The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Fantastic Performances

It shows off the credibility of a musical theatre society when they attempt a difficult show such as The Hunchback Of Notre Dame but Redditch Operatic Society have managed to pull it off!

Set in the beautiful surroundings of Paris’s most famous of cathedrals, Hunchback tells the story of a physically deformed recluse that is hidden away in the bell tower by his strict uncle and priest of Notre Dame who believes that the city would not accept his nephew and vice versa.

With only the gargoyles for company, Quasimodo, played by the incredible Daniel Tomson sees an opportunity and leaves the rafters to experience life in the city. 

Whilst there, he is ridiculed by the locals only to be taken under the wing of the beautiful Esmeralda, played by the stunning Laura Woodall who is probably the first woman he has interacted with.

Quasimodo is just one in a long line of men who fall in love with Esmeralda, a gypsy girl who herself, is treated differently from others so she is empathetic to Quasimodo’s plight.

When the priest, Dom Claude Frollo, played by the very talented Matt Bridgewater discovers that Quasimodo has been interacting with a gypsy, he is banished back to the tower under the watch of army captain, Phoebus de Martin, played by Paul Mitchell who sees this for what it is and after meeting Esmeralda, falls in love with her and goes against the instructions of the priest.

The story is based on the 1996 Disney movie of the same name with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken. This is a dark story of prejudice and power where the ending is not a happy one.

The production is well put together with some fantastic performances from the principal cast. The set excellent and the orchestra under the directorship of Joe George. The singing performances were professional and for a difficult production was executed well.

There were some audio issues throughout with mics not coming in and I felt that there were too many cast on the stage which tends to happen with societies trying to offer everyone a part, but this did not take away from the overall enjoyment of the show.

They deserve to have sell out shows and I would urge you to grab a ticket or two and support this very talented group of performers.

Matt Dudley, Black Country Radio

A production of the highest standard

To the Palace Theatre for Redditch Operatic Society’s annual show, which this year was the musical version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Developed by Alan Menken and Wicked’s Stephen Schwartz, the show has immediate origins in the 1996 animated Disney movie.  But if anyone had come to the theatre expecting to see a brightly coloured, knockabout affair, with jaunty music and comedy sidekicks, they’d have been wrong…

The production had a sombre, serious tone from the start, as the curtain opened onto a stage crammed with chanting monks – the first of a series of complex musical numbers that were well sung by the large chorus.  This was a very striking opening, effectively lit to bring out the drama and making good use of the multi-level set. 

As the story began, we met brothers Jehan and Claude Frollo (Matt Brown and Matt Bridgewater), whose stories quickly diverge with Claude progressing in the priesthood whilst the feckless Jehan runs off with a gypsy girl (Lucy Traves), only to return some years with a baby in tow.  After Jehan’s death, Claude somewhat reluctantly takes in his child, who he names Quasimodo – half formed – in recognition of his deformities.  Dom Claude becomes the villain of the piece, and Matt Bridgewater brought a sneering authority to the role.  As the play progressed and Frollo became ever more desperate, he brought to mind Alan Rickman’s famous turn as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Time then skipped forward, and we met the grown-up Quasimodo, capering around the bell tower and – just to add to his problems – half-deaf from their incessant clanging.  Daniel Tomson was a fairly mature Quasimodo, not quite the young lad as which he was often described.  The role was very well sung, with the long held notes so beloved of the composers impeccably delivered, and acted – conveying a real sense of naivety and wide-eyed innocence.  The physical challenges of the part were also very well met. 

Laura Woodall made a striking first impression as the gypsy dancer Esmeralda, whose destiny was entwined with that of the Hunchback.  This was another strong performance, full of verve and emotion, transmitting a bold gypsy spirit.  It easy to see why both Quasimodo and Frollo would become obsessed with her.  Paul Mitchell played Phoebus, the fourth part of a sort of love quadrangle, with a confident swagger, effectively charting the character’s journey from Frollo’s enforcer to his implacable enemy.  The compact principal cast was completed by Ryan Allen-Rose as Clopin, the gypsy king, whose initial chumminess was replaced by a steely resolve as rebellion breaks out.

The principals were well supported by a large ensemble, including a group of gargoyles with which Quasimodo shares his thoughts, and a large cohort of Parisians, Congregants and Gypsies.  A choir provided further depth to the sound from time to time.  The complex music was well tackled, with some lovely harmonies shining through, and the performers did a great job of filling their various roles, with many switches of costume. 

A 10-piece band, under the expert control of Musical Director Joe George and his assistant Scott Woolfenden, did not put a foot wrong.  Director James Baldwin made good use of the compact Palace theatre space, although at times it seemed there were almost too many people crammed on stage for comfort!  The work of Choreographer Paula Lacey really came to the fore in the gypsy scenes, which were full of colour and movement.

My congratulations to Wardrobe Mistress Jean Chalk and her assistant Claire Wilson, who did a superb job in fitting out the multiple roles portrayed by the large cast.  A word here for the portrayal of the headless Saint Aphrodisius (played by David Charter), which was very well depicted.  Sound and lighting were also expertly handled by the ROS backstage team – I thought the scenes in the bell tower were particularly well lit, really enhancing the atmosphere as Quasimodo headed towards his final, dramatic confrontation with Frollo. 

My thanks to all at Redditch Operatic Society for the warm welcome and congratulations on another high quality production.  I’m already looking forward to next year, when the group will be producing the regional premiere of a new version of A Christmas Carol. 

