R

MUSIC BY

ALAN MENKEN STEPHEN SCHWARTZLYRICS BY

PETER PARNELLBOOK BY

THE CAST

Clopin Trouillefou ................................................................................................................................................

Dom Claude Frollo .................................................................................................................................................

Jehan Frollo......................................................................................................................................................

Florika .........................................................................................................................................................

Father Dupin ....................................................................................................................................................

Quasimodo ........................................................................................................................................................

Captain Phoebus de Martin .......................................................................................................................

Lieutenant Frederic Charlus ............................................................................................................................

Esmeralda...............................................................................................................................................................

King Louis XI..........................................................................................................................................................

Madam ............................................................................................................................................................

Saint Aphrodisius ....................................................................................................................................................

The Congregation ....................................

(in order of appearance)

Associate Choreographer .............................................................Associate Scenic Designer ........................................................Associate Lighting Designers ......................... Associate Sound Designer ............................................ Associate Fight Director ........................................................Magic Consultant, Dance Captain ................................Assistant Director ........................................................................Assistant Scenic Designer .........................................................

Assistant Costume Designers .......................

Lighting Design Assistant .............................................. Second Assistant Director ...................................................Stage Management Assistant .................................................Production Assistants ........................ Music Department Assistants ....................Music Production Assistant ..........................................................Stage Management Interns ..............

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ADDITIONAL STAFF

Setting: Paris, 1482

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is performed with a 15-minute intermission.

Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association.

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The ....................................

ACT ONE ACT TWO

MUSICAL NUMBERS

The Bells of Notre Dame .................................. CLOPIN, FROLLO, JEHAN, FATHER DUPIN, CONGREGATION

Sanctuary ............................................................... FROLLO, QUASIMODO

Out There .............................................................................. QUASIMODO

Topsy Turvy ........................................................ CLOPIN, CONGREGATION

Rest and Recreation ............................................ PHOEBUS, FROLLO

Rhythm of the Tambourine ...........................ESMERALDA, FROLLO, PHOEBUS, QUASIMODO

God Help the Outcasts ............................ESMERALDA, CONGREGATION

Top of the World ............. ESMERALDA, QUASIMODO, CONGREGATION

The Tavern Song (Thai Mol Piyas) ......... GYPSIES, ESMERALDA, FROLLO

Heaven’s Light ...................................................................... QUASIMODO

Hell�re ...............................................................FROLLO, CONGREGATION

Esmeralda (Act One Finale) .......................................................COMPANY

Entr’acte .......................................................................................... CHOIR

Flight into Egypt ........................... SAINT APHRODISIUS, QUASIMODO, CONGREGATION

Rest and Recreation (Reprise) ......................... PHOEBUS, QUASIMODO, CONGREGATION

The Court of Miracles ...................................................CLOPIN, GYPSIES

In a Place of Miracles .......................................PHOEBUS, ESMERALDA, QUASIMODO, CLOPIN, GYPSIES

Someday ............................................................ESMERALDA, PHOEBUS

Made of Stone .......................................QUASIMODO, CONGREGATION

Finale Ultimo ............................................................................ COMPANY

Music Director/Conductor..................................Choir Master ............................................................... Keyboard ..........................................................................Keyboard .......................................................................... Concert Master .......................................................Violin ..............................................................................Viola ............................................................................Cello .........................................................................Flute/Piccolo/Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/Soprano Sax .................. Oboe/English Horn/Clarinet/Alto Sax .............................. Bassoon/Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/Baritone Sax .......................Trumpet/Piccolo Trumpet .............................................Trumpet/Flugelhorn ......................................................... French Horn ....................................................................Trombone/Bass Trombone/Euphonium ..............................Drums/Percussion .................................................................

Rehearsal Piano. ..............................Rehearsal Drums. ............................................................

Keyboard Programmer. ................................................... Associate Keyboard Programmer................................

