A Rant on The So-Call “World Tour” Cast of Notre Dame de Paris

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Warning – This is an off-the-Cuff Rant

Elicia MacKenzie as Fleur de Lys, Matt Laurent as Quasimodo & Alessandra Ferrari as Esmeralda, Notre Dame de Paris World Tour Cast picture image

Elicia MacKenzie as Fleur de Lys, Matt Laurent as Quasimodo & Alessandra Ferrari as Esmeralda, Notre Dame de Paris World Tour Cast

Have you been looking forward to World Tour cast of Notre Dame de Paris coming to location relatively close to you? Too bad, it’s over. Their last performance was April 7th in Japan.  Apparently the “World” is Asia. And not even all of Asia only Moscow, China, Taipei and Japan. Now had I read this,

“29 septembre 2012
Matt will be on the new Notre-Dame de Paris Tour!

Matt will join the new 2012-2013 tour of Notre-Dame de Paris and will go to Moscow, China, Taiwan and Japan. It’s gonna he english version just like last year.
After more than 550 shows playing Quasimodo, the Huntchback and since 1999, Matt is always very excited to be part of this great musical and is ready to rock it again!
The tour will be held from end of october 2012 until early april 2013.” http://www.mattlaurent.ca/nouvelles.php

back in September I would have been angry sooner and would have ranted about it then. I just thought this Tour was just a little disorganized since there was no website or even announcement of dates except for Elicia MacKenzie’s site. I thought tour dates were being delayed as her site because it only went up  to the Japan perfomance dates (of which was wrong on the length the production was in Tokyo). I was wrong in my assumption but then again I thought this tour WAS TOURING THE WORLD, not a portion of a Continent.

The fact is after the Asian Tour they turned around and went to more or less the same places. How can they call it a World Tour when they pretty much only went 4645.96 miles/7476.74 KM?  Why did they bother  at all when they only really  added was Moscow and Japan to the mix? And Russia has been getting the Original troupe concerts since 2010, so they are not hurting to Notre Dame de Paris attention.

I find it odd that for both the Asian Tour and the World Tour rehearsed  in Paris but no performances occurred or even was planned there. But I also find it insulting that most of the principle cast is Canadian and yet there hasn’t been a performance in Canada (or North American) since 2005.

Quite honestly why would you have two Tour Casts less than a year apart tour in same relative locations and one under a name that denotes more places? I mean, did they try for performances in more locations and fail?  I admit, I have no idea how musical tours operate.

Wait I’m going to find out……………one sec……….  Ok, so whoever the tour manger and the booking agents were are to blame. I have to guess that in utter laziness they just went to same places in China and Taipei. Moscow is easy since they already love the show the only risk was Japan.

The time between the Asian Tour and “World Tour” was so on top of each other that I didn’t even know they were separate tours.  Originally, I thought the Asian Tour was the World Tour, and it confused me. And now I know I  was not really  wrong the World Tour was just the Asian Tour 2.0.

I just wish they had called a spade a spade and didn’t call it a “World Tour” when they never left a continent. Perhaps there will be another tour cast that will leave the Asian Continent. Or maybe I should start my own tour cast of the show with sock puppets.

Sock Puppet Frollo from Notre Dame de Paris picture image

Sock Puppet Frollo from Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame de Paris Curtin Call 2/27/13 plus more

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Apparently it is customary for Richard Charest to thank the crowd in country’s official language and start singing in French but the crowd was happier to heard Richard Cocciante singing in Italian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QT8s0cUejM

These video are from a promotional visit the cast did in January.

Pictures of the World Tour Cast of Notre Dame de Paris

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Still from the Crocus City performances in Moscow.

Notre Dame de Paris World Tour Dates in Russia

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Notre Dame de Paris 2012-2013 Tour picture image

Notre Dame de Paris 2012-2013 Tour

Good News! The English World Tour of Notre Dame de Paris has dates in Russia. It premires October 31 2012 the Crocus City Hall and lasts till November 4th.

When I hear more on dates and locations I’ll post them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2FLMZrXrng

Crocus City Hall 

General Entertainment Associates

A Correction on the Notre Dame de Paris Cast

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So I had said the Robert Marien, Matt Laurent, and Myriam Brousseau were in the World Tour Cast but it seems that they are in the Asian Tour 2011-2012 Cast. I Suppose with two English Tour cast information get a little confusing. Or Perhaps I’m Waaay off and was wrong about a World Tour.

Anyway here is the Cast of the 2011 Asian Tour Cast

Cast of Notre Dame de Paris Asian Tour 2011 picture image

Cast of Notre Dame de Paris Asian Tour 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confirmed Cast (Source) and (Source) 

Quasimodo – Matt Laurent
Esmeralda – Candice Parise
Frollo – Robert Marien
Gringoire – Dennis Ten Vergert
Phoebus – Stephen Webb
Clopin – Ian Carlyle
Fleur de Lys – Lilly-Jane Young

 

Alternates
Quasimodo/Frollo – Nigel Richards
Gringoire/Phoebus – Tim Driesen (Source)
Esmeralda/Fleur de Lys – Myriam Brousseau (Source)
Quasimodo/Clopin -Marc Akinfolarin

Unconfirmed
According to Twitter posts, Rachel Muldoon and Tom Muggeridge are in cast, my guess is that they maybe dancers but I don’t know, some how they’re are linked with the cast.

EDIT 6/25/12
There is a World Tour. It Starts October 31th in Russia. Tour will be English.

(((I’m sorry I got it wrong, but I’ll post something when (and if) and cast news is released on the 2012-2013 cast unless the Asian Tour is in fact the tour that General Entertaiment Associates meant and if that’s the case, why did the say it would be 2012-2013 when the Asian Tour only going to last for a reported 8-9 months? My guess is that the Asian Tour is the Tour Cast and General Entertaiment should have been more clear in their write up. But still it would be cool to have a world tour of Notre Dame de Paris)))

 

Notre Dame de Paris 2012-2013 Frollo

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Robert Marien

Robert Marien

The Notre Dame de Paris Asian Tour Cast Frollo will be played by Robert Marien. He has also  played Frollo in the 2000 Candian Cast and in the 2004 French Cast. He was born in May 5 1956 and is a Québécois. He is an actor, singer, and songwriter who has performed in the musical Les Misérables in Montreal, Paris, New York and London. He has also appeared in numerous films.

Here is a clip of him singing as Frollo from the Canadian Cast with Gino Quilico

I think he a good choice for the role. I have nothing bad to say about this casting choice.

 

Sylvain Cossette

Sylvain Cossette

Seems like the Tour Cast with be mostly Canadian Performers and since Matt Laurent with be playing Quasimodo I would predict that the odds of Sylvain Cossette playing Gringoire are high (Sylvain Cossette and Matt Laurent have worked together and Sylvain Cossette has played Gringoire before in the 2000 Candian cast along with Robert Marien.)

 

Myriam Brousseau

Myriam Brousseau

 

Myriam Brousseau is another Québécois and has been in Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, Romeo and Juliet and ASSASSINS. She’ll be playing the alternative for Fleur de Lys and Esmeralda. I’ve never heard her sing so I’ll hold off on judgement.

 

Edit-  This casting refers to the Asian Tour Cast for more info click here