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From nowhere came
A new unknown Live in Glass --Notre Dame de Paris English lyrics by Will Jennings
[original French by Luc Plamondon; music by Richard Cocciante] |
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Quasimodo: Doug Storm
Esmeralda: Janien Massé Frollo: T. Eric Hart Gringoire: Deven May Fleur-de-Lys: Jessica Grové Phoebus: Mark W. Smith Clopin: David Jennings [as featured on the cast recording] |
| Almost everyone is familiar with Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Notre Dame de Paris – or as it is better known among English-speakers, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The story of the hunchbacked bellringer Quasimodo and his unrequited love for the gypsy dancer Esmeralda has inspired various film, television, literary, and stage interpretations, not the least of which is Notre Dame de Paris, a recent French-born stage musical that not only keeps the original title of the novel intact, but is surprisingly one of the most true-to-source interpretations of the story. With music by popular singer/songwriter Richard Cocciante and lyrics by Luc Plamondon (who is best known for having written many of Céline Dion’s biggest French hits, as well as other musicals such as Starmania and La légende de Jimmy), the show’s concept album soared to the top of the charts in France and Québec, and the musical itself played to sold-out audiences.
Following the success of the French productions, the show’s creators sought to widen their audience by introducing the hit to English-speaking countries. Thus, the show was translated by lyricist Will Jennings (famous for the #1 hit “My Heart Will Go On,” otherwise known as “That Titanic Song”), and preparations were made to open it both in the UK and the United States. However, whereas the British production brought in several of the original French stars, most of whom are fairly well-known pop singers, the American production was started fresh, with a cast of American singer/actors, whose credits lay for the most part in live theatre. |
| Instead of going directly to New York, it was decided that the American production should have an out-of-town tryout first, and a rather unlikely venue was chosen: Las Vegas, a city famous for its glitz and glamour, and not quite so much for its musical theatre. The original artistic team was brought in, so the ultra-modern feel of the show, which had appealed to the francophone masses, remained the same. The set was very minimalist, with a huge wall across the back of the stage serving as the backdrop for all the action. Pieces of the wall could be pushed forward, or opened up, to indicate action that happens inside the cathedral, or above the city. But for the most part, the plot relied on Cocciante's beautiful music, and the actors’ ability to convey the meaning of the song lyrics to the audience. | 
the logo for the American production |
| On the other hand, many things did change on the way from Europe to the States. The most noticeable was the shortening of the show by approximately a half an hour: four songs were cut completely from the original version (Gringoire’s “Moon”, Frollo’s “I’m a Priest”, Esmeralda’s “Phoebus if You Can Hear”, and “Florence”, the duet between Gringoire and Frollo), and many of the longer, more repetitive songs were shortened by a verse or two. Because of this editing, the show was able to run without an intermission, clocking in at a little over an hour and a half. Another notable change could be seen in Quasimodo’s song “The Bells.” In previous versions of the show, dancers were seen swinging from the bells in the background – however, a certain American Quasimodo had a different idea for the number. Doug suggested that since Quasimodo is, after all, the bellringer, he should be the one ringing the bells. The creative team was a little tentative about this at first, but eventually they gave in – so, a spectacular ending was concocted for the number, in which Quasimodo swings out above the audience on one of the bells, then exits via the ceiling, riding on the said bell.
The show opened in January of 2000, and closed at the end of July. A cast recording was made, with T. Eric Hart as Frollo (as opposed to the late Francis Ruivivar, who had originated the role in Doug’s cast), but it was never mass-produced or put on sale. There are no definite plans for a New York production of the show yet, but that certainly doesn’t mean that Broadway is out of the picture.... More information... ~ For clips from the cast recording, visit the media section of this site. ~ For production and backstage photos, visit the pictures section. ~ For full cast information, visit the official site for the American production. ~ To be added to the updates mailing list for the show, E-mail NotreDameAmerica@aol.com. ~ To find out everything you'll ever need to know about the various incarnations of the story, visit Mr. Lincoln's Notre Dame de Paris page. |
