Interview: Julian R. Decker On Returning to the Role of Quasimodo in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME at Theatre Raleigh
The Broadway performer steps into the role for the fifth time in 12 years. The production runs August 12-15, 2026.
Theatre Raleigh is presenting THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME in a site-specific staging, bringing the sweeping musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel into a setting that promises a new level of intimacy for a story audiences know well. The professional non-profit company, now operating year-round from the Theatre Raleigh Arts Center in North Raleigh, has built its reputation on innovative and intimate theatrical experiences, and this production continues that tradition.
Returning to the role of Quasimodo is Julian R. Decker, whose Broadway credits include SUNSET BOULEVARD, and LES MISÉRABLES. His work with this particular show spans more than a decade, having understudied Quasimodo at La Jolla Playhouse and Paper Mill Playhouse before playing the role at Tuacahn. His other credits include the national tour of LOVE NEVER DIES, MACK AND MABEL at Encores!, BAT BOY!, ATLANTIS, RAGTIME at Ogunquit Playhouse, and BYE BYE BIRDIE!, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, LES MISÉRABLES, and HELLO, DOLLY! at The Muny.
On screen, Decker has appeared in THE IRISHMAN, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, and THE KILLER SPEAKS. He is a co-writer of BEETHOVEN: A MUSICAL TRAGEDY, has been a featured vocalist with the Indianapolis Symphony and Oklahoma Symphony, and is the owner and CEO of First You Dream Entertainment and Casting Source. He is a graduate of CCM.
BroadwayWorld spoke with Decker about what 12 years with this role has taught him, why a site-specific staging unlocks something he has never been able to reach before, and the question at the heart of the show that he wants audiences to turn on themselves.
What does it mean to you personally to be returning to the role of Quasimodo, and how does stepping back into this character feel different now compared to your earlier experiences with him?
As this will most likely be my fifth production over a span of 12 years, with an unimaginable number of concentrated hours spent analyzing this character, I realized something. After all this time, I spent the last two months intentionally not looking at the script again. I made sure my voice was ready for another concentrated three-hour journey, but more importantly, I focused on my relationship over the last 12 years with the vessel that has been Quasimodo in my life.
Throughout those productions, I've shown audiences the structured creation of Michael Arden and my version of Quasimodo. I've shown them what it means to wrestle with the question, "What makes a monster and what makes a man?" For this special production in Raleigh, at a theatre with leadership that I deeply respect and admire, I want something different. All I want, for myself, and for the audience I hold in the palm of my hand for three hours, is for us to observe that question within ourselves. To allow ourselves to be completely honest about our own contribution to what makes a monster, and what makes a man.
After 12 years, I don't feel like I've simply portrayed Quasimodo. I've lived the essence of Quasimodo the vessel, not Quasimodo the character. If audiences leave asking themselves that question instead of asking it about Quasimodo, then I believe we've done our job.
Theatre Raleigh has built a reputation for innovative and intimate theatrical experiences. How does performing THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME in their unique space change the way you approach this iconic role?
Oh, I know. ;) I've been watching and learning right along with them from afar. I can't say it's changed my approach necessarily, but I can say it's influenced the level of emotional depth I'm willing to let myself go to. I'd be willing to bet I know the original company well enough to speak for all of us as a collective: we ALL would kill to do this in a real church. Not just for the representational value, but because every person who steps into that church for this run, the performers, the choir, the orchestra, the audience, the staff, we ALL have our own unique relationship with what a church means to us. I think, paired with church acoustics, as Luke Bryan says on American Idol, "I got goose pimples." You're in for a real treat.
The physical and emotional demands of playing Quasimodo are considerable. What does your preparation process look like as you get ready to take on this role at Theatre Raleigh?
To be fully transparent, it's hard for me to articulate the prep beyond what I've done over the last few months. This go around, I'm 34, just a few years older than Michael Arden was when he originated Quasimodo. I lived that demand with him every day. I never thought once about how to do it. I just did it.
