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Notre Dame de Paris (musical)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Notre Dame de Paris is a French-Canadian musical which debuted on 16 September 1998 in Paris. It is based upon the novel Notre Dame de Paris by the French novelist Victor Hugo. The music was composed by Richard Cocciante and the lyrics are by Luc Plamondon.
Since its debut, it has played throughout France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada. A shorter version in English was performed in 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) and a full-length London production, also in English, ran for a seventeen months. The show has also been translated into Italian, Russian, Catalan, and Belarusian. It has also been translated independently into (but never performed in) Swedish and Armenian.
“Notre Dame de Paris”, according to the Guinness Book of Records, had the most successful first year of any musical ever. The score has been recorded at least seven times to date (2007): the original French concept album, which featured Israeli singer Achinoam Nini (aka Noa) as Esmeralda was followed by a live, complete recording of the original Paris cast. A complete recording of the score in Italian was made, along with a single disc of excerpts in Spanish from the Madrid production. The original London cast album featured several of the original Paris stars, but only preserved a fraction of the score in English. The orchestral group I Fiamminghi recorded a CD of melodies from the score. A complete set of instrumental backing tracks has also been released.
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The musical takes from the book mainly the love and tragedy that befalls the intriguing Esmeralda and the repression that the guards impose on the "cour des miracles."
The show is narrated by Gringoire, a poet and minstrel who tells the audience of recent events in this Age of the Cathedrals.
The Gypsy Esmeralda has been under the protection of Gypsy Leader Clopin since the death of her mother. The Gypsies are chased out of Paris by the King's soldiers after they try to claim sanctuary in the cathedral of Notre Dame. In the struggle, Esmeralda catches the eye of the Captain of the Guard, Phœbus de Chateaupers, who is already engaged to his 14-year-old cousin, Fleur-de-Lys.
At the Feast of Fools, the hunchback bellringer of Notre Dame Quasimodo is watching Esmeralda, whom he loves, when he is dragged centerstage and crowned King of Fools by Esmeralda. Frollo, the priest of Notre Dame, tears Quasimodo's crown off and warns him away from Esmeralda, and outlines his plan to have Quasimodo help him kidnap Esmeralda (with whom Frollo is secretly obsessed) and imprison her in one of the cathedral towers.
Gringoire is following Esmeralda through Paris when she is accosted by Frollo and Quasimodo. Phœbus, keeping watch, protects her. Frollo remains unnoticed, but Quasimodo is arrested. Esmeralda refuses Phœbus, but accepts an assignation with him at the cabaret Val d'Amour for the following evening.
Gringoire sneaks into the Court of Miracles where he is caught and condemned to death unless one of the gypsy women will marry him, making him one of them. Esmeralda accepts at the last moment, saving Gringoire. He offers to make her his muse, but she is only interested in knowing more about Phœbus.
When Quasimodo is put to the wheel for attacking Esmeralda, Frollo joins in the general condemnation, but Esmeralda gives Quasimodo a drink of water when he begs for it, and he invites her to take refuge in the cathedral whenever she wants. Having her within reach drives Frollo wild with lust, and he follows Phœbus to his rendez-vous with Esmeralda, where he stabs Phoebus with Esmeralda's knife, leaving him for dead, and her to be accused of the crime. Phœbus, meanwhile, returns to his jealous fiancée Fleur-de-Lys without a backward glance.
Clopin, Quasimodo and Frollo all wonder where Esmeralda has disappeared to, and Gringoire reveals that she is awaiting trial at the prison La Santé. Frollo, acting as the judge, accuses Esmeralda of witchcraft, prostitution, harassment, and wounding Phœbus. She denies the accusation but, under torture, confesses that she does love Phoebus, for which she is condemned to death by hanging the following morning.
In the dark hours before dawn, Frollo goes to Esmeralda's cell, confesses his love and offers her freedom in exchange for sex. When she refuses, he attempts to rape her. Meanwhile, Quasimodo has released the imprisoned Gypsies, who rescue Esmeralda. They all take refuge within Notre Dame. The guards attack the cathedral to evict the Gypsies, and Clopin is killed. The Gypsies are exiled, and Frollo turns Esmeralda over to Phœbus who orders her to be hanged immediately. Quasimodo finds Frollo watching Esmeralda's execution, and Frollo confessed to having set Esmeralda up because she refused him. Quasimodo kills Frollo by pushing him down the cathedral tower steps, and dies of a broken heart with the dead Esmeralda in his arms.
- Noa then Hélène Ségara : Esmeralda
- Daniel Lavoie : Frollo
- Bruno Pelletier : Gringoire
- Garou : Quasimodo
- Patrick Fiori : Phœbus
- Luck Mervil : Clopin
- Julie Zenatti : Fleur-de-Lys
There are several recordings of "Notre Dame De Paris"
- The Original French Cast Recording (recorded live, containing the entire 2 and half hour show)
- The English Studio Recording (Highlights/ with Celine Dion)
- The Italian Cast Recording
- Russian Cast Recording (Highlights Album)
- English Cast Recording (Highlights Album)
The show has also been recorded in other languages including German, Czech, Spanish and many more, but copies of these recordings are very rare.
