I wanted to make a vlog about this production because I had been anticipating it for a long time, wanting to react to it and discuss various aspects of the show. I then remembered that I have a "Taking a One 'Stef' at a Time" series for this very purpose. :P The last time I wrote a "Reflections about..." piece was in 2012 so it's about time that I wrote another one.
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| From Paper Mill Playhouse's website |
Except it's not.
The musical actually premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in California months prior with a lot of the same cast.
The show played at Paper Mill Playhouse from March 4-April 5. The reason why I was so excited about this is because when I first heard about this show when Paper Mill Playhouse's 2014-2015 Season was first announced, I read that apparently this was its premiere before it goes to Broadway. Like, I thought this was the intention. "Newsies" and "The Little Mermaid" were also Disney movies turned stage musicals that premiered at Paper Mill before their Broadway debuts, but I never got to see them, so I wanted to make sure I saw "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". I was looking forward to it for months and when we were actually looking for seats, we kept having to cancel due to circumstances. We finally saw it the final week of its run.
Now I'm hearing that this is questionable. Articles are showing up saying that it will not transfer to Broadway. But one thing is clear...the people want this to happen. They even created a petition to get their voices heard. Even the cast seems to be interested when I ask them.
It was SUCH a popular production! It kept getting sold out and the theater was at its most crowded when I went to see it. The name really drew people to it.
-These are some notes to consider about it just in case in does go on Broadway and you want to see it (I HIGHLY recommend!):
1) Though it is based on the Disney storyline, it is not exact.
It follows the same course of the tale pretty much, but it does paint Frollo in a better light than the movie does. I'll get into that later.
The musical is a lot more depressing and sexier, so keep that in mind when considering bringing junior. There's no nudity or sex scenes, but the themes are very prominent. It's also not very child-friendly for the very fact that it might be too deep for kids to comprehend. There was a father and son in my row, the son I would say about six years old, if not a bit older. He often fidgeted, which tells me that the show didn't keep his attention span. They stayed the entire show, but I could tell that at times he was bored.
I think people who brought young children to this musical were under the misconception that since it was based on a Disney movie, it was obviously a kids' musical, which isn't really the case here. Though the audience was filled with diverse ages, I think the main demographic that this musical gears towards are people like me, those who were kids ourselves when the movie first came out in the 90s. We have an attachment to the musical because it is part of our childhoods so we want to see if the stage does it justice. Also, now as adults, we are able to understand the strong themes better.
A lot of the appeal for children in the movie are the gargoyles, whom aren't incorporated in the stage musical. Here we have ensemble members dressed like monks, known as the "Congregation" in the program and opening number, who give Quasimodo life advice throughout. They are supposed to be stone statues of saints instead, though they ARE referred to as gargoyles at one point by Quasimodo, which is strange.
2) This is one high-scale production.
When looking for seats with the ticket agent over the phone, I originally suggested that we sit up close. However, the agent recommended that we don't do that because this is one huge production and to experience the full effect it is best to sit further back. I am so glad that we listened to his advice because this musical can be very loud with in-your-face intensity. I remember back when I attended the Conversation Club before seeing "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" the man said that there would be a full fledged choir within the set throughout the production. He wasn't kidding.
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| Check out that set!! This doesn't even include the huge bells yet! |
Within the first five minutes, the chorus's first "Ah-aah, Ah-aAH, Ah-aAH, A-AH, AAAAAH!" gave me chills and had me in tears.
So basically keep this in mind when deciding on seats.
-Now here my personal thoughts about it:
1) Unlike the animated Frollo, this Frollo isn't as much of a jerk.
He's still the same racist, self-righteous creep we all love to hate, but this Claude Frollo, played by Patrick Page, is a little bit more human and understandable, and perhaps a bit redeemable. In fact, that's what he states at some point in the musical. He realizes his humanity because of his lust for Esmeralda.
The musical opens up with him as pretty much the main character. He is a devout Catholic deacon who is stern and set in his ways. Then the musical reveals something that the movie does not: He has a brother named Jehan, who is the complete opposite of him. Frollo is determined to keep Jehan closer to the Church and save his soul, but Jehan wants nothing of it but to indulge in the pleasures of life instead. For Frollo's birthday, Jehan brings him gypsy girl Florika for obvious sexual reasons. Father Dupin of Notre Dame notices this because Frollo felt the need to expose it, which ultimately gets Jehan kicked out of the Church. Jehan and Florika leave and Frollo doesn't see his brother for years. Over time Frollo is promoted to Archdeacon of Notre Dame and gets summoned to his brother's deathbed. We learn that Florika has died six weeks prior but Jehan has had a child with her, whom he leaves with Frollo. This is baby Quasimodo. Frollo considers Quasimodo's disfiguration a punishment from God because of Jehan's sins as well as his own cross to bear. He believes that God is testing him.
