at the child’s disfigurement, Frollo names him Quasimodo, meaning “half-formed,” and hides him away in the cathedral’s bell tower. Quasimodo (Phil Smith) grows up in secrecy, his only companions the bells and the gargoyles that decorate his tower. It isn’t until the arrival in Paris and meets Esmeralda the beautiful gypsy, expertly portrayed by Misti Smith, that the hunchback ventures into the world to see if it is truly as cruel as Frollo, his “Master,” has always told him. Unfortunately, there is more at work in the fair city of Paris than Quasimodo’s simple quest for freedom: the persecution of the gypsies by the Parisian townspeople has reached new heights, as has Frollo’s public “holy crusade” to drive them from the city, which works in stark contrast to his secret, definitely unholy fascination with Esmeralda.
Phil Smith is, in a word, phenomenal as the famous Hunchback Quasimodo. One major difference from the Disney film in this play, patterned after Victor Hugo’s original novel, is that Quasimodo has gone mostly deaf from constant exposure to the cathedral bells, and so has great difficulty communicating with those around him. The only exception is when he talks to his friends the gargoyles–enjoyably portrayed by Jason Matthews, Emelie Shinn, Amy Mander, Wendy Keetch, Kimberlee Whitworth, and Joseph Swallom–or when his thoughts are spoken or sung aloud to the audience. Smith switches seamlessly between stumbling, stuttering speech and beautiful songs that drove me to tears on several occasions. Quasimodo’s eagerness to see the world, subsequent horror at the cruelty he finds in it, and his determination to save the good are all heartbreakingly evident as the plot moves forward.
In many ways, Claude Frollo could be considered the protagonist of this story, albeit a tragic one, and Price fulfills this pillar of a role with precision. From the moment he steps on stage, the archdeacon’s religious zeal and fiery feelings are palpable, not through violent gestures, but rather through the sheer emotion present in his spoken lines. His song “Hellfire” is particularly powerful. Because Price’s physical performance is subdued, I truly felt the conflict as his growing obsession batters against the social and religious barriers he has built about himself for his whole life—the inner trapped within the outer—for a time. As Frollo gradually turns to darker and darker methods to fulfill his desires, he becomes truly a formidable adversary.
Watching Misti Smith’s portrayal of Esmeralda, however, I can almost forgive Frollo his obsessions. Almost. The gypsy girl quickly catches the eye of many with her flirtatious manner and colorful dresses (costumes courtesy of Deanna Hislop and Amy Mander) during her alluring dance to “Rhythm of the Tambourine,” but as Smith belts out the heartbreaking plea of “God Help the Outcasts,” the gypsy dancer takes on a whole new role as the advocate of all those whom society throws carelessly by the wayside. Smith brings out Esmeralda’s pain at her people’s persecution—and her growing affection toward the Captain Phoebus de Martin, played by Corbin Mander—with true feeling. Smith is also one of the play’s producers, and her passion for this piece is plain to see in her performance.
Mander as Phoebus has good chemistry with Smith’s Esmeralda and does an excellent job portraying the war-torn soldier, weary of conflict and haunted by the horrors he has witnessed on the battlefield. Phoebus’s slow journey from loyal cathedral captain to rioting rebel is gripping as events conspire to keep the lovers apart.
Shockingly (catch the sarcasm?), Phoebus and Frollo aren’t the only ones attracted to Esmeralda. Quasimodo is enchanted with her from the moment he sees her during the Festival of Fools, and their duet in the bell tower (“Top of the World”) is sweet and sincere, making both characters quite endearing. The fact that the actors are married in real life just makes this scene that much cuter.
The ensemble of this production deserves a triple commendation, as many of them are pulling triple duty to fill the play’s colorful character roster as well as several technical roles. Ensemble members switch roles from Greek chorus to gypsies to townsfolk to gargoyles to the literal King Louis XI of France himself (hilariously played by Ethan Rigby), with only a few wardrobe mishaps along the way. I particularly enjoyed the clever costume design of Jackson Deeter’s St. Aphrodisius, allowing him to appear normal one moment, and literally lose his head the next. The gypsy king Clopin Trouillefou weaves in and out of these singing, dancing crowds as a sometimes narrator, sometimes mob leader, though perhaps he should be here referred to as the gypsy queen, as female actress Carina Dillon skillfully uses her powerful stage presence to bring this character to life.
The music of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is familiar to many, though they might not know it. My friend who attended with me leaned over multiple times during the performance and whispered: “Oh, that’s where that song is from.” The messages of songs like “The Bells of Notre Dame” and “Someday” reach beyond the scope of the story to linger in our hearts, and even the fun pieces like the gypsy dance “Topsy Turvy” and “Tavern Song” are eye-popping and memorable thanks to music director Christina Ashby and choreographers Julie Jacobs and Jessica Matthews. The cast takes to the group numbers with energy and enthusiasm, often overpowering the sound system with the strength of their voices. There were several times I wished they’d turn the volume down a little, but mostly the actors’ skill and enthusiasm outweighed the effect on my eardrums. I’ll listen to Matt Price sing “Heaven’s Light” all day long.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is in many ways a sad story with harsh themes, but it is also an important one full of truths that we need to hear, beautified with truly stunning music. Differences are being tolerated and even celebrated like never before in our world’s history, but we still have a long way to go. The French’s persecution of the gypsies in particular draws parallel to the immigrant and border disputes happening on the news every day. I am always impressed when a volunteer cast and crew are committed enough to a production–and understand its meaning–to tackle the challenge with all their strength and resources. That is what the Grantsville Performing Arts Council has done with this play, and the result is fantastically moving. I call one and all (including the kids) to come support this amazing grassroots production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame–a timeless tale of love, faith, and the human search for that elusive “Someday.”
Grantsville Performing Arts Council Presents The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Book by Peter Parnell, Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Grantsville Clark Historic Farm, 378 W Clark St, Grantsville, UT 84029
August 2-4, 9-11, 13, 2018, 7:30 PM
Tickets: $7-10, no reservation necessary
Contact: 801-403-1288
Grantsville Performing Arts Council Facebook Page
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Facebook Event
0 Comments