Taking on a production of the scale of
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an ambitious project, whether it’s by a professional touring company or an amateur company. This week’s run in the Grand Opera House comes from the talented Belfast Operatic Company who certainly have the voices and the moves to pull it off.
A baby with a congenital disorder is orphaned and brought up in shame by the archdeacon of a Parisian cathedral. Closeted up in the bell tower, Quasimodo’s hearing is dulled by the regular loud peals. His guardian uncle battles his own vices at other people’s cost, in this case the Roma people living in the city. Over time, the discriminated against begin to discriminate against others too. A hierarchy of vicious virtue and violent vice is created.
Hunchback is a sad tale of spiritual abuse, holy hypocrisy, blackmail, sexual assault and societal othering on a giant scale. It’s a reminder that churches can still act in deliberately exclusionary ways – “a Gypsy dares to enter this holy place?” and later, “escort this Gypsy from the church, make sure she never sets foot in here again” – and use salvation as an instrument of control, as well as lording it over those whom they should be serving rather than enslaving. And it has further resonances in a week in which the current Tory government is announcing another ‘war’ on asylum, setting out its latest policy that seems likely to mistreat refugees rather than offer true sanctuary.
Esmerelda is “a Gypsy girl” whose looks and dancing catch the eyes of a triangle of admirers. But if the archdeacon can’t own the object of his lust, he’ll prevent anyone else from enjoying her company … and that’s before unpicking the inherent misogyny that takes away most of Esmerelda’s agency in shaping her own choices.
This adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel may have come through the hands of Peter Parnell, Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz and Disney, but it retains its original 16th century setting’s sensibility. While the use of “Gypsy” throughout would be mostly unacceptable in a modern tale, every time it’s used pejoratively during the show, director Kerry Rodgers has been careful to make sure it always jars, reenforcing the prejudice and dehumanising behaviour. For me, the production felt quite respectful to disability and race, though I do wonder what audience members from Belfast’s Roma community would make of the story and the production. A reflection of their own experience of discrimination today? Or a sense of being taken advantage of for entertainment?
Boyd Rodgers lends his amazing voice to the character of archdeacon Claude Frollo, while Conor Anderson and David McCrossan impress as Quasimodo and Phoebus. From her first appearance wielding a tambourine, Naomi Smyth portrays Esmerelda as a woman who despite her ability, wiles and resilience is being squashed by nearly every man she encounters. Women are key to the story, but so few of them are named: something joked about in the dialogue at one point.
Amateur productions have the luxury of large casts, and can create a sense of scale that commercial companies could rarely afford. There are rarely fewer than ten people on stage, and at times it rises to north of thirty. Timothy Bell has choreographed some great ensemble movements, with different groups swarming almost as one as they shift across the wide stage. And while some of the dance lifts need work to feel more confident, the shapes created on stage add a lot to the storytelling.
Given who is producing the show, it should be no surprise that some of the best moments are when the ensemble sing in harmony, almost a cappella, allowing their voices to rise above the fading sound of the sizeable band in the pit. Spine tingling. The actors are backed by a choir sitting in the cathedral stalls, though oddly they don’t get to come out and take a bow to acknowledge the power they add to some of the musical numbers.
Much of the lighting is spectacular, with intersecting beams of sunshine flooding down from on high into the cathedral interior, coupled with low level lighting that creates moody scenes. However, with the script and songs often quickly bouncing successive lines between different members of the ensemble, the lack of spotlighting on active performers and the odd blocking means you spend a lot of time scanning across the two-level stage to try to determine whose mouth is moving. On opening night, the band also tended to overpower the solo singers. But that should be smoothed out as the run progresses.
There’s a complexity to
Hunchback that means you can’t really just afford sit back and let it wash over you. There are a couple of beautiful moments when the gargoyles and statues in the bell tower speak and sing to Quasimodo using sign language (including the first act’s Top of the World). For the first few seconds it feels tokenistic before blossoming into something powerful that conveys intimacy and magnifies the loneliness of Quasimodo’s existence, trapped physically as well as sensorially in the cathedral. The funniest moment by far comes shortly before the interval when King Louis XI hams up every second of his brief scene to the audience’s delight. It’s hilarious, though quite at odds with the rest of the relatively serious story.
Belfast Operatic Company have brought The Hunchback of Notre Dame musical onto a Northern Ireland stage for the first time. There’s a lot of energy, massive talent, and big show production values throughout. The run continues in the Grand Opera House until Saturday 11 March.
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