It's still cruel that Frollo gave Quasimodo such a mean name and has convinced him that he is stupid and ugly, but the fact that Quasimodo is Frollo's nephew changes Frollo's attitude a bit. He cares about Quasimodo a lot more than the animated Frollo does through his love for Jehan, the only love he's ever felt. This Frollo doesn't also straight up kill a gypsy woman for no reason. There are times he actually seems to enjoy Quasimodo's company.
Frollo keeps Quasimodo hidden because he knew that the townspeople would treat him terribly. And of course, when Quasimodo does reveal himself to the townspeople during their Feast of Fools, they start throwing food at him. Quasimodo pleads for Frollo's help, but Frollo lets him undergo the madness a bit more to teach him a lesson. Frollo doesn't stop it all until Esmeralda steps in.
This same scene occurs in the movie as well, but while in that Frollo has it prolonged because he enjoys watching Quasimodo suffer, the stage Frollo seems a bit saddened by the ordeal. He wants to teach Quasimodo that people are horrible, which is actually a beneficial lesson, and to do that he had to step back a bit to have his nephew experience it for himself. He comes across a father figure in that way.
But the stage Frollo does still hate gypsies. He shows visible disgust about Florika and Quasimodo's own gypsy genes is probably another reason why he has animosity towards him. He hates the idea of them running around and dancing. He considers them less human and not honorable human beings. However, he does take a liking to Esmeralda thinking that he could at least save her soul, for she says something profound and he compares it to the words of Christ. But then he becomes obsessed with her because of his desire for her and vows to destroy her because of this.
I just wish that they explained more why Frollo hates the gypsies so much. There has to be a more specific reason.
We have to remember that villains never do things to purposely be bad. They do what they do because they believe that they are right.
Unlike the animated version when Frollo falls into a fiery pit, the staged version is a bit more loyal to the original novel. In anger and in the name of justice, Quasimodo uses his super strength to lift up Frollo and throws him off the tower. After he lands and dies (we don't see this), Quasimodo looks down at him and says, "There lies all that I have ever loved," which is an exact line from the novel. This suggests that the two did indeed have some kind of love relationship. Even though Frollo was cruel, Quasimodo still has this attachment to him and still somehow loves him.
2) Michael Arden as Quasimodo.
Michael Arden is one great actor. I said this to my aunt during his first scene. I never really knew this as much about Quasimodo, but he is supposed to be deaf given his bell ringer profession. Arden's disfigured speech and body language throughout the whole thing is so consistent and believable. SUCH an amazing actor. And of course he sings beautifully too.
His sweetest moment is when Esmeralda comes to visit him in the tower. After their duet "On Top of World", Quasimodo excitably starts to ring bells saying "RING! Ring for Esmeralda!" I just thought that this was really cute. Actually, any time he interacts with Esmeralda, it's really sweet.
One thing that I thought was weird about him is the fact that he walks onstage from upstage his normal self in his first scene during "The Bells of Notre Dame" intro, but then when he gets there he smears black paint onto his face and the ensemble and Frollo put the hunchback on him. They literally assemble the costume right there onstage and then when "The Bells of Notre Dame" song hits climax, he turns around, thus revealing his full hunchback look. I don't really understand the reason for doing this right onstage other than the big reveal. I feel like it takes away the illusion.
I feel a little alone in this because other people seem to really like seeing this transformation right before our eyes onstage. It was a nice effect in that regard, but at the same time it was still a little odd to me.
3) Andrew Samonsky as Phoebus.
The whole time he reminded me of a Medieval Times knight.
I never knew what a promiscuous, womanizing son of a gun he is. I never really watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame as much as other Disney movies as a kid, so therefore I'm not a big Phoebus expert, so maybe this was suggested in the movie and I just never noticed. I do know though that he always had the hots for Esmeralda.
But this is what makes the musical more adult. He comes into his first scene with immediately all of the women salivating over him as opposed to the movie where no one seems to notice him. He claims to love all types of women and it is suggested that he frequents the local brothel quite often. Samonsky plays him like an arrogant, pompous frat boy almost, well more so like a popular high school jock, which is actually a lot of the funnier moments of the musical. Trust me. This play needs these rare comic relief moments.
Also, I love that in his introduction they say that he has "swagger" or something like that. His intro song "Rest and Recreation" is one of the most light-hearted pieces in the musical and has a tendency to get stuck in my head.
The point of Phoebus is to prove that even the highest ranking soldier like himself can quickly be as outcasted as the gypsies if he were to disagree with what is popular and disobey orders given to him by authority. He's also there to act as a rival to Quasimodo to compete for Esmeralda's heart. But other than this he doesn't really do much and is a bit of a pointless character. Quasimodo does everything.
4) Samantha Massell as Esmeralda.
