Disney's "Hunchback" Tour?

[brdwybound04]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 2:39pm

Wondering if the just announced Seattle engagement of Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame may end up launching a national tour of the show... I get that what makes this show tricky is the large chorus, however it's being directed by Glenn Casale who also overhauled Disney's Little Mermaid for the road and Disney then launched a fairly successful tour of that show a few years back... I'm probably dreaming because I'd love to hear this score performed live, but I find the timing interesting, because the show could be ready for Fall 2018 road audiences if in fact this is the end goal...? 

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 5:23pm

Seattle's 5th Avenue is a regional theatre that produces their own content, in addition to hosting national tours. There is literally zero reason why something playing the 5th Ave indicates a tour of any sort unless the production is specifically identified as a national tour or co-production with mother venue.

Casale actually overhauled Mermaid for the European market, just as he did with a wildly successful - but to my mind, sometimes questionable - Beauty and the Beast. Ya, he later directed US stagings / tours of Mermaid, but those are unrelated as he was hired by those theatres, not by Disney Theatricals as he was for his European / Asian productions.

Disney did not launch tour of The Little Mermaid in ANY fashion. The production you are referring to began as joint production between several regional theatres meant to play each of those venues. It proved quite successful and several theatres have joined forces to produces several mini-tours of the production and these are not associated directly with Disney Theatricals.

Regional houses announce their upcoming seasons in the spring, charting out a year + in advance. That has no connection to any theatre's in-house production / content launching a tour.

Given the 5th Avenue's history of co-productions (Mermaid and Cabaret, among some others) and the attachment of Casale (and his history and habits) I think it is more likely that the 5th Avenue may be recreating the LaMirada production directed by Casale, and it could potentially be in cooperation with one or two other regional houses / companies.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 6:31pm

It's been done TO DEATH in regional and community theatres this past year, really no reason for it to tour.

[Clyde15]

Posted: 3/21/17 at 1:27am

To be fair, the 5th Avenues production of The Little Mermaid did go out on tour this winter and spring. So it could make sense for The Hunchback to follow in the same fashion as it is a Disney show. But it is highly unlikely that it will.

[canadian fan]

Posted: 3/21/17 at 3:18pm

I purchased tickets for this as part of the Seattle season. The one thing that drew me to this was mention of it being performed with a 30 person choir. I thought that might be very interesting to see!

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 3/21/17 at 3:51pm

canadian fan said: "...being performed with a 30 person choir. I thought that might be very interesting to see!"

And "hear"! :) 

[canadian fan]

Posted: 3/21/17 at 4:21pm

haha.....true dat!! :)

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 3/21/17 at 5:07pm

I saw the La Jolla production. The choir sat in groups of three or four at the rear of the stage in elevated rows. Depending on the lighting, they were visible but not in the spotlight except as I recall for the Entre'acte, which was a sung (in Latin, or was it French?) pastiche of several of the songs. Really beautiful. I was remembering though how silently and motionless they all sat there for the entire performance, dressed in grey robes and very much resembling statues in the cathedral. No shifting in their seats, no sips of water, etc., only slight raising of their choirbooks. Of course, I wasn't watching them full-time, but it was amazing to me their ability to be so still for both acts. 

Yes, the show had its issues which were discussed here in detail. But overall I was delighted to see one of my favorite Disney scores finally on stage. (I kept trying to get to Berlin to see the original but that dream stayed 'out there.'