Hunchback the Musical in Belfast

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Hunchback, Musical Belfast picture image

Hunchback, Musical

There is a new Hunchback musical in the world, this time in Belfast and it’s a Rock musical. The tag line is ‘Love – Friendship – Passion’

The cast is interesting and by that interesting I mean weird. Let’s see if you can spot the weirdness in the cast,

 

Quasimodo – Christopher Finn
Esmerelda – Ciara Louise Baxter
La Tortura – Kate England
Clopina – Roxanne Saili
Phoebus – Julius Metson Scott
Frollo – John O’Mahony

Clopin is a women???!!!!!!! I don’t have too big of an issue with that. Maybe the actress is the embodiment of Clopin or they had to take what they could get, But pray tell who is La Tortura? and why is she listed above most of the cast? and there is no Gringoire.

 

Ciara Louise Baxter as Esmeralda & Christopher Finn as Quasimodo Hunchback musical belfast

Ciara Louise Baxter as Esmeralda & Christopher Finn as Quasimodo, Hunchback

The song that is on the site  and in the video promo “Like I can” I really don’t care for. The music isn’t dynamic and the sentiment while in it’s the novel it’s just not that likable. Basically it’s Quasimodo telling Esmeralda that he’s better and shame of her for not seeing it.

I can’t judge the show based on one song or the cast but if that is the song they are pushing I’m not sure about it. Could be good or bad.

 

For more info;

http://www.theatreatthemill.com/PEO/load_screen.asp?screen=hunchback.asp

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/theatre-arts/qa-christopher-finn-29793304.html

Hunchback Broadway Auditions

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Esmeralda dancing Der Glöckner von Notre Dame Picture Image

Esmeralda Dancing Der Glöckner von Notre Dame

Auditions have started for the Broadway version of the German musical version of the Disney movie version of Hunchback of Notre Dame……. (blinks) yay!

Alright so what types are they looking for?

Quasimodo has to be a strong tenor but dextrous and flexible.

Frollo is an old Baritone with a rich register. I too want rich register ^_~.

Esmeralda has to “ooze with sexuality.” Sigh, she’ll probably have a red costume to match her secreting sexuality. I just hate overly sexy Esmeraldas, hate hate hate. They seem to want the actresses to sing contemporary pop theatre. That could annoying.

Clopin and Phoebus are both tenors though Clopin is high tenor.

Curious, there is no mention of the Gargoyles. I wonder if they will be like the German version or the Disney version. OR in this version at all? WE can dream can’t we, though they were not as bad in the German version.

I must despite my jabs, I’m very happy that this is coming to Broadway. Maybe I will get to see it ^^.

Read more; http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Auditions-Announced-for-HUNCHBACK-OF-NOTRE-DAME-Stage-Adaptation-Developmental-Lab-20131025 

Which is more Miserable?

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Les Miserables and Notre Dame de Paris are both originally by Victor Hugo, both have been  given the popular musical treatment and they have very similar endings. Both endings deal with death and dying  But which one is more tragic or dare I say “Miserable?”

Les Miserables Finale picture image

Les Miserables Finale

If you want to get all technical, it’s Les Miz because they tote the name but when I first saw it I thought, “Dear god, this ending is pretty uplifting!” So at the end Jean Valjean is dying and he seems pretty cool with it. Cossette doesn’t want him to die but Fantine, who is a like a vision, is all like Jean you have been awesome now come to Heaven it’s awesome here.  Sure Jean is dying but he’s not sad, in fact this musical makes death look pretty nice. Everyone who is died seems pretty happy and they’re super hopeful. I guess the Miserable people are still alive?  This musical promised me Miserable people and you  don’t really get it at the end. Don’t misunderstand, I love the ending and it’s great but miserable it is not.

Garou as Quasimodo & Helene Segara Danse mon Esmeralda, Notre Dame de Paris picture image

Notre Dame de Paris Ending

Now if we compare it to the Notre Dame de Paris ending proper, Le Miz is even more upbeat.  Esmeralda has just been executed and Quasimodo is mourning her while asking her to dance once again and heavily implies his own impending death. This ending is so sad that after the curtain call the tradition is to have the cast reprise the opening song while smiling so that audience is totally bummed.

Which ending do you find more Tragic? Clearly, I’m in the NDdP camp.

Victor Hugo Gala

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This video is from the Victor Hugo Musical Gala.

It features Nadia Bel, Matt Laurent, Robert Marien, Bruno Pelletier, Richard Charest, Sophie Tremblay all singing Le Temps des Cathédrales.

The King’s Academy Dress Rehearsal

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From this you can get the scope the of the first act. The sets are very well done with lots of levels. I will say I’m a bit disappointed in the costumes but this production has lot of people to dress and chorus and dancer I’m sure have several costume changes so I’m will let that go.

This really does seem like an English version of Der Glockner von Notre Dame.  They have Zuflcht (Sanctuary), Hoch uber der Welf (High above the World), and Esmeralda. I can’t help wondering what changes were made from Glockner to this musical version  as this show was called collaboration between the school and Disney. So I while I’m not against an straight version I do hope that this version has its own spin to it.