ORCHESTRA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to the following for their support of this production:

All musicians are represented by

SYNOPSIS -- ACT ONEIn 1482, the congregants at Notre Dame narrate the origins of the hunchback. Orphaned brothers Jehan and

Claude Frollo are taken in by the priests of Notre Dame. Jehan is mischievous and deviant while Claude is pious. Jehan is inevitably kicked out of Notre Dame by Father Dupin due to his behavior. Jehan leaves and is not heard from again in years. After becoming the archdeacon of Notre Dame, Frollo gets a letter from Jehan, pleading to meet him at another location. When Frollo arrives, he finds that Jehan is living with gypsies and is dying from the pox. Jehan explains before he dies that his baby boy needs to be taken care of. When Frollo sees the deformed baby, he decides to kill the child. But when he feels the glances from Notre Dame’s gargoyles and statues from above he decides against it, feeling that it is a test from God. He names the baby Quasimodo and raises him in Notre Dame as his own son. A male actor comes onstage and poses a question: "What makes a monster, and what makes a man?" He uses his fingers to paint a series of lines (deformities) on his face, straps on a "hunch," and covers it with his signature green cloak to become the character of Quasimodo right before the audience's eyes ("Bells of Notre Dame").

Twenty years later, Quasimodo, now a young man, has gone partially deaf from ringing the bells. He speaks to the objects in the cathedral such as the bells, statues, and gargoyles. He daydreams about going to the Feast of Fools. Frollo arrives at the bell tower and asks him who he is speaking to. When Quasimodo answers that he has been speaking to his friends, Frollo reminds him that stone cannot talk. They recite the biblical story of the flight into Egypt and Saint Aphrodisius, whose name Quasimodo has a hard time pronouncing. After that, Frollo complains about how he must attend the Festival of Fools ("Sanctuary Part I"). Quasimodo offers to accompany him for protection. Frollo declines and warns him that he would be shunned for his deformities. ("Sanctuary Part II). Quasimodo reminisces about his "sanctuary" and how he would love to spend one day out there ("Out There").

Down below, the Feast of Fools begins ("Topsy Turvy Part I"). Meanwhile, Captain Phoebus of the Paris Guard arrives at the city and flirts with some women ("Rest and Recreation"). Frollo later welcomes Phoebus and tells him that there is no time for "rest and recreation" as they must get rid of the city’s scum. At the Festival of Fools, Esmeralda, a kind gypsy, dances for the crowd ("Rhythm of the Tambourine"). After that, the gypsies get ready to crown the King of Fools, who ends up being Quasimodo, who was entered to the contest by Esmeralda ("Topsy Turvy Part II"). In the middle of the celebration, he is humiliated by the crowd after the citizens start to riot. Frollo refuses to have Phoebus intervene, but Esmeralda rescues the hunchback and uses a magic trick to evade arrest. Frollo intervenes and stops the riot, and then asks Quasimodo if he is now aware that he was right about how cruel and wicked the world is. Quasimodo tells him that he will never leave the bell tower again ("Sanctuary Part III").

Esmeralda follows Quasimodo inside Notre Dame, but Frollo tells her that her kind isn’t allowed in the church and tells her that Quasimodo is his responsibility. Esmeralda asks if he has any charity, to which Frollo responds that he may be able to save her. After Frollo leaves to conduct mass, Esmeralda prays to the Virgin Mary and asks God to help the less fortunate ("God Help the Outcasts"). Phoebus finds Esmeralda and they both argue and fight. Phoebus tells her not to cause anymore trouble and that he’s simply following orders. She tells him to please let her go so that she may see Quasimodo. Phoebus tells her not to fight battles that cannot be won, but she says that she cannot help it.

Esmeralda runs up the stairs to the bell tower and befriends Quasimodo. Encouraged by the bells and gargoyles, Quasimodo speaks to her ("Top of the World") and rings the bells and tells them to "sing for her". Frollo runs up to the tower, confused as to why he is ringing them at completely the wrong time. Frollo is shocked by Esmeralda’s presence because he thought she had left. He offers her shelter at the cathedral so that he may save her soul, but she rejects his offer. Frollo orders Phoebus to escort her out of the church and that she is to be arrested if she ever sets foot in Notre Dame again. Frollo lectures Quasimodo for thinking that Esmeralda is kind and tells her that she is a dangerous person sent from Hell.

