{"id":15643,"date":"2014-11-29T07:06:15","date_gmt":"2014-11-29T15:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=15643"},"modified":"2014-11-29T09:05:14","modified_gmt":"2014-11-29T17:05:14","slug":"15643","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/15643\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney\u2019s The Hunchback of Notre Dame a solid \u2018bell ringer.\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Michael Arden (center) and the cast of La Jolla Playhouse\u2019s U.S. premiere production of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME<\/p><\/div>\n

Disney\u2019s The Hunchback of Notre Dame<\/em>: Musical. Book by Peter Parnell. Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Directed by Scott Schwartz. Choreographed by Chase Brock. Based on the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo. La Jolla Playhouse, Mandell Weiss Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, CA (UC San Diego Campus) 858-550-1010 or www.lajollaplayhouse.org.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

October 28 – December 14, 2014
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Disney\u2019s The Hunchback of Notre Dame<\/em> a solid \u2018bell ringer.\u2019\u00a0 [rating:5]\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

There always has been a theatrical fascination for Victor Hugo\u2019s 1831 novel \u201cThe Hunchback of Notre Dame.\u201d American film versions began in 1923 in the silent era starring Lon Chaney and in the 1939 talkie with Charles Laughton as Quasimodo and Maureen O’Hara as Esmeralda. In 1956 the French film \u201cNotre-Dame de Paris\u201d was the first to appear in color. The 1996 animated musical film version was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. The stage musical with Menken and Schwartz still in control of the music was produced in Germany in 2002 where it played for 3 years.
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I predict that the present musical version having its world premiere at the La Jolla Theater in conjunction with New Jersey\u2019s famous Paper Mill Playhouse (March 4 – 29, 2015) before heading to Broadway will have\u00a0 a similar run. It is a re-working of both the animated film and the stage production under the auspices of Disney Theatrical. They have brought aboard Peter Parnell to revise the book, Scott Schwartz (son to Stephen) to direct and rounded up a superb production crew.
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The evening starts with the spectacular opening number \u201cThe Bells of Notre Dame\u201d led by Clopin (Erik Liberman) as a narrator and later as King of the Gypsies, to tell parts of the story. The on-stage choral ensemble is the famed local Sacra\/Profana. \u00a0Parnell has written a brief prolog and we learn that the deformed baby Quasimodo has been sired by the wastrel the brother of Dom Claude Frollo (Patrick Page).When the storyline continues it is years later and Frollo is inculcating the adult Quasimodo (Michel Arden) that his time in the bell tower has been his \u201cSanctuary.\u201d
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When Quasimodo does leave the tower to attend the Feast of Fools (beautifully staged)he is initially allowed to perform before the crowd begins to beat and badger him and Gypsy \u00a0Esmeralda (Ciara Renee) intervenes. A deep affection develops between the two. When Phoebus (Andrew Samonsky) arrives to arrest Esmeralda he like Frollo is infatuated with her. Frollo\u2019s infatuation turns to sexual obsession and in a fit of rage he orders the destruction of the Gypsies and the Court of Miracles.
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Each major character has a leitmotif that is carried throughout the show in either words or music. Quasimodo\u2019s is the plaintive \u201cOut There\u201d (a re-wording of the original \u201cUp There\u201d) expressing his desire to see life outside the tower even though he is on \u201cTop of the World.\u201d For Frollo the theme is expressed in \u201cHellfire\u201d and for Esmeralda it is emphasized with \u201cGod Help the Outcasts\u201d and \u201cSomeday.\u201d For Phoebus it is \u201cRest and Recreation\u201d and for the fictitious patron Saint Aphordisius ( Neil Mayer) it is \u201cFlight into Egypt.\u201d
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Michael Arden turns in a heart touching performance as Quasimodo using his marvelous tenor voice to accentuate the torment built into his twisted body. Ciara Renee\u2019s beauty and stage presence creates an Esmeralda that believably would torment Frollo turning him into a monster. Patrick Page is able to modulate his powerful baritone voice displaying menace with a touch of vulnerability giving a stunning fully rounded performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ciara Ren\u00e9e (center) and the cast of La Jolla Playhouse\u2019s U.S. premiere production of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME<\/p><\/div>\n

The total production is mesmerizing, adroitly directed by Scott Schwartz with exciting choreography (Chase Brock), superb choral arrangements and just the right amount of humor to take the edge off a dark story.\u00a0 Running time 2 hours an 20 minute with an intermission.
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FEATURING: Michael Arden as Quasimodo; Patrick Page as Dom Claude Frollo; Ciara Renee as Esmeralda; \u00a0Andrew Samonsky as Captain Phoebus de Martin; Erik Liberman as Clopin Trouillefou; Neal Mayer as Saint Aphrodisius; Ian Patrick as Lieutenant Frederic Charles. Sacra\/Profana choral ensemble.<\/em>
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ARTISTIC STAFF: Scott Schwartz, director; Chase Brock, choreographer; Michael Kosarin, music supervisor and arranger; Brent-Alan Huffman, music director; Michael Starobin, orchestrator;\u00a0 Alexander Dodge, scenic designer; Alejo Vietti, costume designer; Howell Binkley, lighting designer; Gareth Owen, sound designer and M. William Shiner, production stage manager.<\/em>
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Kedar K. Adour, MD<\/strong><\/p>\n

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternnetmagazine.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Photos by Kevin Berne<\/p>\n

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Disney\u2019s The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Musical. Book by Peter Parnell. Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Directed by Scott Schwartz. Choreographed by Chase Brock. Based on the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15643","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-kedar-k-adour"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"