 

High School to perform Hunchback

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On April 18th  2013, The King’s Academy will perform “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Disney collaborated with the school to adapt the movie into a stage show. Now I’m basing this post on the preview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyLZURia7go

 

First off, this is a high school performance so I’m not going to get into the singing or acting. I’ll just say what I find interesting and what I dislike. I will say that the singing is quite good in general .

This stage version seem to very similar to the german Der Glockner Von Notre Dame. Clopin doesn’t have a puppet, Frollo says that Quasimodo will hopefully “think like him” instead be of “use to him”, and Quasimodo sings “God Help the outcast.” Now I mention  in my Glockner review that I hated that Quasimodo is shoe-horned into that song,  depriving Esmeralda of her only solo song. But who knows, maybe she will this version, though I doubt it. My guess is that this show will follow the movie more than Der Glockner did. I can’t imagine a high school production killing Esmeralda but then again, I was in a High School production of Oliver Twist and Nancy dies, so maybe.  Unlike Glockner “The Court of Miracle” remains in the show but I think it doesn’t work with a full chorus that is trying to sound pretty. It should have been a smaller group singing more roughly.

Now some nitpicks, Clopin is pronounce wrong. It’s not “Clo-pin”, It’s “Clo-pan”. Disney got it right but perhaps the kid was nervous. But did he call Phoebus “Edgerick”?  I can’t respond to that? That is so wrong.  Did they change the name and think no one would know?  Who ever wrote shame.  Edgerick? What kind of name is that? Maybe I miss heard that.  Also, I personally don’t care for the chorus’ arm choreography. I get what they’re doing, it’s just silly. ‘

I hope the songs from Glockner are in the show mainly “Someday” and “Esmeralda.”

 

I can’t really review this since it’s a preview as I can’t see the full scope of the show and I really don’t like being overly critical to teenagers who can sing well.

 

If there a full version of play on youtube I will review it  more in depth but as I live no where here  Florida and lack the means to fly there I can’t see it live. But if you do,  visit here from more info. And then tell me all about it ^_~

Korean Hunchback Musical

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This is a video for a   Korean musical version of The  Hunchback of Notre Dame . You can see the influences of Notre Dame de Paris and the Disney version.  It was done by the N.A Company and it premiered in August 2012. It seems to have  great energy and maybe more light-hearted than other stage versions. And I think there may even be Sister Gudule in this version.

Poster for the Korean Hunchback Musical

Poster for the Korean Hunchback Musical

Menken still wants the Hunchback Musical to happen

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Alan Menken picture image

Alan Menken

Last week I wrote about how with the announcement of the Aladdin Broadway show we shouldn’t except the Hunchback musical anytime soon. However while that is true don’t loss hope that it will never happen. According to an article on Broadway.com there is a line that Alan Menken is “also eyeing bringing and The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Broadway.”  This line is at the very end of the article but it shows that Menken is still on board with making the Hunchback musical happen, so maybe it will the show after Aladdin closes.

There is also another article on Broadway.com, that says that Journalist Michael Riedel  reports  The Hunchback Musical “could be back moving forward as well. ”  So we’ll see

But in the mean time you can see a play version of the Hunchback at the Actors Youth Theatre in Glibert Arizona in May.

You can read more here;

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/166837/aladdin-composer-alan-menken-working-on-two-new-musical-projects/

http://broadwayworld.com/article/POLL-Which-Animated-Movie-Musical-Should-Disney-Bring-to-Broadway-Next-20130111#

http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/20130103actors-youth-theatre-moving-gilbert.html?nclick_check=1

Aladdin, Broadway, and the Hunchback

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Aladdin the musical picture image

Aladdin the musical

It has been announced that Aladdin will hit Broadway Spring of 2014 after a run in Toronto. This isn’t the first time Aladdin has had the Live Musical treatment as it has a show in the parks and in Seattle.

 

Adam Jacobs as Aladdin and Courtney Reed as Jasmine, Seattle Production picture image

Adam Jacobs as Aladdin and Courtney Reed as Jasmine, Seattle Production

But what does this announcement mean for the Hunchback and it coming to Broadway? This mean don’t except the show anytime before 2015. I for my part am disappointed that this mean a Broadway show of the Hunchback will be delayed even more but I’m not surprise that they would go for Aladdin over Hunchback. Aladdin was the more successful movie that spawned two additional movies, a TV series and in general made more money for the company. Plus an Aladdin production is more geared to the over-the-top spectacle that Broadway and Disney both love. Hunchback not so much. It’s spectacle comes from the sets and not so much the costume or the choreography.

Esmeralda & Quasimodo Der Glöckner von Notre Dame picture image

Esmeralda & Quasimodo Der Glöckner von Notre Dame

I do hope that someday the show will come to Broadway after all it was very success in Germany so it’s not that far-fetched that they it could do well in New York.