Having developed lustful feelings for Esmeralda, Frollo starts to roam the streets every night. After walking down an unknown alley, he discovers the gypsies celebrating with wine and dance ("Tavern Song [Thai Mol Piyas]"). Phoebus pays them a visit to have a little fun, and discovers that Esmeralda is there. The dancing resumes as Frollo, despite his efforts, is unable to look away.

Up at the tower, Quasimodo thinks about the many times he’s observed couples in love, and how he never thought himself worthy of being loved until now ("Heaven’s Light"). Frollo, meanwhile, begs the Virgin Mary to save him from Esmeralda's "spell" to avoid eternal damnation ("Hellfire").

At the Bastille, Frollo arrives unannounced to ask King Louis XI for special powers to stop a gypsy witch in order to protect the citizens. The King tells him to do whatever he feels is necessary, but to be prudent. Having obtained the necessary permission, Frollo instigates a citywide manhunt for Esmeralda, eventually ending up at a brothel known for hiding gypsies. When they do not yield what he is looking for, Frollo orders Phoebus to burn it down. Phoebus defies him and Frollo orders his arrest. Esmeralda shows up to stop him, and a fight breaks loose. During the commotion, Frollo stabs Phoebus and frames Esmeralda for it. Esmeralda and Phoebus escape and Frollo continues the hunt, while Quasimodo grows worried about her whereabouts ("Esmeralda").

SYNOPSIS -- ACT TWOEsmeralda returns to Notre Dame and asks Quasimodo to hide Phoebus, who is badly injured. She gives

Quasimodo a woven band which doubles as a map to the Court of Miracles and she leaves. Despite the gargoyles' warnings not to help Esmeralda, Quasimodo becomes inspired by the story of Saint Aphrodisius to go out into the world and help her ("Flight into Egypt"). Frollo returns to Notre Dame later that night and asks Quasimodo about Esmeralda's whereabouts, but Quasimodo feigns ignorance as to how to find her. A guard comes up to the tower to tell Frollo that they know where the gypsy is. Frollo cheerfully tells Quasimodo that they will now be successful in capturing her and leaves.

Using the map Esmeralda gave him, Quasimodo and Phoebus rush to warn Esmeralda before she is discovered by Frollo. Upon finding the court to warn the gypsies ("Court of Miracles"), Phoebus discloses that Frollo will attack at dawn and the gypsies start to pack up to relocate. When Phoebus asks if he can join Esmeralda and the other gypsies, they embrace and acknowledge their love for each other. Quasimodo looks on, heartbroken that his love will never be returned ("Heaven's Light [Reprise]/In a Place of Miracles"). Frollo interrupts and thanks Quasimodo for unknowingly leading him to the gypsy lair and arrests the gypsies present as well as Phoebus.

Frollo visits Esmeralda at her prison cell, and tells her that he can save her if she will but stay with him. When she refuses, he threatens Phoebus' life as well. He tells her that his love for her burns like hot lead and attacks her passionately ("Sanctuary [Reprise]"). He is interupted when a guard shows up with Phoebus. Frollo leaves the two to have a last conversation conversation in hopes that doing so will convince Esmeralda to rethink his offer. Once alone, Esmeralda confides to Phoebus that the only way to save both of their lives is to give herself up to Frollo. Phoebus pleads that she do so not for him but so that she may save herself but she refuses. Trapped and left with no choice, they speak about a day when life will change for the better ("Someday").

At the bell tower, the gargoyles try to encourage Quasimodo to free himself so that he may save Esmeralda. Quasimodo refuses and tells them to leave him ("Made of Stone").