Critical reception outside of France has been mixed, with praise for the music and choreography, and general disdain for the English translation of the lyrics and the show's overall direction. Director Gilles Maheu staged the show in concert style, with the principal singers standing downstage center, with non-singing dancers upstage providing visual, but not dramatic, excitement. The orchestra and chorus were prerecorded; the principals wore very obvious boom mics.
"Was it possible to enjoy a musical show that, thanks to endless latecomers and even a camera crew pursuing celeb nonentities through the Dominion, managed to start 25 minutes late, was greeted with whoops of idiot glee from start to finish, boasted a backing track rather than a live orchestra and contrived to be verbally inaudible for much of its sung-through length? Well, yes, last night it was, just about. Much needs excusing, including a pretty uninteresting leading lady, but not the tunefulness of Richard Cocciante's soaring, major-key score; not the quality of the Quasimodo played with such doleful energy by an actor calling himself Garou, not the verve and athleticism of dancers who leap and clatter and somehow whirl their bodies while standing on their heads. One could see, albeit sporadically, why the show has been such a success in Paris... There are occasional imaginative production touches: huge bells with writhing, upside-down humans for clappers, for instance. But if the show's creators aspire to mount a telling attack on an unjust, hypocritical, brutal society they have some way to go. Another Les Mis this isn't." The Times
"...It hails from Paris via Montreal, bids to be some sort of rock amalgam of Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, and ends up as some sort of romantic Europop sideshow. As such, I really enjoyed it. Tina Arena sings the role of the gypsy girl Esmeralda and sings it sensationally well... This is not a musical. It is a concert with dance, lighting effects and a lot of French singers throwing their hair around in a collective display of gravelly-voiced pique. The music of Richard Cocciante, the book and lyrics of Luc Plamondon, with the lyrics translated by Will Jennings, are consistently and rockily entertaining... This, overall, is very different and its very own kind of musical spectacular. For a start, the music is recorded, so the singers sing to a backing track... The stage strains to show a different picture each minute and for that, despite everything, I really respect, and maybe love, this show. Tina Arena is superb, and the microphoned voices of French pop stars Garou, Daniel Lavoie and Bruno Pelletier, are as good as any heard on the London stage in the last 20 years." The Daily Mail
"...The one thing that can be said in favour of the piece is that Richard Cocciante's score is a winner, at least for those, like me, with lowbrow musical tastes. The more fastidious will probably think the music naff and too loud, but I found the soaring power pop and tortured masochistic ballads stirring. Unfortunately almost everything else about the show is a complete flop... The cast have clearly been chosen for their singing voices rather than their acting skills, and most of them seem to have given up any attempt at creating rounded characters. Instead the principals just march down to the front of the stage and let rip into their very obvious head-set microphones. But though the show - which uses a pre-recorded backing tape rather than a live band, which seems a bit of a cheat - will sound good to fans of middle-of-the-road pop, it looks dismal... On the plus side, there is some lively, acrobatic choreography, with much shinning up and down the back wall. Tina Arena makes a sexy, sultry strong-voiced Esmeralda... But director Gilles Maheu seems incapable of breathing dramatic life and passion into the show, the special effects are often far from spectacular, and one leaves the theatre feeling bludgeoned, exhausted and wishing that one had stayed at home with the delightful Disney video version of the Hunchback story." The Daily Telegraph
"...It's all very visual. The chorus of choreographed refugees is endlessly acrobatic. One minute they are cripples, the next they are doing cartwheels and occasionally the men wear nothing but underpants for reasons I couldn't fathom. Stage design is a disaster, with huge blocks of ugly concrete represnting Paris's beautiful cathedral. Richard Cocciante's surging Euro-pop score comes alive when Ms Arena splendidly lets rip in Live For the One I Love. But there is little romance, beguilement and fantasy. The show is all bats and no belfry." The Express
The original production of Notre Dame de Paris made musicals fashionable again in France and, since its inception, has spawned a number of other notable productions. As part of the publicity prior to the Paris opening three songs were released as singles: Vivre, Le Temps des cathédrales, and Belle. "Belle" became a huge hit, and was named Song of the Year in France, and nominated for Song of the Century. An English version of "Vivre" (Live for the One I Love) was released by Celine Dion, and appears on the original London cast recording, even though she didn't participate in the musical.
Many members of the original cast went on to successful solo careers in Europe and North America, such as Patrick Fiori, Garou, Hélène Ségara, Julie Zenatti and Natasha St-Pier (Fleur-de-Lys in the West End production).
In London, Esmeralda was performed by Tina Arena, later replaced by Dannii Minogue.
