This prophesy comes to us through the median of the English Version of Belle from Notre Dame de Paris.

Belle, there is a demon inside her who came from hell”

Avoid pretty people today, they bring ill omens. Tomorrow they will be ok again.

These are videos that very nice people posted of the performances from the Kremlin Palace of the current English cast of Notre Dame de Paris.

I’m not sure what to call this Tour Version. More videos coming soon

 

This is Myriam Brousseau singing Bohemienne in English during a radio interview for promoting the Asian Tour. She was the Alternate of Esmeralda and Fleur de Lys in the Asian Tour and the World Tour of Notre Dame de Paris.

I rather like her rendition of Bohemienne. She has a really good control of voice. It probably one the better English version of this song.

Today Horoscope’s come for the English language version of Notre Dame de Paris.

“It takes all night, but be assured they get it right at Val d’amour.”

Dennis Ten Vergert as Gringoire with a Dancer, Notre Dame de Paris, Asian Tour picture image

Dennis Ten Vergert as Gringoire with a Dancer, Notre Dame de Paris, Asian Tour

You must allow things to take their time so that that can be perfect.

Today’s Horoscope was  prophesied by the magical and mystical English version of Notre Dame de Paris, now playing in Wuhan till the 16th.

Ave maria, please pardon me.
If in your house I come stealing.”

Alessandra Ferrari as Esmeralda, World Tour Cast Notre Dame de Paris, Crocus City picture image

Alessandra Ferrari as Esmeralda, World Tour Cast Notre Dame de Paris, Crocus City

The prediction is clear, you shall have an unexpected visitor today who may will want a favor. Beware!

Is it just me or does it seem like Alessandra Ferrari has the same intonations as Tina Arena? Why do English language Esmeraldas have a tendency to belt even though the music doesn’t warrant it?

 

Korean Boy Band, SHINee, released a song off their 2010 Album, Lucifer, called Quasimodo. The plot of the song mirrors Quasimodo’s relationship with Esmeralda in that it‘s about guy that is in love a girl he thinks he has no chance with. It’s a lovely song.

English Translations
Your traces that my heart is filled with
Makes me able to breathe
When the long night is colored by the moonlight
Will the inescapable wait all end?
I wish for a miracle and ask and answer myself

Oh, I can’t tell you about me
Who wants to reach your heart
Like the starlight hidden behind the cold clouds
I love you, in the end, this painful confession
That lingers at the edge of my lips slide down in tears

This arrow that’s reached my heart
Feels like a part of my body now
Even though it hurts to death
I can’t remove you, who’s stuck in my heart
Because it’s love
Because for me, it’s love

*Even if I can’t have you
In the end, even when my heart is blocked
By the wall of sad connection
I love you, if it’s a place
where I can just watch you
Because you’re my everything

I stay up for so many nights
When the starlight becomes rain
That doesn’t stop like my tears
Remember that I loved you

*Repeat x2

It’s not tough, oh no
Because you have to be mine
In order for you to be you
Even if it hurts
Even if you make me cry
I love you

 

Another picture from the Asian Tour of Notre Dame de Paris;

Candice Parise as Esmeralda and Matthew Laurent as Quasimodo Asian Tour Notre Dame de Paris picture image

Candice Parise as Esmeralda and Matthew Laurent as Quasimodo Asian Tour Notre Dame de Paris

My Guess is this Shot is during Ma Maison c’est tu Maison or “My Home in the Sky” (English version {It’s a silly title}). I like this picture since it’s high quality, a performance picture, and shows costume details.

 

Will Jennings picture image

Will Jennings

With the new Asian Tour cast singing Will Jenning’s english lyrics, we must ask are Jennings’ Lyrics harmful. I would yes and no. I think performing an English version in Asian countries makes level of sense. Let’s face it, English is a basic skill  in many countries, and odds that people in China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore can speak English is pretty high and this way they can appreciate the show a bit better and since these people are not native speaker they are not as bothered by  the awful lyrics.

 

Tina Arena played Esmeralda in the London Cast picture image

Tina Arena played Esmeralda in the London Cast

And now the flip-side, Yes, Will Jenning is most certainly harmful to Notre Dame de Paris. First off here’s a little trivia, the London version wasn’t doing well so they brought in Dannii Minogue in a hope of increase sales. The show didn’t last much longer and as 2001 it ended in London and has never played again. The Las Vegas cast didn’t play for very long either and have never revived. Now personally I think Las vegas was a poor choice for this show. Las Vegas is a bright colorful place and Notre Dame de Paris is a pretty minimal on sets and props, I think it might do doing better in New York City. But the show English Lyrics are laughable and I am sure that contributed to show lack of success in its English version.

 

 

Dannii Minogue also played Esmeralda in the London cast pciture image

Dannii Minogue also played Esmeralda in the London cast

The problem is you can tell Jenning rushed the translation, he tried too hard to fit the measure and not the mood. As result we get lyrics like “Out of no where came the Age of Cathedral” (Didn’t Notre Dame de Paris take over 100yrs to build?) “I was born on a road that bends“(So, not Texas? vauge statement Esmeralda) “So look no more for love, love is you.”(this line just sound stupid when sung) “I feel love awaken me, deep down in me, too strong for me.“(oh that  just laziness) “Oh Fleur-de-lys I am a man who knows no law” (I kinda like Belle in english, it’s not bad but this line is stupid, Phoebus is Law in the show or maybe he’s just bad at his chosen profession) “Free today, Flown away. Souls at bay find a way” (Free Today sounds like a local cable advert for a mattress sale- Free Today, just one day buy two on saturday and don’t pay till May (That maybe bad by no one is paying me to write lyrics), that’s just a few, go here (http://ndparis.narod.ru/eng/translations/english.html) and read for yourself, just pick  a random song, there all pretty much horrible. Most of the songs are bad- rhyming me with me, all of Anchary (it’s just stupid), He is shining like Sun and Val d’amour and trying to turn the show into Le Miserable with “My Home in Sky”, really I could on and on, but this is an interlude. (when I get to Notre Dame de Paris I’ll probably go into this more, if I’m feeling suicidal)

 

Janine Masse played Esmeralda in the Las Vegas cast picture image

Janine Masse played Esmeralda in the Las Vegas cast

The mood and emotion is why the show and the original cast are so great. And the translations just sucked it away and not even the alumni from the original cast could save it. Plus and I’m not sure what it is, but it seems that none of the performers can sing these lyrics properly they all seem breathless, mumbly and lost as they sing, which just adds to the weakness and lack of emotion. So you can’t really blame the singers.

 

 

So while I get that William Jenning has done some very lovely lyrics for popular songs “My Heart Will Go On” and my personal favorite “If We Hold On Together” from The Land Before Time, The Notre dame de Paris lyrics is not his finest work and someone should have ordered a better translation before the Asian Tour was even announced. But because of his cache that a retranslation was never done. Let hope someone, someday will look passed the name and actually listen to the English lyrics and get that retranslation that the fans deserve.

So to answer the title of this post “William Jennings Considered Harmful?”,  Yes, Yes He is!

A Dancer performing in Bohomienne in The 2011 Asian Tour of Notre Dame de Paris picture Image

A Dancer performing in Bohomienne in The 2011 Asian Tour of Notre Dame de Paris