Outside of the cathedral, Frollo reads off Esmeralda's trumped up crimes including entering Paris illegally, stabbing a soldier of the church, and witchcraft. He declares that her sentence is death but before carrying out the verdict Frollo gives her one last chance to save herself by reconsidering his earlier offer. Esmeralda answers him by spitting on his face. Angered, he lights the pyre to which Esmeralda is tied. Quasimodo having watched all this from a parapet of Notre Dame can take no more. He frees himself, rescues Esmeralda and takes her back to the cathedral where he declares Sanctuary - safety for all those protected by the church. Frollo orders the guards to ignore Quasimdo's plea and break down the doors of the cathedral if they must. Meanwhile, Phoebus convinces the people of Paris to rise up and fight the guards. Even so, the guards manage to break into Notre Dame. Upon seeing this, Quasimodo dumps a cauldron of molten lead onto the guards finally stopping them.

In the cathedral, Esmeralda thanks Quasimodo for being a good friend and she dies of smoke inhalation in his arms. Frollo comes in and asks Quasimodo if she is dead, which he confirms. Relieved, he tells Quasimodo that they are finally free of her poison and that with her death now things can return to normal. Quasimodo however, stand sup to Frollo for the first time and in his rage over Frollo's part in Esmeralda's death throws him off the roof of Notre Dame to his death.

Devastated, Quasimodo realizes that everyone he's ever loved is now dead. Phoebus arrives and discovers that Esmeralda has perished and tries to carry her away, but is unable to do so due to his injuries. Quasimodo carries Esmeralda's body outside and sets her down in front of the crowd. Afraid he will be blamed for her death, he starts to retreat. Instead, one by one each of the congregation steps forward with a gesture of acceptance as Esmeralda symbolically ascends to heaven. Their story now at its end, the company addresses the audience with the question asked at the beginning of the show, "What makes a monster, and what makes a man?" and leaves them to make up their own mind ("Finale Ultimo").

PRODUCTIONIn 2008, lyricist Stephen Schwartz revealed, "I think we're starting up Hunchback of Notre Dame, hopefully,

next year." In a November 2010 interview, composer Alan Menken confirmed that he was working on an American production, and that they would use James Lapine's book.

On January 9, 2013, it was announced that the musical would finally be produced for a Broadway performance with a book by Peter Parnell and new songs by Menken and Schwartz, who did the songs for the movie and the original musical.

"These characters all come together, all with purpose, all trying to do the right thing facing extraordinary obstacles... We don't offer a solution, but we go to this place that you or others may call dark, that I would call life."

Thomas Schumacher, interview with State of the Arts NJ for the 2015 Paper Mill Playhouse production of Hunchback. The Hunchback of Notre Dame had a workshop in February 2014, and its North American premiere at La Jolla Playhouse on October 28, 2014 and ran through December 7, 2014, directed by Scott Schwartz. The production featured a 32-voice chorus, appearing onstage during the entire show. The La Jolla Playhouse production transferred to the Paper Mill Playhouse from March 4 through April 5, 2015.

The style of the show is a "Victor Hugo adaption with the score of Disney's Hunchback". "The Bells of Notre Dame" is rewritten to include Frollo's past as a priest as well as his relationship with his brother Jehan before becoming the cathedral's archdeacon. The gargoyles, Victor, Hugo, and Laverne, who are the comic reliefs in the 1996 movie, are cut. Quasimodo speaks with a "strangled slur", rather than his pure voice in the movie. He relies on a form of sign language that he has invented, and while he is unable to articulate, the statues of Notre Dame serve as figments of his imagination, which provide insight into his thoughts and attitudes as a Greek chorus. Some of the original characters from the novel are added, as well as songs such as "The Tavern Song", "Rhythm of the Tambourine," "Flight into Egypt" and "In a Place of Miracles".

The ending was proposed by director Scott Schwartz, who turned to the original source material for inspiration. After Michael Arden, who played the role of Quasimodo in this version, read the book and discovered that Quasimodo is actually deaf from bell-ringing, he incorporated this aspect into his character, including a sign language-based form of communication. He had to selectively choose the moments to forgo the ailment in order to sing, such as moments when Quasimodo is alone; from his perspective he does not see his deformities.

