I really expected to be disappointed, what with last season's horrible adaptation of Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel but upon reading in the program that the writers wanted to be as true to the book as possible I eased up a bit. First of all, I'm glad the festival also removed the production from being a Family Experience show. This production was hardly Disney's version. It was much darker and violent, involving ,as well, a rape scene of sorts which wasn't noticeable but has maybe been toned down. Overall themes seemed to be that of cruelty and class structure mixed with that of fate, which inspired Victor Hugo upon seeing the Greek for fate, ANANKE, on a wall inside the Notre Dame.
I was thankful for my friends who found out and told me that Nicolas Van Burek who is Quasimodo usually, broke his leg, would be out and that the understudy Peter van Gestel would be on instead. I wouldn't have wanted to be the woman who sat behind me during the performance and remarked with disdain about seeing an understudy. Peter van Gestel's performance was very touching. His Quasimodo radiated innocence and absolute trust in Frollo, who was to him like a father, even when he was ordered to kidnap Esmeralda. A scene I appreciated very much was when Quasimodo physically jumped onto the ropes to ring his bells. It showcased the freedom and beauty he did possess in the world where he was an ugly monster.
His simple crying out of "Father" at Frollo to question him, regretting all the love and admiration he had for Frollo because of his actions toward Esmeralda was wonderful. As was his scenes with Esmeralda and his demonstrations of how much he loved her. One was the scenes where he insisted on her not looking at him so she wouldn't be scared. It was enough to know that he had saved her and that she was still alive. The second was his going to find Phoebus for Esmeralda instead of letting her leave sanctuary and risk getting caught. He really thought that Phoebus could help her and was happy if she was happy.
Adding to the intensity and the highly emotional atmosphere was Jennifer Gould's Esmeralda. Her innocence equaled that of Quasimodo's. As his love for her was his first taste of romantic love, so was hers for Phoebus. Here the differences start to differ because of their two very distant positions in society. She is on the lower half while Phoebus is on the higher side and wished to climb up further by marring Fleur-de-Lys and using her connections to become captain of the French army. Yet, Esmeralda blindly jumped into a relationship with Phoebus, foolishly believing he returned her love.
Her screams of pain and torture when she was being questioned regarding the assault of Phoebus were heartwrenching. It was believable that she was having her limbs stretched. The audience gasped first and then cringed as Jennifer Gould collapsed onto the stage. The hanging was also very realistic. She just hung there. Very spine tingling.
David Snelgrove gave Phoebus more than one dimension. Besides being a pretty boy officer and frequenting with ladies of the night, the mystical was invoked. His being afraid of Esmeralda because of supposed black magic involved in his injury was a nice touch along with his being a jerk.
The virtually stationary set really captured my attention. To me, the Notre Dame and its being present always evoked many meanings. Victor Hugo was inspired to write the novel when he saw the word fate written on the wall. So, the audience is brought within the cathedral and the story is presented. The Notre Dame also is a symbol of the power of the church in the Gothic era, as well as the fascination with architecture and the building boom during the Gothic era. Finally, as a holy, divine symbol (a religious view), the ever present Notre Dame set was like an agent of a higher force, doling out each person's fate in the story.
The use of the ensemble as narrators to fill in parts of the plot was interesting. The writers actually made an extra effort to stay true to Hugo's novel. It might have been more effective to have a single narrator, like the chorus in Shakespeare plays. The play could flow more smoothly, not pause so much.
The best moment was the end. I was thrilled and excited that this was included. The part about the two skeletons, that of Esmeralda and Quasimodo, immortalized their connection to each other, Quasimodo's love for Esmeralda too. I wanted to cry because the moment was so touching. Quasimodo found Esmeralda's body and embraced her as the other actors told the audience the rest.
Something else that Peter van Gestel did during the curtain call stood out and made an impression on a fellow theatregoer that night. After the performance, my friend and I spoke to two other ladies. One of the ladies felt that Peter's staying in character as Quasimodo for his bow, still slouching and looking down shyly, was a reminder of the play's message. It was like he was asking us to remember this tale of fate; of Quasimodo the bell ringer, his beautiful bells, the gypsy girl Esmeralda, and all the things that happened.