Jeri Tidwell Photography
Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a classic story that was first published in 1831. What most people don’t know is that the story was actually meant to be a call for the preservation of Paris’ classic Gothic architecture at a time when it was being torn down or replaced with more modern flourishes. When the first film adaptation was made in 1923 with Lon Chaney, the film focused more on the characters than the architecture as have subsequent film versions in 1939, 1956 and 1997.
The story is dark. After a deformed child is born to the brother of the Archdeacon of Notre Dame and his Gypsy girlfriend — who both die from ‘the pox’ — Archdeacon Frollo reluctantly takes the boy back to the cathedral to raise him, but hide him away as well because of his deformity, giving the child the insulting name Quasimodo, meaning half formed. The boy grows and becomes the cathedral’s bell ringer, going deaf in the process, but he longs to be among the people of Paris. Frollo warns him that people can be mean and he should stay where he is but the Festival of Fools is about to take place, and Quasimodo’s friends — the statues and gargoyles around him — tell him this is the perfect time to descend to the street.
The crowd mocks him by making him the King of Fools and begin throwing tomatoes at him while one of the crowd nearly drowns him in a bucket. Quasimodo is saved by the Gypsy girl Esmeralda, and Frollo uses the incident to prove his point to Quasimodo. But Frollo is also drawn to Esmeralda, who rebuffs him. Frollo employs former soldier Phoebus to guard the cathedral but he also uses him to round up the Gypsies and find Esmeralda, who then begins to fall for Phoebus. Things go downhill when an enraged Frollo orders all of the Gypsies captured while trumping up charges to have Esmeralda and Phoebus executed. But will Quasimodo allow harm to come to the one person who ever showed him an inkling of kindness?
In 1996, Disney took the basic story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and turned it into an animated musical, lightening up the tone considerably, giving the story a typically romantic happy ending. In 1999, a live stage musical based on the story was produced in Berlin, this time sticking closer to the Victor Hugo’s source material while weaving in many of the animated film’s songs. So, if you’re planning to see this show and are expecting something like the stage versions of The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast, you need to put those thoughts aside as this production is decidedly much darker and thematically heavier than the animated movie. But in light of some of the issues we are experiencing in our society today — racism, bigotry, hatred of anyone who is different — the story could not be more timely. It’s very easy to correlate the Gypsies with minority groups who face such animosity from our leaders and citizens in this country today, not to mention the lack of compassion many demonstrate to people who are different, who don’t fit the ‘norms’ of society. This is a story that should make people very introspective. And without any spoilers, I will say that it’s also a very emotional piece of theatre, one that may require a tissue or two by the final curtain.
Jeri Tidwell Photography
That being said, this is another spectacular production from Toby’s Dinner Theatre. Directors Mark Minnick and Toby Orenstein have pulled out all the stops with the staging of this show, using the intimate in-the-round space to make the emotional impact of the story extremely powerful. Several set pieces are used cleverly by Scenic Designer David A. Hopkins to transport us from the Notre Dame bell tower to the square below in the blink of an eye. Lighting Designer Lynn Joslin smartly uses various colors in the lighting scheme to convey specific moods for the scenes, particularly when bathing the stage in deep red. Costume Designer Janine Sunday has also done a terrific job clothing the leads and the ensemble in a stunning array of period costumes. This is all Broadway quality stuff, folks.
Toby’s is known for its stable of reliable performers who take on roles in various productions from leads to ensemble. There’s no part too small for a Toby’s regular and there are many regulars like Heather Beck, who was the lead in Mamma Mia! last summer, in the ensemble. And when that group of twenty-four are all on stage singing, it’s like a beautiful wall of sound that just fills your heart. And being so close to the performers also allows you to see their faces, the real emotion on those faces as they sing, whether it be a joyful song or one that describes tragedy. That is definitely one of the best parts of seeing a show at Toby’s.
The lead roles are also filled out by several regulars. Russell Sunday takes on the role of Frollo, a conflicted, complicated man of God who also must deal with his unexpected feelings for Esmeralda. He also has a complicated relationship with Quasimodo, who only calls him ‘Master’, that alternates between caring and cruel. He does a great job and his voice is just amazing. Jeffrey Shankle portrays Phoebus as a bit of a rapscallion at first, but his character also undergoes some transformation from defended of the cathedral to protector of Esmeralda. I’ve seen Jeffrey is many shows at Toby’s and I have to say his voice seems to improve with every show, here putting some real power behind his vocals. DeCarlo Raspberry, who recently portrayed Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, gets a Sebastian-like role as Clopin, the King of the Gypsies, bringing a lighter tone to the show with some of his numbers. Justin Calhoun and David Bosley-Reynolds also get to shine in several key roles with Calhoun taking on roles including Frollo’s brother/Quasimodo’s father and a decapitated saint. Among Bosley-Reynolds’ roles are a priest at Notre Dame and King Louis XI.
The role of Esmeralda is portrayed by Toby’s newcomer Jessica Bennett. Bennett has a lovely voice and shows off her moves while doing a Gypsy dance during the Festival of Fools. She also imbues Esmeralda with a real sense of compassion and empathy when she sees what happens to Quasimodo at the Festival, blaming herself for suggesting he put himself on display to win the title of the King of Fools. This connects the pair, and even when she begins to fall for Phoebus, she still cares about Quasimodo, willing to put her life on the line for not only the two men, but her people as well. Bennett gives a very strong and heartfelt performance.
Jeri Tidwell Photography
But newcomer Sam Kobren steals the spotlight though, totally inhabiting the role of Quasimodo, using his expressive face and body movements to bring the character fully to life. He uses his speaking voice perfectly to capture the voice of a person who is hearing impaired without it being offensive. His singing voice is also amazing with some real power behind it for some of the more intense and emotional numbers. To say that Kobren is magnificent is an understatement. He commands the stage and when there are long scenes that don’t include him, you find yourself wishing for him to return to the stage. Kobren has a very bright future ahead of him.
I didn’t know what to expect from this musical version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame having never seen the movie, and by the end I was just overwhelmed with emotion from the wonderful performances to the outstanding direction and the terrific songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. The Hunchback of Notre Dame will make you laugh, it will definitely make you cry, it will make you think, but above all it will entertain you from start to finish.
And don’t forget, this is dinner theatre and the food is absolutely delicious, from the apple glazed carrots and scalloped potatoes, to the Beef Bourgogne and baked tilapia and more. And as usual, each show has a specialty drink and this one is called ‘The Hellfire’, a frozen concoction of mocha and cinnamon with a hint of Fireball whiskey for the grown-ups (a non-alcoholic version is also available). You definitely get your money’s worth, and more, with the dinner and show at Toby’s.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame runs about 2 hours 20 minutes with one twenty minute intermission. Note that fog, haze and strobe lights are used in this production. The show runs through May 19, 2019. Toby’s next production is the classic musical Grease opening May 22, 2019.
Music Theatre International
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