Chris Davies, NODA Representative, Worcestershire East

I wanted to take a moment to share my feedback on your recent performance of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. As one of my favorite musicals, it was an absolute treat to watch your rendition, and I must say, we were thoroughly impressed. The cast was phenomenal, with standout performances from the actors portraying Frollo and Quasimodo. Their exceptional characterizations added immense depth to the story. Having seen two other productions of Hunchback earlier this year, I can confidently say that your performance surpassed them. It was a joy to see Menken’s and Schwartz’s incredible score brought to life with such passion and skill. Additionally, the set design and costumes were beautiful. It was clear that every detail had been carefully considered. Please pass my compliments along to the entire creative team.

Sam Hawkins

Very many congratulations to the Company for an amazing production last night it was absolutely first class! Wishing you every success for the remaining shows.

Jan Duffun

Absolutely fantastic show. One of the best.

Sally Richards

Many congratulations Redditch Operatic Society on your brilliant performance of The Hunchback of Notre Dame – absolutely fantastic!! we loved it.

Jan Susan

There’s no sugar coating the fact that we found The Hunchback of Notre Dame a difficult sell, ending up with just under 60% of seats sold. This came as a bit of a surprise considering that we had a huge company of 57 people on stage, and the show is well regarded with some fabulous music and, not least, has that ‘Disney’ name to it. However, for whatever reasons, it was one of the few shows in our recent history that made a loss for us.

Those that saw the show, however, were almost universally blown away by the quality of the production – particularly highlighting the talent of the leading players, the visual impact of the lighting, costumes and set, and the tremendous sound from the company in full voice, which was gloriously enhanced by an on-stage choir of eleven singers in addition to the 46 members of the company.

James Baldwin returned to us for a third occasion as Director, and Joe George (MD), Paula Lacey (Choreographer) and Scott Woolfenden (Assistant MD) made up the Production Team. All worked hard in their respective areas to ensure the final result was another top-class production.

We were delighted to receive a NODA West Midlands award nomination for the lighting design, created and operated by Matt Bird from The Lighting Factory. Take a look at some of the photographs below to see just how impactful Matt’s lighting was throughout the show. We were also pleased to receive a surprise nomination for the quality of our show programme!

Despite making a (manageable) loss on the production, Hunchback is a show that we were glad to have presented. The small handful of named roles gave our principals some quality material to sing/act, plus it was nice to see some newer faces in the supporting cast. The chorus, including six ‘gargoyles’, had plenty to do including, as has been mentioned before, some really exceptional, and challenging, music to sing throughout the show.

For any larger society, with plenty of great singers in depth who can do justice to the intense music, this is certainly a show to consider.

Songs and Scenes

• Prologue – Olim, The Bells of Notre Dame
• Act 1 Scene 1: Bell Tower – Sanctuary, Out There
• Act 1 Scene 2: Town Square – Topsy Turvy, Rest and Recreation, Rhythm of the Tambourine
• Act 1 Scene 3: Inside the Cathedral – God Help the Outcasts
• Act 1 Scene 4: Bell Tower – Top of the World
• Act 1 Scene 5: A Tavern – Tavern Song (Thai Mol Piyas)
• Act 1 Scene 6: Bell Tower – Heaven’s Light
• Act 1 Scene 7: Inside the Cathedral – Hellfire
• Act 1 Scene 8: Streets of Paris/Bell Tower – Esmeralda
• Entr’acte
• Act 2 Scene 1: Bell Tower – Flight into Egypt
• Act 2 Scene 2: Streets of Paris – The Court of Miracles
• Act 2 Scene 3: Court of Miracles – In a Place of Miracles
• Act 2 Scene 4: Prison – The Assault. Someday
• Act 2 Scene 5: Bell Tower – While the City Slumbered, Made of Stone
• Act 2 Scene 6: Town Square – Judex Crederis, Kyrie Eleison
• Act 2 Scene 7: Bell Tower – Finale Ultimo

The Background

Construction on Notre Dame Cathedral, in the centre of Paris, began in 1163. Today, the cathedral stands as one of the largest church buildings in the world and an architectural marvel, known worldwide.

In 1829, a young author named Victor Hugo began writing an ode to Notre Dame called Notre-Dame de Paris. It was published in 1831, and the main character of the novel is neither Quasimodo nor Esmeralda nor Frollo, but rather Notre Dame itself. The novel thus reinvigorated an interest in Gothic architecture, and a massive restoration project of the cathedral began a few years later. It was published in English under the title The Hunchback of Notre Dame – a title that Hugo himself disliked because it put the focus too much on Quasimodo, and his physical differences, as opposed to the cathedral itself.

In 1996, Disney presented its animated film version of the story. The creative team included composer Alan Menken, writing music for his sixth Disney animated film, and lyricist Stephen Schwartz who had previously collaborated with Disney and Menken on Pocahontas. While the film is one of Disney’s darkest animated pictures, it is still significantly lighter in tone than Hugo’s novel.

Menken and Schwartz fleshed out their film score with nine new songs, and a theatrical musical was born. This was first presented in Germany as Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, and adopted a darker tone than the movie, restoring many of Hugo’s plot elements. The huge production opened in Berlin in 1999, and ran for three years.

In 2014 a new English-language version of the show opened in San Diego. This version took the story even closer to the novel, with a new prologue and ending rooted in Hugo’s writing. After San Diego, the show started playing across the US and abroad. It was performed for the first time in the UK in 2019, and continues to play around the world in both professional and amateur productions.

Adapted from the Production Handook © Disney

Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Book by Peter Parnell

Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney film.
Originally developed by Disney Theatrical Productions.

Orchestrations by Michael Starobin. Incidental Music and Vocal Arrangements by Michael Kosarin. Dance Arrangements by Rob Berman.

An amateur production presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International.