Devastated, Quasimodo realizes that everyone he's ever loved is now dead. Phoebus arrives and discovers that Esmeralda has perished and tries to carry her away, but is unable due to his injuries. Quasimodo carries Esmeralda's body outside and sets her down in front of the crowd. Afraid he will be blamed for her death, he starts to retreat. A girl emerges, and twists her body to show that she is just like him. The rest of the crowd follows suit, accepting him at last. The company addresses the audience with a question asked in the beginning of the show, "What makes a monster, and what makes a man?" Quasimodo, now without any of his deformities, as well as Esmeralda and Frollo (who have painted deformities on their faces), join the rest of the company onstage ("Finale Ultimo").

A FULL YIEWoF

HUMANITY

Gabriel: Scott, this stage musical Is based both on Victor

Hugo's original novel and the 1996 Disney animated film. To

which source does your creative vision owe the most?

Scott: I think it's about 50/50, maybe even 60/40 in favor

of the novel. We've really tried to honor the novel, to push

more into the darkness of Hugo's work: the nuance, the level

of complexity of its characters, its multi-layered storytelling.

But, of course, the Disney film -both from a structural and

musical perspective -was the whole inspiration behind this,

the frame upon which this is built. So, there's a little of both.

Alan: In doing an animated film, you're trying to reach a

broader, or certainly a younger audience. One of the big

changes from the movie is the gargoyles. [In the movie) they

were a device we used to access the inner voice of

Quasimodo, and to insert lightness.

Scott: In this version, the concept of the gargoyles is much

closer to the novel than the film -we've cut the idea of the

gargoyles as individual, personified characters.

Stephen: I feel that word, "darkness;' can be misinterpreted.

Obviously, we still have a lot of comedy in the show and

we still have light moments and moments of joy and uplift.

But the stage version is able not to skirt around some of

the tougher, more adult aspects of the novel that we had to

handle a little more gingerly in the animated feature.

Gabriel: The story is set in the late middle ages. Scott,

has your research into that era informed how you've

approached the piece?

Scott: It's greatly informed it. My guiding principle for the

production is: if they couldn't do it in 1482, we shouldn't

be doing it now. In other words, the physical production is

based all on period techniques that have been around for

hundreds and hundreds of years. This is not a technological

version of the story. It's a human one. It's about storytelling as

much as it's about the specifics of this journey. We've really

tried to look at classical theatrical techniques as a way to

amplify the humanity of the piece.

STEPHEN 5cHWJI;RTZ Scarr ScHWJI;RTZ

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Gabriel: Stephen and Alan, you've collaborated three times

previously [on the Disney films Pocahontas, The Hunchback

of Notre Dame and Enchanted}. What specifically about your

method of collaboration works so successfully?

Stephen: It was a working partnership that functioned well

right from the beginning. In fact, the very first song we wrote

together was "Colors of the Wind:' It helps that Alan and I are

friends. We like to hang out, we like to play tennis together, our

families are friendly. That certainly has helped, though that

doesn't always guarantee a good collaboration. I think our point

of view about how to write, what the job of music and lyrics is

in terms of theatrical storytelling, and all those big-picture

questions, is very similar. I have to say that this collaboration is,

for me, always easy and fun.

Alan:The way I like to put it is, when we get in the room

together, we just have so many tools. There are so many ways

to skin a cat.

Stephen: We always start by skinning a cat. That's just our

ritual. Then we start to write the songs.

Alan: Right. Which is very painful, but afterwards ...

Stephen: ... we get a good song, so it's okay.

Alan: It feels like when we get in the room, it's just the muse

and us. I can't think of very many times when -the only time

we were stuck -

Stephen: Oh, we've been stuck a couple of times.

Alan: Well, the worst ...

Stephen: I remember the worst.

Alan:The comedy song - trying to get a comedy song into

Pocahontas. And we kept trying with Grandmother Willow. That

is not a funny character.

Although The Hunchback of Notre Dame that PAC audiences will see is unique unto itself it is greatly influenced by the La Jolla Playhouse production of 2014.

The following excerpts are used with permission from their study guide.

Stephen: One song was particularly

terrible - I don't know, I was just

desperate. We came up with this song

called "Knock Wood:'

Alan: "Knock Wood"! I remember!

