Review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame by the NYMT, Manchester Cathedral

Source: Shows (nymt.org.uk)

I like being busy again - as long as I don't get pinged (double-jabbed but still). And this is especially in terms of going back to seeing theatre regularly again. While on Monday I got my streaming fix, Thursday I got my live fix. 

After work, I got on the train to Manchester, gobbled down a Wagamama donburi at the Printworks, and then hopped over to the cathedral to support the National Youth Music Theatre. There, they have been performing one of my favourites: The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

Based on the book by Victor Hugo and the 1996 Disney film, it follows the story of the titular hunchback Quasimodo, who is cooped up in the heights of the cathedral by his guardian Dom Claude Frollo. But when he ventures outside for the first time and meets the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda, his life starts to change. 

I just want to throw it out there that when I say it is one of my favourites, I mean that in every sense - I LOVE this story. The film is one of my favourites from Disney (and is also one of their most underrated), plus this score is one of my favourites of any medium. 

That was what initially drew me to grab tickets to the show - not just the piece itself, but to hear it being played in a cathedral. I have been to carol services at Manchester Cathedral before, so am aware of the fantastic acoustics, but this is something more than O Come All Ye Faithful. 

There are many moments in this score in which in these settings, a wave of sound hits you again and again, to the point where the hairs on your body cannot stand any higher on end, and you cannot help but feel emotional. 

All your favourite numbers from the film are there, from The Bells of Notre Dame, to Out There, God Help The Outcasts, and one of the best villain songs from any genre, Hellfire. But of course, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz have written new material for the stage version too - and they are just as rich and lush as the numbers you know. There is also Someday, a number cut from the film (apart from the end credits I think), which serves as the beating heart of the show, performed by Lois Chapman's Esmeralda bloodied, beaten and in tears. 

In the book by Peter Parnell, which if you're interested sits in-between the original novel and the 1996 film in terms of darkness, Quasimodo has ended up deaf from ringing those bells all day. So director Alex Sutton rose to the challenge and cast 2 actors for Quasimodo, one of whom Ciaran O'Brien being deaf in real life. Unfortunately, the poor lad tested positive a while back and so wasn't able to perform until Friday evening. 
However, we were able to see a snippet of how he and Adam Pugh, Quasimodo's other half, would perform together, as they performed Heaven's Light bathed in white light before the show officially got underway. It was fabulous to give them the opportunity to show the audience how it was intended before Ms Rona put a small spanner in the works. 

But the show was able to go on, and Pugh stood in for Quasimodo throughout, along with an interpreter at the side, similar to any other signed performance. A lot of sign language was incorporated into the choreography which was another really nice touch. 

I hadn't seen anything from the NYMT before, but this has definitely made me want to support them more if I can. 

Because if they are anything to go by, the future of musical theatre in this country looks very bright indeed. 

Everyone in the cast was aged between 14 and 24, and my word they all sounded incredible. It feels kind of mean to pick out but I HAVE to mention one young man in particular. 
George Dennett, who played Frollo is a name to watch out for. He may be only 18, but this bass-baritone voice that came out was insane! No surprise then that Hellfire was one of the highlights of the evening, with the stage bathed in red. The book fleshed out Frollo into a more rounded character, a lot more of a very-flawed with mis-interpreted ideals rather than an all-out monster. Dennett took full advantage of that. I could definitely imagine seeing him play Javert, Max Von Mayerling, or Sweeney Todd one day. 

If you are in Manchester on Saturday 14th (last chance, 2 performances left), I cannot recommend supporting this enough. It's a version I think both fans of the book and Disney version will be satisfied with. But it is also a chance to hear one of the best scores ever, let alone from either of Schwartz or Menken, in a setting unlike any other you will likely hear. And also to help support and nurture some new talent. 

I cannot remember who I spotted posting about this on Twitter, but whoever it was, thank you. Proof Twitter is not just a sea of gossip and controversy...