Here's our leading lady. The role was originally played by Ciara Renee, but for my particular show she was absent so we had understudy Samantha Massell, (Added 11/21/2016 12:46 AM.) who normally played the gypsy character Florika in the opening scene, (End addition.) in the role instead. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to see Renee perform, but I'm honored to have been able to see Massell in the role. I could've been in the audience any other night, but I got to experience her. :)
So, did Massell do well at her chance? VERY. Was she a good casting choice? MAYBE not. :/
Massell was an understudy for Esmeralda, so it's not like she was the first choice for that particular role in the first place. However, while watching it, I unfortunately couldn't really believe her as the character. To me, Renee just captures Esmeralda better based on what I've seen and heard of her.
Saying this though, I don't want to discount Massell's performance entirely. Her acting and singing is very well done. During the part when she is tied to the stake and Frollo sets it on fire, Massell starts to cry and it broke my heart to see her in such fear and sadness.
In a scene between her and Frollo, she exasperatedly says, "Why me? Why ME?"
Seriously! Why HER? All she did was dance and partake in the festivities!
Also, sorry, Esmeralda doesn't have a pet goat in this version. :P
5) "Hellfire"
"Hellfire" is quite possibly the best Disney villain song of all time if not the best villain song of all time period. What's frightening about it is that unlike other villains, Claude Frollo could very well be a real person.
I was actually very concerned about how this would be staged, where effects are limited. With cartoons you can do anything, such as incorporate an indoor tornado to intensify the scene. Check out the animated version of the song for visuals to gather my meaning:
I actually saw some clips of Page's Frollo singing this in the La Jolla version, and was a bit disappointed in what I saw. All he does is stand there and sing, whereas in the animated version he gradually deteriorates into madness.
However, it is SO much better live! I literally said "WOW." at the end of it, which was best part of the entire number. It was such a huge, loud, powerful finish that the audience erupted in cheers when it was over. The same thing occurred at the end of Arden's rendition of "Made of Stone", a song with which I was obsessed the whole week after the show ended.
Ultimately, Frollo needs to realize that sexual feelings are normal. :P His disgust is mainly the fact that his harbors this sexual desire for a gypsy, someone he considers below him, but what's odd is that in the musical he wants her even though he wants to destroy her because she's such a danger to him. If she agreed to his ultimatum and slept with him (this is suggested), wouldn't this be a poor outcome for Frollo? Isn't the reason why he wants to purge her is because he's afraid of his desire for her? But if she gave into his demands wouldn't he be partaking in what he feared the most?
Geez, now I know why Frollo is so screwed up and this song exists. He is a walking contradiction.
Can you imagine if Esmeralda was a guy and Frollo developed homosexual feelings for him??? He'd really flip out then!
6) This is the ultimate "friend-zone" musical.
There are different types of men in this world, and Quasimodo, Frollo, and Phoebus all represent different groups. Let's put this in perspective and imagine them all as high school kids. Quasimodo is the disabled nerdy kid who always gets picked on, Phoebus is the hot yet dopey popular captain of the football team, Frollo is the president of the student council, and Esmeralda is the kind, popular non-white new girl that all of the guys like. In the musical, Esmeralda calls Quasimodo her friend, which breaks his heart since he is in love with her, but then he accepts it because he is generally a good person. Frollo, on the other hand, uses his authority to his advantage. Not only does he represent corruption in religious leaders, which is the obvious theme here, he also represents male entitlement. He blames Esmeralda for stabbing Phoebus, which he did, and of course, people would take his word over a gypsy's. This same thing could occur in a high school setting. If a president of the student council "stabbed" the high school jock and blamed it on the non-white girl because he is angry that she won't sleep with him, people would rush to defend him because of his place in the school and dismiss any protest. Frollo's message seems to be the typical extreme male entitlement motto: If you don't have sex with me, you die. "She will be mine or she will burn."
This is all too relevant to today, and this musical takes place in 1482 France.
After I wrote this I discovered that they said this same exact thing in these interviews.:
But of course, she makes out with the hot guy. The only point of "The Tavern Song (Thai Mol Piyas)" scene is to see the chemistry develop between the two. And the song is catchy. :)
There's nothing like it live, so if it does go to Broadway, GO SEE IT! :D I was never a huge The Hunchback of Notre Dame fan when I was a kid, but this musical made me appreciate it. I often think about it ever since I saw it and it puts me in a good mood. It's also been fun seeing ads for it everywhere on the Internet. lol
Make sure you sign the petition! It may help! Thank you! :)
If you want to see some video and listen to some audio from the production, check out this Tumblr site here. A lot of the music is from the final show at Paper Mill Playhouse. :) Otherwise, you may be able to find others elsewhere and on YouTube. Here are lyrics to every song in the show. This was another great find. :)
When the show closed, #PMPHunchback was trending. How cool is that?
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