Stephen: Every now and then,

when we're feeling too good about

ourselves, we remind ourselves of

"Knock Wood:'

Gabriel: For this musical, you've

added many more songs, including a

couple that had been written for the

film but didn't make it in.

Alan: There were some things that

didn't make it to the film. There were

some songs that were unfinished from

Berlin [Der Glockner von Notre Dame,

which ran for three years in Germany].

And there was another step following

that, we were going to do a film

version for ABC. A lot of material got

written for that as well.

Stephen: We've accumulated songs

and ideas over the years that have

helped us to arrive at a richer and

deeper score. Of course, there are

songs written specifically for this

version.

And in addition to the brand new

songs, there are a lot of songs in

which there are new lyrics, or parts

of the song are restructured. For

instance, the opening: "The Bells of

Notre Dame:· Although it remains the

same in terms of the title and much of

the tune, there are a lot of new lyrics

and some new music.

Alan: Oh, throughout every song!

Stephen: I happen to really

enjoy working on this project.

The characters are ones that I like

becoming, if you will, or finding a part

of them in myself. I like the world of

it. The other thing that's been fun for

me about working on it this time is

sticking closer to the language of the

book - obviously in translation, but

nevertheless specific language that's

in the book.

Alan: It was easier because we gave

ourselves an agenda of deepening

certain aspects. One is getting much

more into the nuances and humanity

of Frollo. And also more into the

politics and the actual world of The

Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Scott: We've been very interested,

all of us, in the idea that no one in

this story is all one thing. Nobody is

entirely a hero or entirely a villain.

There are moments of light even for

the darkest characters. And there

are moments of real selfishness or

darkness or confusion for even the

most heroic. Trying to present as full a

view of humanity as possible in these

people has been important to us.

Gabriel: Peter, what was your

approach to honoring both the Hugo

novel and the Disney film?

Peter: First of all, I knew the Disney

movie. Tom Hulce, who is a very

dear friend, had done the voice of

Quasimodo. I had actually gone to

the premiere screening of this movie.

I was blown away by a number of

things in the movie - not least of

which is the score and the animation

and [the song] "Hellfire;· which

knocked me out.

Many years later, Scott approached

me about working on this, and talked

to me about what he and the guys

were thinking of doing - this idea

that, as large as the feelings and

emotions are, and as large as the

music is, there is also an intimate story

about four characters that are locked

in a very complex and dramatically­

rich world.

Scott: One of the things we've been

interested in with this version, is that

while we want to give the audience

the full experience of a theatrical

production of The Hunchback of

Notre Dame, we also want to give

them the feeling of reading the

novel. Storytelling - and the way in

which we are transformed through

storytelling - has been a guiding

principle. It goes back to the medieval

mystery plays, the pageant plays; it

has precedence in this period.

The other thing we've added for this

production is the standing choir on

stage. Hopefully, it will feel a little bit

like a religious service or a passion

play, where this community - and it

is actually the community of La Jolla

because we have choir members

who live here - comes together to

re-express and re-tell and re-explore

this story.

Stephen: Peter is particularly skilled

with taking the language of a novel

and its author and bringing that

language and tone to a dramatic work

and giving it dramatic structure. I

would say the majority of the book for

this show is Peter in the style of Victor

Hugo, which I think has never existed

in any of the other versions.

Peter: I am very moved by the story

of these four people. I always tear

up when one of the gargoyles says,

"You're right, Quasimodo. We're only

made of stone:'There's something

about that lyric being married to what

is happening inside Quasimodo at

that moment, that is very powerful.

Stephen: Peter only quoted half the

lyric; the gargoyles say to Quasimodo,

"You're right, Quasimodo. We're only

made of stone. We just thought

that you were made of something

stronger:' We're doing a story where

the central figure is an outcast. I

find I deal with that a lot in the work

that I'm attracted to. When you're an

outcast, what sacrifices do you make

to try to be part of the world, and

when is that cost too high? •

THE CATHEDRAL

Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) is one of the most

famous cathedrals in the world, praised for its historical

significance and grandeur. Built between 1160 and 1345,

it was meant to assert Paris's place within the rapidly

evolving Kingdom of France during a time of robust

expansion. The newly-appointed bishop of Paris, Maurice

de Sully, wanted a bigger, better cathedral to mirror the

shifting tides and, in turn, dedicated his new project

to the Virgin Mary. Ultimately, it became known for its

architecture as not only one of the first cathedrals to be

built in the Gothic style, but as one of the first buildings

in the world to use the flying buttress, or arched exterior

support.

