Theatrical Outfit's Hunchback of Notre Dame-A Relevant Classic

~Doc Lawrence

This musical dramatization of Victor Hugo’s epic early on has the ensemble singing, “What makes a monster and what makes a man?” The story addresses the mission of The Cathedral of Notre Dame: Is it a place of sanctuary for only those officially welcome while all others are consigned to exclusion? The Hunchback of Notre Dame opens Theatrical Outfit’s Season of Character, inspired by the observation of the ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus that “character is destiny.”

Esmeralda and Quasimodo

With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and book by Peter Parnell,  the actors are deeply embedded in great literature. Dom Jean Claude Frollo (David De Vries) the archdeacon of Notre Dame, has a  mission to save souls from corrupt gypsies after sparing the life of his brother’s deformed child, Quasimodo (Haden Rider), who, from childhood on, is warned to never leave the sanctuary of Notre Dame.

A lonely Quasimodo finally leaves and encounters cruelty with no mercy. The gypsy Esmeralda (Julissa Sabino) intervenes, keeping a mob from Quasimodo, becoming his protector and Frollo’s sexual obsession.

Rider as Quasimodo gives a performance rarely seen on an Atlanta stage. A strong, emotion-filled voice parallels the physical demands of climbing ladders, lifting bodies, fighting off assaults, all while flawlessly singing of loneliness and love. Some moments are truly heartbreaking.

Ms. Sabino was born to be Esmeralda. Is she really a Gypsy after all? Her beauty is arresting and men, good and evil, find her irresistible. Her appeal reached into the audience.

The large ensemble adds depth with an assemblage of voices that when unified, rattled and shook the walls of Downtown Atlanta’s magnificent Rialto Theatre.

This is a large cast backed by the highest quality support. The scenes take on authenticity with Shannon Robert’s magnificently functional set design. The orchestra is talented, seamlessly matching every note of every song.

Julissa Sabino as Esmeralda

The Hunchback of Notre Dame has added relevance now. The nation is grappling with issues that many believed to be settled. Who do we want as neighbors? Would we look down on people who have different skin color or don’t share our religious beliefs? Long ago, Victor Hugo addressed these questions in the confines of a sacred cathedral in the beautiful city of Paris. 

Likely, we would never burn someone at the stake.  But, would a deformed man, otherwise pleasant and innocent, terrify us? Are we even close to judging, in Dr. Kings words, a man “not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character?” 

Through September17. theatricaloutfit.org. (678)528.1500