According to this article fans “want’ Josh Gad to play Quasimodo. I’m not on instagram, nor am I all that plugged into what is the cultural zeitgeist of fan casting for Quasimodo is on the internet (which I don’t think is all that up there in relevance.) With respect to Gad, he would not be my first pick. I did listen to a podcast from awhile ago that tangentially mentioned him playing Clopin based on instagram stuff.
I only pegged him as Quasimodo in the past because he was making a push for this adaptation and it just seemed to a role that male actors want to play, for good reason. Also if you read a recent casting post I made, Gad is in the age range for Quasimodo actors, as he is 41. A year older than the average of 40.
However the article has no insight on casting but there is some info on the crew. Also the article says that the movie has a release date of July 19th, 2024.
Also an article from The Wrap (which I’m not linking because of laziness) put Notre Dame de Paris as 3rd (or maybe 4th I can’t recall, this why you shouldn’t be lazy like me) worst production of 2022 in New York City. It is very interesting how mixed the NYC reaction was to the show. I do get that it’s not a perfect show, I still love it but I can understand other POVs on it. The production isn’t super concern whether or not the plot makes sense but it’s more about emotions. And maybe that is an excuse but if people/theater critics didn’t like the show then so be it.
So there is some new nuggets for the end of the year.
Notre Dame de Paris July 2022 New York City Lincoln Center
As a Christmas present in 2020 I was given tickets to see Notre Dame de Paris in New York City July 2022. So I had a long time to get hyped. The tickets were for the Saturday afternoon show on the 16th. In theory I could have gone to Canada to see the show but New York City is closer to me despite the fact that I had only been once prior as child. So in the future if the show never returns to NYC I could go to a performance across the border but who knows maybe it will return someday. It’s so weird to me that this the only second time it’s been performed in the states. The Second and the first time in the Big Apple. Then again a lot of shows have never been performed in the States.
David Koch Theater Lobby before the show
So this was first my time seeing the show live. I had always thought that if I was going to see the show in the States that it would be in English and I was ok with that. So I was happy to learn back when it was first announced that it was going to be in French.
Photo-op in the David Koch Theater Lobby before Notre Dame de Paris
One thing that was a little weird/interesting was that in the lobby there was large photos from the show and mostly it was from the current revival cast, pretty sure, except there was one of Lola Ponce who played Esmeralda in the first Italian cast and is currently reprising her role. Not sure why they had that photo at Koch theatre unless they thought it was just a good photo op. It just stood out to me.
The stage at David Koch Theater before Notre Dame de Paris
So how was it? It was great. 10 out 10 I would see it live again. Was it so different seeing it live than seeing it in the pro-shot or recordings as I have for years? I’m not really sure. I did like that could look around the stage and see interactions that I would typically miss especially with the pro-shot. Like entrances and exits or what other performers are doing when the focus isn’t on them. I also just liked being in the space with a crowd watching the show.
Also I didn’t know the show used a haze effect so I learned something new. There were also changes to the show that didn’t know like that “Val de Amour” got toned down. I don’t typically rewatch that number so I didn’t know about the changes, it’s not as racy as the pro-shot or the Italian version pro-shot. There are also little things with blocking noticed but I won’t go into specifics.
This is not my recording. I’m miserable at getting pictures as I just never think to get them in the moment. But this recoding of the curtain call is from the performance I attended. Also my seat was up in the 4th ring so I was very high up so it might have been it might good have been a good shot any way but I did unobstructed view because I was in row 1 so I could see whole stage.
If I ever see show again I will try to get a picture from the curtain call. Also also at points in the show spotlights sweep over the audience and one at the end of “Vivre” went pretty much into my eyes and probably everyone else in my area too.
My Notre Dame de Paris haul
Also of course there was merch. The merch included shirts, a mug, a tote, a poster, a keychain and a book. There could have been more but those items are what I remember.
At first I was like “Nah I don’t need stuff.” Then by intermission I decided to get the book and then like two minutes after that I impulsively got the Belle shirt. I sort of regret not getting the tote bag but I thought it was a little small for my purposes. Whatever. It’s fine.
Has seeing the show rekindled my interested in the show? A little bit yeah.
