My review of Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" La Jolla Playhouse

[dramaguy11]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 5:59pm

As I walked into the Mandell Weiss Theatre for a Sunday evening performance of Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," I was met by a towering set that filled the stage from edge to edge and top to bottom. It was well crafted, and I knew I was going to be in for something special.

As I sat down in my second row seat the scenery by Scenic Designer Alexander Dodge, seemed even more towering. On each side of the set, were gothic statues stacked three high and looking upon you as if commanding you to offer up your sins for forgiveness. There were Gargoyles, and stained glass to add to the beauty. The set had four galleries that were filled with 32 members of the SACRA/PROFANA choral ensemble, who helped to fill the room with the beautiful tunes penned by Steven Schwartz and Alan Menken. When we are taken inside the cathedral, a massive tower of bells is lowered into our view from the rafters of the theatre. It is the centerpiece of this fantastic set design, and does not disappoint.

As the show starts we are introduced to Quasimodo, in a very Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha sort of way. Michael Arden's portrayal of Quasimodo was honest and sweet. His voice handles all of the tunes he was given with ease, and he makes it easy to feel the pain of being the wayward outcast we have come to root for.

Ciara Renée as the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda, looked as though she was born to play this role. Her exotic beauty captivates you and if that is not enough, she destroys you with her vocals of "God Help the Outcasts." She handles the role with ease and mesmerizes with her dancing in "Topsy Turvy."

The role of Frollo is played with proper venom by Patrick Page. When page takes the stage to perform "Hellfire," he about brings down the house with his deep powerful voice. As the 32 piece choir kicks in they about knock the roof off the building. To me this was one of the best staged numbers in the show.

The rest of the ensemble does a fine job of creating the atmosphere we would expect from the show. They are used to hammer on large slabs of metal and create the wonderful sound of the bells of Notre Dame.

The dance numbers by Chase Brock, are fitting, but there is nothing in the show that is a show stopper. Mainly because this is not that type of show.

Scott Schwartz' direction moves the story along well without there ever being a moment when the show seemed to drag. He has put together a fine team here, and they should be quite proud of the art they have created.

I could nitpick a few places in the show, but they are small. I am sure these will be worked out before the show ever hits a Broadway stage. Quite an enjoyable evening.












Tickets to the show

Updated On: 10/27/14 at 05:59 PM

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 6:04pm

[dramaguy11]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 6:06pm

Huh?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 6:07pm

So should it come to Broadway?

[dramaguy11]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 6:16pm

I think it could do well. It is a very pretty show. The concerns I have for the show are that it does not really have any tunes that make you leave the theatre humming them. The music is beautiful, and I enjoyed it, but aside from "God Help The Outcast," "Hellfire," and maybe the "Bells of Notre Dame" there are not a lot of songs that people will remember. That said the show still looks and sounds amazing. They have changed a bit from the original Disney script as well. There is one other thing I did not like, but it would be sort of a spoiler.

[Gorlois]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 6:33pm

Thanks for the review, but I have one question: Does Esmerelda live or die at the end?

[JPeterman]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 6:38pm

Thank you for taking the time to write your review. I am really looking forward to seeing this at the Paper Mill in March.

[dramaguy11]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 6:46pm

Your welcome. Please share your thoughts after you see the show.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 7:15pm

Exactly---Huh?

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 8:09pm

You join today specifically to post an extremely positive review of a new show, in a new thread, aside from the other preview thread, complete with a big set photo and a link to where you can buy tickets, and you say "huh?" when someone calls you out for being a shill? Please.

[JulesReverie]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 8:10pm

Tell me about Out There, I'm dying to know how well Arden did(so perfectly cast)

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 8:17pm

What is the deal with the gargoyles? Are they in this or not? Does the show feel big or minimalist?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 8:49pm

I would go but all of the reasonably priced tickets have been snatched up. Do shills get discounts?

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 8:51pm

"Does Esmerelda live or die at the end?"

She dies.

[ILOHTFAHA (Aida Man)]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 9:36pm

Do they still try to burn her at the stake?

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 10:11pm

Is "Made of Stone" still there? The German recording version is phenomenal.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 10:24pm

Am I the only one who misses the gargoyles?

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 10/27/14 at 10:48pm

^^^^^^
It's safe to say YES.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 10/28/14 at 1:16am

Who cares ? Shill or dill--they went, reported--those who read,wanted to-can't see the problem.

edit--Just had to look up the meaning of 'shill'-really makes no difference now if I knew before I posted---is this against BWW rules ? perhaps should have looked that up also-perhaps not.
Updated On: 10/28/14 at 01:16 AM

[MrJude]

Posted: 10/28/14 at 3:46am

Made of Stone is still in.
Gargoyles are out.

[Eurotrash]

Posted: 10/28/14 at 5:28am

Esme dies; that I was not expecting, but definitely the right decision.

[IanMorton1]

Posted: 10/28/14 at 6:20am

stunning set but the way. I wonder if the Pippin idea would work here being gypsies and all

[Eurotrash]

Posted: 10/28/14 at 7:55am

All these shows set in France of all places, with hunchbacks, and beasts, and phantoms and revolutions, and what have you, will simply never catch on.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/28/14 at 9:01am

^^^^^^
It's safe to say YES.

Well hello there, Mr. Shitty Britches. Perhaps I should explain why.

In addition to being the only original distinguishing element of the piece that Disney owned (which, let's face it, was nice in the case of the animated feature so they could sell some toys), they are much-needed comic relief in a very heavy show, and it was more than subtly implied in the Lapine book and staging (in addition to talking to Quasimodo and bantering between themselves, they freely moved around when other characters were in the scene) that they are in Quasimodo's imagination to help him cope with his loneliness, and, taking it a step further, that they represent the three areas of his subconscious: Victor (Charles in the stage version) is the sensible side, Hugo (Antoine in the stage version) is his impulsive side, and Laverne (Loni in the stage version) tries to make Quasimodo think for himself.

After initially attempting to cut them, as this production did, Lapine toned them down enough to actually work better than the film: he altered their names, made them less wacky, and shaped them into playing a much more integral role in the story than just comic relief. And unless they've completely revamped this in such a manner that taking out the gargoyles doesn't leave a big gap in the story's flow, I'm afraid Disney's lost one of the better elements of their version.

Updated On: 10/28/14 at 09:01 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/28/14 at 10:22am

Interesting that "Out There" isn't mentioned as being a showstopper or even one of the best melodies. It's the only song I recall from the film. And it was heartbreaking.