Feature: Slow Burn Theatre Company's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

The Carbonell Award-winning Slow Burn Theatre Company opens its new season at the Broward Center for the Performing arts with the largest production in its history as it presents The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a new musical based on the novel by Victor Hugo with songs from the Disney film. The Southeastern premiere will be presented from Thursday, October 20 to Sunday, November 6 in the Amaturo Theater.

"This is only the fourth production in the nation since the musical's premiere and we are thrilled to have been entrusted with this epic and emotionally charged retelling of a classic love story, created by a composer and lyricist who each have been responsible for introducing new generations of fans to the American Musical Theater," said Slow Burn Theatre Artist Director Patrick Fitzwater, who also serves as the production's director and choreographer.

Composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Aladdin) and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin) collaborated with book writer Peter Parnell, to create a lushly scored, powerful rendition of the timeless tale of love, acceptance and what it means to be a hero.

Set in 15th century Paris, the musical tells the love story of the beautiful gypsy girl Esmeralda, the scorned bell-ringer Quasimodo and the dashing Captain Phoebus. While this show is based on the animated Disney film and includes many of the same songs, the plot and themes follow more closely to the original and significantly darker novel.

The cast features Bobby Cassell as Quasimodo, Shenise Nuñez as Esmeralda, Landon Summers as Phoebus, Matthew Korinko as Frollo and Trevor Whitaker as Clopin. Fitzwater has cast a top-notch ensemble of Dalia Aleman, Jinon Deeb, Cristina Flores, Steven Fuentes, Cameron Jordan, Josh Kolb, Rick Peña, Andrew Rodriguez-Triana, Stephanie Trull and Kyle Ashe Wilkinson.

The music's choral beauty will be powered by the award-winning Everglades Legacy Chamber Singers. The students from Everglades High School in Miramar who make up the majority of the 21-member mixed choir spent a portion of their summer vacation in an intensive rehearsal for the production.

The creative team behind the production's bold and dramatic theatrics is scenic designer Sean McClelland, costume designer Rick Peña, lighting designer Becky Montero, Sound Designer Rich Szczublewski and music director Caryl Fantel.

Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $47-$60. Ticketmaster is the only official ticketing service of the Broward Center, Parker Playhouse and affiliated venues. Buy tickets online at BrowardCenter.org or Ticketmaster.com; by phone at 954-462-0222; in person at Ticketmaster outlets or the Broward Center's AutoNation Box Office. Know who you are buying from when you purchase tickets. We CANNOT PROVIDE REFUNDS OR CUSTOMER SERVICE for tickets purchased from unauthorized sites, brokers or secondary ticket sellers.

The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District at 201 SW Fifth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.

AutoNation, Bank of America, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, LATAM AIRLINES, MasterCard, Paramount Refreshment Solutions, Rick Case Automotive Group and Sun Sentinel are proud sponsors of the Broward Center.

All dates, programs and artists are subject to change.