Local Pittsburgh: In 1831 when Victor Hugo penned The Hunchback of Notre Dame, he sought to bring light to the neglected Gothic architecture, and in turn sparked a revival, but he also created a novel in where the paupers became protagonists. The very essence of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, “What makes a monster and what makes a man,” reigns painfully true in today’s social landscape, as Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s well-timed production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame premiered at The Byham Theater on January 26th.
2 comments:
I have been a huge fan of this show ever since I first heard the soundtrack, and I continued to look up videos to see as much of the show as I could. I was thrilled when I first heard it was coming to the Byham Theatre, but I will not get the chance to see it due to time and money. One of the things I love about this show though is that it has a disabled lead character. I think in a time where discrimination against people who are different it is very important that this show is being performed. It shows that while it may be hard to understand someone's differences, you can grow to love and understand them. The soundtrack of this show is also very beautiful, and while it is based off the Disney movie, it transfers very well to the stage. Another thing I adore about this show is the fact that the actors use sign language at some point. I really appreciate when shows use sign language to represent art because it really is a beautiful language that people tend to overlook. I have always believed that people should learn basic sign language for the same reasons as any other language, and this show does little but in the perfect moment. I am a fan of this show and wish I could have gotten the chance to see this production.
I've always liked this show, from seeing the Disney version when I was younger, to hearing the soundtrack. I do think that their is a lot of themes that are very applicable to our world today, and from the title of the article I was expecting to see how this production is really showing those ideas. However, the article was more of just a review of the production, and it didn't really seem to add anything new to the story to modernize it or anything. I would like to see this show brought to life on stage, I think it could transfer really well, especially with elaborate costuming and scenic elements. I think that it is interesting how the author and actor categorize Quasi as disabled, which he is, but I feel like their is a lot more too him and that one label as to what type of character he is - I certainly wouldn't think that as the most important part of him.
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