Hunchback of Notre Dame Discussion

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 2:27am

So, I'm slightly obsessed with this musical and just got into a YouTube void with it. Does anyone have any insight about why Disney didn't bring over the German version? It looks pretty incredible, and knowing the music, seems to hue pretty closely to the version we have today. So why change it up? Why add the choir? Why make it all happen within the cathedral, etc? 

[choitoy]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 4:18am

The 5th Avenue theatre in Seattle is doing the show in June.  The director who directed an acclaimed version of The Little Mermaid in the Netherlands and then directed the 5th Avenue version of The Little Mermaid (which then went on a yearlong tour across the US) is directing this version of Hunchbak too. Joshua Castille who was one of the deaf actors featured in the Deaf West Spring Awakening is playing Quasimodo.  He’ll be signing the songs while singers will sing the words in the background. As much as I don’t really care for Stephen Schwartz’s music, and Hunchback never really captured me as a Disney movie, I’m kinda excited to see what they do with this show. 

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 04:18 AM

[Quasi]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 6:29am

The music is by Alan Menken.

The "new" version is shown in Germany right now and as I have been a fan of the first Berlin version I have to say that some changes have made sense. I think a mixture out of both versions would be fine. Someday in its first version is far superior than the boring duet version they use now for example.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 6:38am

The Parnell book is such a precipitous downgrade from Lapine's. The Papermill production was just atrocious, despite the involvement of several fine actors. It's a crime that Schwartz Jr.'s undergrad concept is baked into the show for its whole licensing future now. Such an exciting property, with such a long wait...it's just such a sad waste that it was sunk by nepotism.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 9:08am

choitoy said: "The 5th Avenue theatre in Seattle is doing the show in June. The director who directed an acclaimed version of The Little Mermaid in the Netherlands and then directed the 5th Avenue version of The Little Mermaid (which then went on a yearlong tour across the US) is directing this version of Hunchbak too. Joshua Castille who was one of the deaf actors featured in the Deaf West Spring Awakening is playing Quasimodo. He’ll be signing the songs while singers will sing the words in the background. As much as I don’t really care for Stephen Schwartz’s music, and Hunchback never really captured me as a Disney movie, I’m kinda excited to see what they do with this show."

The upcoming 5th Avenue production is a remount of Glen Casale's previous production that he directed at La Mirada.

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

Posted: 4/21/18 at 2:06pm

Scarywarhol said: "The Parnell book is such a precipitous downgrade from Lapine's. The Papermill production was just atrocious, despite the involvement of several fine actors. It's a crime that Schwartz Jr.'s undergrad concept is baked into the show for its whole licensing future now. Such an exciting property, with such a long wait...it's just such a sad waste that it was sunk by nepotism."

If it's any consolation, not all of the changes came from Junior. Apparently Dad was under the illusion that Disney had engaged him to write his own version of Les Mis or something, because going back to Carol de Giere's brilliant coffee-table retrospective of his career, Defying Gravity, which was published before the new version of Hunchback became a thing, he had complaints about how far it strayed from the source material, particularly with regard to the role of Frollo: "There was a lot of discussion about whether Frollo was going to be the Minister of Justice, or whether he was going to be the Archdeacon [as in Victor Hugo's novel]. It's frankly much better if he's the Archdeacon. If he's not the Archdeacon, what the hell's he doing in Notre Dame with this kid? You have to create a whole backstory to justify the relationship." Well, Steve, I hate to tell you, but it worked a lot better for this fan of the movie than rewriting huge chunks of the plotline to fit the book back in.

As it is, the rewrite was patched together from more rethinking in various versions; purportedly, some of the "new" songs had been written for that live-action "Wonderful World of Disney" variant they were putting together as a special for ABC. Apparently, a rewrite was always on the cards, at one stage or another. More's the pity -- Lapine's book is the best version of the film material I've ever seen. Substitute the Papermill variant of the "Court of Miracles" number for the instrumental gypsy dance at that moment in Lapine's Act Two, and maybe use some of Parnell's dialogue for Quasimodo so he comes across less as mentally challenged (which he seemed pre-Papermill in Lapine's version) and more as a (possibly deaf) guy who lives in his own head a lot due to being isolated, and it would be perfect. 

Having said that, part of me thinks there is a middle ground when it comes to balancing fealty to the novel and the film. I may yet create one of my infamous "fan edits" one of these days, and see how it could work...

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 02:06 PM

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 2:15pm

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "Scarywarhol said: "The Parnell book is such a precipitous downgrade from Lapine's. The Papermill production was just atrocious, despite the involvement of several fine actors. It's a crime that Schwartz Jr.'s undergrad concept is baked into the show for its whole licensing future now. Such an exciting property, with such a long wait...it's just such a sad waste that it was sunk by nepotism."

If it's any consolation, not all of the changes came from Junior. Apparently Dad was under the illusion that Disney had engaged him to write his own version ofLes Misor something, because going back to Carol de Giere's brilliant coffee-table retrospective of his career,Defying Gravity, which was published before the new version ofHunchbackbecame a thing, he had complaints about how far it strayed from the source material, particularly with regard to the role of Frollo: "There was a lot of discussion about whether Frollo was going to be the Minister of Justice, or whether he was going to be the Archdeacon [as in Victor Hugo's novel]. It's frankly much better if he's the Archdeacon. If he's not the Archdeacon, what the hell's he doing in Notre Dame with this kid? You have to create a whole backstory to justify the relationship." Well, Steve, I hate to tell you, but it worked a lot better for this fan of the movie than rewriting huge chunks of the plotline to fit the book back in.

As it is, the rewrite was patched together from more rethinking in various versions; purportedly, some of the "new" songs had been written for that live-action "Wonderful World of Disney" variant they were putting together as a special for ABC. Apparently, a rewrite was always on the cards, at one stage or another. More's the pity -- Lapine's book is the best version of the film material I've ever seen. Substitute the Papermill variant of the "Court of Miracles" number for the instrumental gypsy dance at that moment in Lapine's Act Two, and maybe use some of Parnell's dialogue for Quasimodo so he comes across less as mentally challenged (which he seemed pre-Papermill in Lapine's version)and more as a (possibly deaf) guy who lives in his own head a lot due to being isolated, and it would be perfect.

Having said that, part of me thinks there is a middle ground when it comes to balancing fealty to the novel and the film. I may yet create one of my infamous "fan edits" one of these days, and see how it could work..."

Interesting.. I wonder what songs were written for the live action tv version that didn't happen.

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

Posted: 4/21/18 at 2:22pm

I remember hearing that "In a Place of Miracles" started as a song written for the film that was cut for time, but may have been intended for use in the ABC version. "Flight Into Egypt" was definitely written for ABC. I can't recall much else.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 2:38pm

Going back to the film you can hear Phoebus’ “theme” which later becomes Rest and Recreation.

Is the show still playing in Berlin? I love that they didn’t do a full choir, but it still sounded amazing.

If you look up the Garden Theater in Orlando they are doing a totally different staging. Quasimodo has prosetitcs, their are gargoyles, the narration isn’t really narration, etc.

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

Posted: 4/21/18 at 2:41pm

Well, to be fair, there are still gargoyles in the Papermill script. They're just not used to the degree, or in the same way, as they were in the film or the Lapine version.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 2:45pm

No, I mean, like actual gargoyle props. Like giant puppets. Just an interesting concept given the Papermill source material.

Did Lapine write the script in La Jolla?

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

Posted: 4/21/18 at 3:03pm

Lapine wrote the original Berlin book. Parnell wrote everything from La Jolla on.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 3:16pm

Oh gotcha, much prefer the Berlin book from what I can tell.