Since this week we had not only the Asian Tour Cast Performing and the Original Cast performing Notre Dame de Paris in concert form I thought it should be a Notre Dame de Paris Fan-art related, which are hard to find.
Bohemienne by Kitty-Grimm
This one was Made by Kitty-Grimm. Esmeralda in this picture is model after Q’orianka Kilcher but it’s very much based on Notre Dame de Paris the musical.
The Original Troupe is performing three concerts in Bercy, Paris this weekend (Dec 16, 17, and 18). Can’t you believe it, one week and four concerts with the Original troupe and back in France to boot. Hopefully the good people who go will share some one the concert on Youtube. Because Sharing is Caring.
Madeline and Quasimodo kiss Hunchback of Notre Dame II Disney
Phoebus and Esmeralda Kiss Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame
Stupid La Fidèle Hunchback of Notre Dame II
In the case of Disney’s Hunchback sequel, this was Disney’s chance to give Quasimodo a love story as they didn’t in the original movie because Esmeralda and Phoebus are made for each other and pretty much the some person. However the whole plot with the bell was stupid. What Disney should have done was used the sequel to mitigate between the book and the movie instead of creating a villain who was pretty much universally despised by the masses, an idiotic impractical bell and not utilizing the more beloved main characters -Esmeralda, Clopin, and Djali.
Bruno Pelletier as Gringoire in Notre Dame de Paris
Djali Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame
Madeline Hunchback of Notre Dame II Disney
Here what they should have done, since Disney is in the business of contrived romances we’ll keep the Madeline character but instead of working for a vain magical bell thief she’ll be in league with Gringoire whose is a poet and a goat thief. Gringoire is original to the book and he does steals/rescues Djali. But having Djali as a focal point it would have been easier to incorporate Esmeralda and Clopin. Plus Djali was a smart Goat who could spell, tell time and do numerous of other tricks, plus Disney could have marketed more Djali toys instead that stupid Bell. Plus there would have been no lame Sarousch or hopefully no Zephyr. (Did anyone like either of them? Seriously I wanna know.)
Esmeralda Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame
However, I think Disney should have forgone the whole Quasimodo story line and done a prequel with Esmeralda because I can tell you right know more people search for Esmeralda than Quasimodo, she is just more popular. I think an Esmeralda backstory who have been a better waste of time. Who agrees? I mean we know nothing of Esmeralda’s childhood, parents, how she came to the Court of Miracles, or anything. I guess this makes her mysterious but it would have been more interesting to watch than watching Quasimodo force a girl into liking him with a jewel-crusted bell that isn’t even in the first movie. An Esmeralda origin tale would have mitigated the Disney story of Hunchback and Hugo’s Notre Dame de Paris, I mean Esmeralda is the titular character and the book revolves around her and Disney trying to downplay her in favor of Quasimodo just didn’t work. So they should have done a Prequel full of Esmeralda and not the sequel that they poop out.
Next Time – Conclusion Time for the Sequel
Frollo hates the Hunchback sequel and is happy to watch it burn
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
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
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
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
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
Original Cast of Notre Dame de Paris in Kiev December 13 2011
Just like in 2010 the Original Cast of Notre dame are set to perform another Notre Dame de Paris Concert in Kiev this evening December 2011. That means there are at least two peformance of the show, the Original cast and the Asian Tour Cast, Kind of Neat Huh?Hopefully we’ll get to see some decent video on Youtude ^^
After I did the Esmeralda My Little Pony Fan-art, I knew I wanted to do more and someone search for Fleur de Lys My Little Pony so I figured why not.
Notre Dame de Paris Fleur de Lys as a My Little Pony Fan Art
It’s based off Fleur de Lys from Notre Dame de Paris. Kind of makes me want to do an Esmeralda Notre Dame de Paris Pony. If you want to use it please credit the Hunchblog.
This Video I found on Youku and it’s of Matt Laurent (Quasimodo) and Candice Parise (Esmeralda) singing an excerpt of “The Birds they put in Cages” from the English version of Notre Dame de Paris. This is not a perforrmance of the show but a concert for a crowd. Please forgive the Audio and Visuals but it’s better than nothing right? Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIWTSskcRew
I’m going to give Parise and Laurent a pass on judgement till better audio clip comes around. (though I hear clips Laurent singing the role before) but I have a feeling Parise belts Esmeralda as did Tina Arena, which I do not care for but for know not going to pass judgement or criticism.
Notre Dame de Paris Asian Tour Cast performing La Cour des Miracles
So the 2011 Asian Tour Cast has ended in it’s first location of Guangzhou, China and it’s heading to Shanghai. The show premires there on the 2nd (which techinally today-the day of the post) and it will be there till December 24. So if you’re in Shanghai go see it ^^
I will say that I find it funny that a big selling point of the show for the Asian Tour is William Jenning’s lyrics. William Jenning, of course is a well regraded lyricist who wrote the lyrics for “My Heart will go on” but the english lyrics in this show are terrible for the most part and yet that it’s a big selling point. *shakes head in disappointment*
This video I feel remissed in not posting till now. This video uses the Bollywood Film Devdas 
Click here to view it on youtube
There are other Devdas videos to Notre Dame de Paris, I’ll post those sometime soon ^^
With the new cast of Notre Dame de Paris I wanted something Notre Dame de Paris for Fan-art Friday and then I found this;
Notre Dame de South Park by deppangel818
Drawing by deppangel818
I think this is perfect! I especially love Phoebus and Gringoire.
