Review: DISNEY'S THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME at The Music Center At Strathmore

On April 26th, for one night only, Young Artists of America, an orchestral and musical theatre program for elementary, middle, and high school students in the DC Metro area, presented their performance of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Peter Parnell, and Orchestrations by Michael Starobin) at the Music Center at Strathmore. 

The production involved over 200 performers from YAA, as well as a chorus from Richard Montgomery High School. The YAAOrchestra had the momentous task of performing near-constant music throughout the show and was the lifeblood of the entire performance, while the company channeled the characters and brought the world of 15th-century Paris to life.

The well-loved piece follows Quasimodo, a disabled and orphaned young man who is kept hidden away in the famous Notre Dame Cathedral by his "master" Dom Claude Frollo. He rings and cares for the bells that are the "soul of the city," speaking to them and his "friends," the Gargoyles (Anah Ambuchi, Sofia Bailey Guerra, Sophie Beck, Harper Herndon, Erin Leberknight, Nyah Magsino, Hamsini Tikkisetti, and Lexi Whelan) as he yearns to experience the world that exists behind his beautiful prison. 

After escaping the cathedral and disobeying Frollo, Quasimodo experiences the Festival of Fools, where the audience meets both Esmerelda, a Romani dancer, and Phoebus, the new head of the city guard, freshly promoted (and traumatized) from his time at the front (War of Burgundian Succession). From there, the show collides with the fascinating characters and what they represent—Frollo's self-hatred fueled purism, Quasimodo's innocence, and aching desire to experience life, Phoebus' struggle between justice and loyalty, and Esmerelda's deep altruism and ancestral pain. 

While each and every performer, whether company, orchestra, or chorus, was able to share their impressive talents, the show's leads were able to especially showcase their gifts throughout the show. Luka Van Herksen, the young man who played Quasimodo, maintained a delightful and impressive vocal performance throughout the runtime and was cast superbly. Jesse Kliman's Clopin Trouillefou was a delightfully charismatic and disarming leader of the Romani, and an interesting foil/parallel to Ryan Robbins' Frollo. Robbins did a great job of tackling Frollo's mature internal conflicts of repressed lust, guilt, and resentment. Pertidently, the entire show/text is quite mature and sophisticated for the age group presenting it, and YAA did a good job of honoring the source material, but also keeping the show age-appropriate. Those expecting something more akin to Disney's film adaptation of the Victor Hugo text may have been surprised at the related differences between the show, but hopefully pleased, as the stage adaptation improves on the film version in terms of tone, structure, and music. Music being such an integral part of the Romani people represented in the show, exemplified in spirit by Veronica Romer's complex and nuanced Esmeralda. She played wonderfully opposite Seger Ott-Rudolph's Phoebus, who was equally stern and soft, and a pleasure to hear sing. 

Young Artists of America's choice of production was apt and pertinent. The show's explorations of the persecution by autocrats of marginalized peoples felt relevant and stirring. During a song about halfway through act two, Someday, Phoebus and Esmeralda lament their circumstances but find comfort in hoping that "Someday / When we are wiser / When the world's older / When we have learned / I pray / Someday we may let yet live / to live and let live." The moment felt decidedly hopeful and dismal in a contemporary context. 

The show does not shy away from tragedy. The violence of exclusion and prejudice slinks its way into the music, tearing the show and its characters like a voracious fire through a city. In the tragedy there is a message, but one not found without a lot of discomfort and sorrow. It is a cautionary tale, timeless, and typical of the master Hugo. It is, however, not without levity. It is a Disney show after all and the young cast did a great job finding the comedy in the piece. 

The production was not just intellectually stimulating, but visually stimulating, too. The costumes (designed by Janine Sunday, assistant designed by Sarah King) paid tribute to the Disney film and period, but were able to evoke their own spirit. The choreography (Alyxzandra Blanch) did a great job of navigating the slightly less conventional performance space and carrying the rhythm and tone of the show. 

Overall, the night was highly enthralling and a testament to the importance of young minds' access to the arts. The performers at YAA should certainly be proud of the performance on the 26th, and hopefully feeling the wonder of performing in such a wonderful space, and of sharing a show with gritty and pertinent themes. 

The show ran for about two and a half hours and had a 15-minute intermission. Information on future Young Artists of America productions and the organization as a whole can be found on their website.