This time, I've broken down my process to better understand how the physical, emotional, and vocal aspects all contribute to the four- to five-hour comedown I have after each performance. I don't go too deep beyond listening to every muscle, every ache, every old knot that still refuses to go away. Then I gauge where I was versus where I am now, and I trust that after 12 years, my body will adapt with me when I need it to go where Quasimodo requires me to go. So I've really been figuring out the best ways to shut this wild brain of mine down.
Having understudied Quasimodo at La Jolla and Paper Mill Playhouse and then played the role fully at Tuacahn, how has that journey shaped the choices you're making in this production?
Intimacy. Anyone that talks about the original production talks about the workshop presentation. I wasn't in the show at the time, so I didn't get to experience that emotional bond. However, I haven't forgotten it. I've done the show fully realized with fireworks and water. I've done it minimalistic, testing the bounds of a brand. I've done it in concert form with costume implications. To me, a church sounds like the number one place to achieve intimacy around this production. I no longer need to shape. I can finally just… be. That's exhilarating.
Why do you think THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME continues to resonate so deeply with audiences, and what is it about this particular story that keeps drawing people back?
I think it resonates so well because it's a mirror being raised at humanity. There is every emotional color imaginable in Victor Hugo's novel, and I think HUNCHBACK the musical has achieved the enormity of that world at scale through its original score. The pieces that make up the world of HUNCHBACK represent ideals that have repeated themselves throughout generations. They evolve. They shift. They take on new faces and new circumstances, but they remain part of our nature. I think that's why audiences continue to come back. The enticement of all the ideals living within HUNCHBACK continue to draw us back because, generation after generation, we're still searching for those same answers. 195 years later.
For audiences who may only know this story from the Disney animated film, what would you want them to know about what makes this stage version a distinctly different and powerful experience?
This one is tough. Which means I'm overcomplicating it. So my simple answer is the Disney film is one interpretation. The stage musical is a different philosophical experience altogether. No matter the theatre, location, Broadway, or not.
What has surprised you most about coming back to this role, and is there something new you're discovering about Quasimodo in this production that you hadn't found before?
I think the number one thing it's taught me is just how strong we are as human beings. The lengths we, as artists, take our bodies for our audiences is something society doesn't necessarily see as athletic. What I've loved, and what's influenced me throughout my career, is that I LOVE being athletic in a way that exhausts me more than any sport I ever played. Coming back to Quasimodo has reminded me of that.
Quasimodo is the vessel that makes you feel like you're constantly patting your head while rubbing your stomach. You're asking your body, your voice, your face, and your emotions to all tell the same story at the exact same time. This time around, I plan to explore the consistency of facial contortion while singing. I've intentionally placed moments throughout the show, over the years, where I'm actually singing with full facial contortion. How that's done? Come see the show, and I'll show ya!
Theatre Raleigh is a professional, non-profit theatre company dedicated to inclusion and diversity, enriching the community through innovative and intimate theatrical experiences. Now a year-round producing company serving thousands of patrons annually, Theatre Raleigh's campus includes four performance spaces, two rehearsal halls, a robust education wing, and The Green Room, collectively hosting more than 75 events each year.
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame Theatre Raleigh (8/12-8/15) |
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Hadestown (Non-Equity) Durham Performing Arts Center (3/05-3/07) |
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Guns N’ Roses at Carter-Finley Stadium Carter-Finley Stadium (7/23-7/23) |
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MAMMA MIA! DPAC (12/29-1/03) |
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Daniel Tosh Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at Harrah's Cherokee Center (10/18-10/18) |
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Maybe Happy Ending DPAC (10/13-10/18) |
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Mamma Mia! Durham Performing Arts Center (12/29-1/03) |
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Pirates! A Boy At Sea Switch Theatre Company (7/24-7/25) |
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Million Dollar Quartet Cain Center for the Arts (8/08-8/23) |
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Shadow Amok Time (An immersive, story driven, horror event) Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre (10/15-10/17) |