Upper Darby to perform ‘Hunchback’ musical
UPPER DARBY » The Upper Darby Performing Arts Center is ready to put on one of its largest shows to date when it debuts the first regional production of the musical “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
The large-scale musical will have its Philadelphia premiere as the Summer Stage program’s mainstage feature starting on July 28 for six performances.
An extension of the 1996 animated Disney musical from the iconic Victor Hugo novel, the gothic story has yet to make its mark as a stage musical despite productions in La Jolla, Calif., and the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J., and a cast recording of the album released. It has never made it to Broadway.
Summer Stage Executive Director Harry Dietzler said he was “beyond words” to exclaim how excited he is for Upper Darby to be the first in the area to perform “Hunchback.”
“People weren’t picking (the rights) up, for the reason that it’s too big, we can’t pull this off,” Dietzler said about the lack of productions in America of the show thus far, noting that the approximately 1,600-seat Performing Arts Center has the space to do a production of “Hunchback’s” scale.
Set in the titular Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris, deformed, hunched-over resident bell ringer Quasimodo lives in solitude until he encounters kindness for the first time from an outsider named Esmerelda. The story unfolds on a stories-high set complete with a section to accommodate a 30-member chorus, four-foot tall tower bells constructed from foam and a constructed stained glass window. Professional set designer Martin Dallago modeled and constructed the set.
In addition to the chorus there are 54 cast members who will take the stage, backed by a technical crew of about 40. Jeff Dietzler is at the helm of the production with Gina Giachero serving as music director and Eric Longo directing the choir.
The style of “Hunchback” is that of “Les Miserables,” another Hugo-based musical, in that it is an epic production told mostly through song. Unlike its Disney source material, “Hunchback” is darker than the animated musical and more fitting to the Hugo novel.
“Every scene heightens the stakes as far as what makes monster versus what makes a man,” said Pat Walsh, who plays Quasimodo. “It’s a haunting plot and intimidating, but it’s so poetic and speaks to the world today. It has meaning that carries itself to now and I think it resonates with a modern audience despite being a century-old tale.”
The stage musical also features more robust choral arrangements, sung in English and Latin, and stronger music overall from the source film. As actor Chris Monaco, who portrays Claude Frollo, put it, the music is the voice of the cathedral.
“The way that the choir works they provide this sense of the ethereal entering the space,” he said. “There’s something so grandiose and epic about the scale of Notre Dame. You walk in and the choir is singing something soft and you feel like you’ve entered this sacred space… To really get to hear this cathedral, you can’t do the show without it.”
Longo added to Monaco’s remarks.
“The music is about the cathedral, music is the character of Notre Dame … It provides that underpinning of Catholicism, it can’t be separated, they’re tied,” Longo said.
When deciding what shows to bring to the PAC, Harry Dietzler said it comes down to the music.
“I was listening to the CD thinking, ‘I love this music, this is great,’” he said. “For me it’s always the music.”
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” opens at the Performing Arts Center on July 28 at 7:30 p.m. with performances on July 29, Aug. 4 and Aug. 5 at 7:30, and 1:30 matinee performances on July 29 and Aug. 5. Tickets may be purchased at www.udpac.org or calling the box office at 610622-1189.
Because of the show’s dark elements, it is recommended for children 12 and up.