[REVIEW] 'Notre Dame de Paris' captures quintessence of French musical

A scene from the musical, "Notre Dame de Paris," featuring dancers swinging from bells / Courtesy of Mast Entertainment

By Dong Sun-hwa

A Wednesday afternoon is obviously not the most ideal time for people to watch a musical, but yesterday, the Blue Square hall in central Seoul was brimming with theatergoers, who were eager to see the original French production of the musical, "Notre Dame de Paris."

Premiered in France in 1998, "Notre Dame de Paris," which is based on the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo, is one of the most sought-after productions in Korea from overseas that has attracted more than 15 million theatregoers across the globe.

Composed by Riccardo Cocciante and written by Luc Plamondon, "Notre Dame de Paris" wrapped up early in January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it recently returned to Korea for encore performances, beginning its run on Feb. 25.

Set in 1482 Paris, the musical revolves around Quasimodo, a hunchback bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, and his unreciprocated love for a beautiful gypsy girl named Esmeralda, who loves Phoebus, the captain of the king's archers. However, "Notre Dame de Paris" does not only center on the theme of love, but also on various topics ranging from discrimination to the abuse of power, which people these days find relatable and relevant.

For Wednesday's show, Angelo Del Vecchio played Quasimodo and Elhaida Dani took the role of Esmeralda, with Eric Jetner performing Phoebus. Laurent Ban played Frollo, the archdeacon of Notre Dame who later comes to love Esmeralda, while John Eyzen assumed the role of the musical's storyteller, poet Gringoire.

A scene from the musical, "Notre Dame de Paris," featuring Quasimodo, left, Frollo, center, and Phoebus / Courtesy of Mast Entertainment

The musical also captures the quintessence of French musicals, distinguishing itself from theatrical shows from other countries. Unlike most Korean musicals where cast members should be all-around players who sing, dance and act on stage, the stars of "Notre Dame de Paris" pour all their energy into singing. They do not dance ― dancing is done by professional dancers who enthrall the audience with their surreal movements, incorporating acrobatic and modern dance. The cast members do not read lines, but recount their stories via music, displaying a characteristic of France's sung-through musical style.

Such a format enables the singers to make the best use of their voices, and allows the audience to experience auditory pleasure while having a visual delight through the dancers who flawlessly speak for the singers. This aspect is most visible in a scene featuring Phoebus singing the number, "Torn Apart," as he goes back and forth between his fiancee, Fleur-de-Lys, and Esmeralda. When he sings about his pain and disorientation, some male dancers ― who do not reveal their faces ― dance to his voice behind a transparent black wall, making agile and spectacular movements to express Phoebus' whirlwind of emotions.

The performances of the world-famous number, "The Age of the Cathedrals," by Eyzen, "The Bohemian Song" by Dani, "Belle" by Ban, Vecchio and Jetner and "Dance My Esmeralda" by Vecchio, were some of the gems in Wednesday's show, which won a huge round of applause. During his curtain call, Eyzen gave the Korean audience a surprise gift by singing "The Age of the Cathedrals" in Korean.

"Notre Dame de Paris" will run at Blue Square until March 18.

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