Fine Performances Are Let Down By Pedestrian Dialog
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By Barbara Adams
uburn’s The Rev pulls out all the stops for its big production, 30 performers strong, of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” We’re lofted to the highest reaches of the great cathedral, where the deaf bellringer, Quasimodo, looks down on the world below he can never be a part of. Victor Hugo’s 1831 three-volume, nearly 1,000-page novel may not be on your summer reading list, but it’s been admired by many –– having inspired nearly 60 adaptations, including plays, films, ballets, musical recordings, tv and radio shows, even comics and video games. What explains this tale’s fascination? Themes of hopeless love, wanton cruelty and physical deformity, resistance by the downtrodden and ostracized, or simply the melodramatic and macabre? Hugo’s work, tellingly titled “Notre-Dame de Paris,” included all these in its epic 15th-century portrait of a historical moment and people, but it was mainly written as a defense of Gothic architecture (like the cathedral itself), which was being dangerously neglected and even destroyed. Yet the novel’s offspring tend to relegate
the celebrated building to an impressive set, and in this production, only one small photo in the program reminds us of the devastating fire of 2019. (To check out the state of current restoration, visit www.friendsofnotredamedeparis.org/ reconstruction-progress/.) The Rev’s production, directed by artistic director Brett Smock, splendidly evokes the cavernous tower interior, with 20 enormous bells overhead –– set design by Jeffrey D. Kmiec, lit in dusty golden hues by Jose Santiago. The spacious stage easily adapts to being a tavern, a prison, the streets of Paris, or the gypsies’ Court of Miracles. And the swarming populace –– from clerics to commoners –– is classed by their vibrant costumes (Tiffany Howard, designer). The principals are all strongly portrayed and well sung. A handsome Alex Prakken enters and dons his padded hump, bends, besmirches and contorts his face and becomes Quasimodo, the deformed youth doomed to servitude and loneliness. Esmeralda, the gypsy (Romani) girl he watches and tries to protect, is passionately played by Jisel Soleil Ayon (whose web page describes her as a “statuesque cocktail of African American and Latina ferocity”) –– a curious mix of ministering kindness and sultry sexuality. Quasimodo’s captor, or benefactor, as he styles it, is the cleric Claude Frollo, a prototype of the heartless inquisitioner (just then emerging in Spain). In this version, he’s actually the youth’s uncle, having fostered the infant offspring of his dying younger brother, a profligate rogue. But Quasimodo never knows that; he only finds himself torn between his devotion to the lovely Esmeralda and loyalty to his “master.”
Alex Prakken and Jisel Soleil Ayon shine in the Rev’s production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” (Photo: Provided)
Barbara Adams, a regional arts journalist, teaches writing at Ithaca College. JULY 20–26, 2022
Arts&Entertainment Arts& &Entertainment
REV’S QUASIMODO MORE DISNEY THAN HUGO
The moralizing cleric who tirelessly condemns others is himself besotted with the gypsy girl, and Randal Dodge conveys this twisted personality marvelously. Sean Thompson plays Phoebus, the attractive soldier who wins Esmeralda, but he and Quasimodo together fail to save her from Frollo’s judgment. The large ensemble effectively fills the stage, in solemn moments like the resonant choral piece, “The Bells of Notre Dame,” or the rowdier tavern song. The boisterous gypsy clan (choreography by Julie Tomaino) is led by the wily Clopin, excellently played by Dino Nicandros. As fine as these performances generally are, other elements distract. As scripted (book by Peter Parnell), the storyline is carried by multiple characters, whose delivery is sometimes unclear (though the simple plot is obvious enough). Jeff Theiss’s musical direction is secure but the orchestra’s sound frequently overwhelms the voices. The dialogue itself is often pedestrian and predictable, opening with a clichéd performance of the errant younger brother and his mistress. And at certain moments, especially between Esmeralda and Phoebus, the speech sounds far too contemporary, as if they were in today’s Albany and not some otherworldly time and place. Alan Menken’s music, with Stephen Schwartz’s lyrics, has moving moments, but too many Quasimodo solos seem to be anthemic, ending on the same prolonged note. Overall, the musical effect and epic staging feel overwhelming, even at times bombastic. One engaging reprieve is the presence of the “gargoyles” Quasimodo converses with to ease his loneliness. Actually stone angels and saints (in striking grey robes), they offer a welcome camaraderie and moments of normalcy. But their presence reminds us that this musical is, ultimately, based on the 1996 Disney film, and for one moment, when a martyred saint is carrying her severed head in her hands, I actually thought I was watching a cartoon. Which leads to my main concern: How do cruelty, confinement, and deformity equate to entertainment (much less cartoon humor)? The darkness of the actual tale –– and its exploration of physical vs moral “monstrosity” –– is submerged by the musical genre’s obligatory song-and-dance. Amidst this cognitive dissonance, it was difficult for me to find an emotional anchor or unsimplified truth, though The Rev’s audience unquestionably enjoyed themselves. “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Peter Parnell. Directed by Brett Smock. At The Rev (Merry-Go-Round Playhouse), Emerson Park, Auburn. Mon-Sat through August 2. Tickets at https://therevtheatre.com/tickets/ ticketing-options / or 1-800-457-8897.
/ THE ITHACA TIMES
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