Hey all, I’m sorry I haven’t been updating and I’m sorry that I haven’t finished watching/reviewing The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo. I’m not going to go into reasons or excuses as to why as they pertain to matters of my personal life and I am not going there on this platform. All I really can say I’m not sure when I will get back to those review posts. Just know that I would like to at some point. For now posts will remain sporadic.
And now an unrelated story.
Helene Segara as Esmeralda Notre Dame de Paris
So I also write Hunchback content on Hubpages. Way back in the before times of 2011 I did a page on Esmeralda’s green costume from Notre Dame de Paris. She wears this costume throughout the first act. You can see that hub here.
On this page I compare the different versions of the costume from production to production. Mostly the costume is fairly consist from cast to cast with minimum differences in the overall design. Basically aside from the Italian version, which deviated in design very early on from the Original French version and the Korean version being darker, the costume has remained mostly unchanged from the original 1998 design.
There some changes though. For instance the costume was getting tighter and shorter especially from 2012 to 2015. Good for sex appeal but not for dancing. In 2021 I decided to update all my hubpages which is still an ongoing thing since many require a lot more work. I should mention that prior to my update of the Esmeralda’s green costume page I hadn’t updated it since 2015, a year before the current World Tour production, can’t really say cast since the cast has changed since 2016.
In the 2015 update of my page, I added an observation which basically said that the costume needed a redesign because the newer iterations lacked movement. And in 2016 they did update the costume along with some others in the musical.
Hiba Tawaji as Esmeralda
The new version of Esmeralda’s green costume has lots layers of lightweight fabric to show off the performer’s movement.
COINCIDENCE?
Maybe. It is suspect though given the timing. Perhaps my obsessive breakdown of the costume gave the production the idea to do a redesign. Perhaps it was parallel thought. Perhaps my page was one voice amongst many asking for a change. I do not know. More than likely it’s a case of parallel thought and the production and I had the idea independently of each other. The simplest explanations are typically the most likely.
Would I like to think I had something to do with it? Yes I would.
It is nice to see that the costume got more movement since that should add to the overall experience for the audience who is watching the musical live. And I guess I can comment on that further when I see it next month (July 2022) in New York City!
Quasimodo and Esmeralda in Roland Petit Notre Dame de Paris Ballet
While I personally do not understand the unique artistry of Petit’s choreography, as someone who doesn’t understand ballet, I do think that there was a lot of passion and love put into all aspects of this version. In that sense it was a breath of fresh air amongst some of the other versions of hunchback.
While the characters and story were simplified for the medium, they were more than made up for in the other areas such as the choreography, costumes, musical score and the sets.
All around Roland Petit’s Notre Dame de Paris is a really great adaptation and ballet in general.
Like so many of the other past productions of Notre dame de Paris, Allio took the more symbolic representation of the cathedral. You know it’s Notre Dame you’re looking at but it’s not an accurate depiction. It’s depicted as brown with details in paint messy looking lines. It looks like a fresco trying to look like stained glass. Like Notre Dame broke into piece and clumsy put back together. Which is apt as that was Hugo description of Quasimodo.
Sets from Roland Petit Notre Dame de Paris
Other than the Notre Dame de Paris edifice set, the other set that is most noteworthy is the bell tower. At the start of the second act, Quasimodo climbs down the set as the bell rings.
Robert Bolle as Quasimodo
While you’re not always going to play attention to the sets they work for the ballet’s mood, tone and add to its overall very unique style.
I’ll admit I should not be reviewing dance, I don’t understand it. I don’t understand the language or technique behind any of it. That being said I understand that Roland Petit was going for a more experimental form of ballet with Notre Dame de Paris or contemporary ballet. Contemporary ballet uses both elements of traditional ballet and modern dance to create a new style of ballet.
The style of dance in this ballet is not light and graceful with impressive delicate footwork on pointe, this ballet feels more masculine in its energy and movements than traditional ballets. It feels powerful in its moves and there is a lot more upper body movements than you would see in what is considered for a conventional ballet.
Natalia Osipova as Esmeralda, Roberto Bolle as Quasimodo and Mick Zeni as Frollo, Roland Petit Notre Dame de Paris 2013
That’s not to say it’s all strong manly ballet all throughout. Esmeralda does go on pointe and has more conventional ballet fluidity in her dances but their the modern dance elements still there. For example, during her solo she has these sliding motions with her feet across the floor, which I have never seen in a ballet movement, though I could 100% mistaken and this choreography done in traditional ballet.