In the centuries to follow, various religious, cultural and

political movements chipped away at Notre Dame's

former glory, ranging from the destruction of its tombs

and gargoyles, to replacing the Virgin Mary with Lady

Liberty at its altar. Groups like the Huguenots (members

of the Protestant Reformed Church of France) in 1548 to

various cult alternatives to Christianity during the French

Revolution in 1793, took turns destroying various features

of the holy place. Finally, in 1801, these violations were

put to an end when a new concordat was signed, giving

Notre Dame back to the Roman Catholic Church.

However, the cathedral remained scarred by

these vandalisms until the mid-191h Century.

When it came out in 1831, Notre-Dame de

Paris (published in English as The Hunchback

of Notre Dame) became widely popular for its

portrayal of the cathedral, sparking an interest

in restoring the architecture.

VICTOR HUGOVictor-Marie Hugo (1802 - 1885) was a

celebrated polymath whose writing -

whether in poetry, plays or novels -

addressed many of the socio-political

issues and trends of his time. One of

these was the significance of the many

neglected architectural marvels of

Paris's past - the most important of

which was Notre Dame de Paris.

Hugo was inspired by a trip to Notre Dame's bell tower, where

he saw the word 'Fate' carved on a wall in Greek letters. He

chronicles the moment in the preface to the first edition of The

Hunchback of Notre Dame:

Afterwards, the wall was whitewashed or scraped down, I know

not which, and the inscription disappeared. For it is thus that the

people have been in the habit of proceeding with the marvelous

churches of the Middle Ages for the last two hundred years.

Mutilations come to them from every quarter, from within as well

as from without. The priest whitewashes them, the archdeacon

scrapes them down; then the populace arrives and demolishes

them. [ ... ] [T]here remains today nothing whatever of the

mysterious word engraved within the gloomy tower of Notre­

Dame, nothing of the destiny which it so sadly summed up.

Hugo was distraught over people's ability not only to forget,

but to destroy parts of their history. He saw 1482 (the year in

which his novel is set) as a time on the cusp - between the

Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and between the Christian

Church and the emergence of Protestant humanism. It is a time

representative of the precipice on which Hugo felt humanity

may be hanging, a time between the old and the new.

Unfortunately, the new seemed to pay no mind to the

historical or artistic importance of icons like Notre Dame.

He hoped that his portrayal of the cathedral's beauty and its

destruction would shame the city of Paris into restoring it.

Luckily, the popularity of Hugo's novel helped him accomplish

this goal; in 1844, the government of King Louis-Philippe I

decreed Notre Dame must be restored, and called for the

construction of a sacristy.

NOTRE DAME

QUESTIONS

1. Quasimodo is sometimes comical, other times pitiful and occasionally threatening and frightful. He is a character full of contrasts in appearance and personality. Describe him in detail, giving specifics from the musical to support your opinions.

2. Why is Quasimodo considered the protagonist of the plot? Explain his antagonists and the outcome of his story.

3. Claude Frollo has two sides to his personality. Compare his early aspirations and goals to his eventual downfall.

4. Compare and contrast Esmeralda and Quasimodo. Why are they perfect complements to one another?

5. What is Quasimodo’s relationship to the bells of Notre-Dame? How do the bells both harm and protect Quasimodo?

6. What causes Quasimodo’s relationship with the gargoyles to change? Explain why you think this is good or bad.

7. Explain how appearances are deceiving in the novel.

8. Describe Phoebus or Clopin as a character. Explain if you think he is a villain or not.

9. Discuss the irony of Claude Frollo’s religious position and his wicked behavior.

10. Explain the details and the importance of the final scene in the play.