The question is does this contemporary ballet style of Petit’s work for the story? Hugo always had a rough less gentile setting to his characters and stories. With Hunchback we have a tragic story of three men and their own unique takes on love and desire on a tragic young beauty. So while I personally don’t understand this style of dance or ballet, it does suit the mood of the story.
There is nothing wrong with the choreography, Petit approached this project with a lot of passion and knowledge of the art form. This is all super subjective either you like this style or you do not. Or you’re like me whereas you appreciate the intent but you really just don’t get it.
Natalia Osipova as Esmeralda & Roberto Bolle as Quasimodo
There were moments I liked, Like Esmeralda’s first solo, the pas de trois with Esmeralda, Phoebus and Frollo and the pas de deux with Quasimodo and Esmeralda in the second act. I also really liked Quasimodo’s moments on the whole of how the dancer uses his arm and elbow as his hunch making it more interactive.
Mick Zeni as Frollo, Roland Petit Notre Dame de Paris
Given this version’s characterization of Esmeralda and Quasimodo it’s not surprising that there is very little to this Frollo outside of what the plot demands.
He is a priest who lusts after Esmeralda. He doesn’t feel any guilt over feeling lust towards Esmeralda versus his lofty opinion of himself because of his position as a priest. He could have been spurned jealous lover of hers who happened to be a priest and it wouldn’t have changed anything as the ballet presents his character.
Basically there is not much here outside of Frollo slapping Esmeralda during his assault on her that is different. Not sure how I feel about that but he did attack her in the book so the slap was a clear visual for the ballet, so it’s at least understandable and the action does make Frollo more contemptible as a villain.
And a villain is what he is. It’s very black and white with no shades of gray. It’s a boring rendering of the character.
Unless this ballet is super-coded and there is more expressed in the characterization and I don’t understand it because I don’t understand the language and gestures of ballet. But, if that was true then the slap would not have been necessary, so this is just boring yet oddly violent version of Frollo.
Again I should just say that for the medium of ballet this type of characterization is fine. It does what it needs to.
Natalia Osipova as Esmeralda & Roberto Bolle as Quasimodo
If I had to venture a guess, I’d say this version of Quasimodo is more in keeping with the Laughton version. Indeed this Quasimodo falls into the more sad, devoted thoughtful brand of Quasimodo.
There is nothing in this characterization that is morose or hateful to the masses but nothing that worships Notre Dame either. Instead it seems like this Quasimodo wants to be a normal person and is devoted to Esmeralda.
Not a major departure for the character but you rarely see a Quasimodo trying to stand straight and failing.
All in all it’s a very safe approach to the character. Time tested and audience approved. People like the emotional pathos of the tragic disfigured figure of Quasimodo and this is the characterization the ballet offers.
Isabelle Guerin as Esmeralda Roland Petit Notre Dame de Paris
What can one really say about analyzing characters in a ballet? Yes, they have some traits of the characters from Hugo’s novel but nothing in depth. And that is okay.
With this version of Esmeralda we get that she is flirty, at least when she dances and is generally kind. She doesn’t have the innocence or superstitious streak that she has in the book but she does seem a bit shy about sleeping with Phoebus, so at least there is virginal quality of Esmeralda’s character present in this ballet.
She doesn’t seem to fear Frollo as much until his attack on Phoebus. Unlike the book where she fears him very early on. In this ballet she does seem to be uncomfortable with his leering but it doesn’t seem like fear. This is not a big deal as many Esmeraldaa rarely fears Frollo from the onset.
Esmeralda is sweet, kind, flirtatious and tragic in this version. So we have a baseline version of Esmeralda. And for a ballet that is all she really needs to be.
Hiba Tawaji as Esmeralda & Martin Giroux as Phoebus
I have been watching videos of the most recent cast of Notre Dame de Paris and I noticed something about Hiba Tawaji’s portrayal of Esmeralda that was just off. It was something I couldn’t place but it was something I didn’t like. It was like she was trying to do too much but not succeeding. She just wasn’t coming off as natural but forced.
Just so we’re clear this has nothing to with her as singer or person, this is just in her acting. She is fine as a singer.
