My theatregoing for 2019 began with a day of firsts: my first time at London Coliseum, my first time seeing a musical in a language other than my own, and the first time I saw this musical in question live after seeing (and loving!) the filmed version with the original Paris cast: Garou, Daniel Lavoie, Héléna Ségara and Patrick Fiori only a few months ago: Notre Dame de Paris!

Based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name, we follow the bell ringer Quasimodo who becomes infatuated with the gypsy Esmeralda. Wishing for love and acceptance, Quasimodo vows to keep her safe from harm, as Esmeralda falls in love with Phoebus, Captain of The Archers, while also inciting the lust of Quasimodo’s master Frollo, Archdeacon of Notre Dame.

Being completely honest, I had been a little apprehensive about seeing the musical live in its native French, worried that I’d spend too long focusing on the surtitles above the stage, away from the action. Happily, I discovered almost immediately that the fear was unfounded, and just allowed myself to be swept along, and be touched by a stunning score!

All fifty of Richard Cocciante’s melodies are sweeping and dramatic, it felt almost anthemic in terms of its scale and scope, thus working well in director Gilles Maheu’ s concert style staging. The cast are accompanied by an ensemble of ridiculously talented dancers, who pulled off some of the most breathtaking tricks: hanging upside down from bells, spinning on their heads, and all manner of climbing and other acrobatics! As such, there were occasions were the choreography by Martinqo Muller threatened to make the stage feel too busy, high energy as it was. That being said, it’s easy to appreciate the piece as a spectacle rather than traditional musical theatre, and once you got your head around the differences, the payoff was superb: I haven’t felt as emotionally invested in a concert style staging in the longest time, with the atmospheric lighting and simple set also reinforced this. The effect you got was two fold: while the dancers make things exciting visually, it falls to the cast to drive the storytelling.

And what a cast. Angelo Del Vecchio shone as Quasimodo, his powerful vocal adding a grit and sense of pain to the character, breaking just enough to be convincing without detracting from his performance. The depth and emotion he brought was astonishing, and I was in tears by the end! My favourite of his numbers, “Les Cloches” was an absolute treat to finally hear live, and I was in awe of the ease he instilled such a wordy song with.

It’s easy to see why Daniel Lavoie has had such a long association with the role of Frollo; he boasts incredible charisma and presence. Frollo is the character I love trying to figure out and get a handle on, in whatever form I find this story, because his arc is so complex. I see his lust for Esmeralda, and dislike him for how he treats the other gypsies with such hatred and indifference, and yet I also see how his lust is at odds with his religious belief. That dynamic fascinates me, and I’m never really sure how I’m supposed to feel. Daniel played with this tension wonderfully, and I was honoured to see him in the role.

At the matinee I attended Florian Carli, the alternate Phoebus, was on for the role. Like Frollo, Phoebus to me is a much more complex character than he first seems. He’s lusting after Esmerelda and is unfaithful to his lover, and yet there’s something about Florian’s portrayal that I found incredibly likeable and endearing; maybe because Phoebus is under no illusions about the kind of man he is, something that I found really refreshing. Florian, Daniel and Angelo join forces for my favourite song from the piece, “Belle” where all the men are talking about their feelings for Esmeralda and how conflicted they feel. It’s incredibly dark and sexualised, but musically I find it delicious.. those harmonies!

This production was my first opportunity to see Hiba Tawaji, and I hope not the last. She was the perfect blend of fiery and vulnerable and her vocal was stunning – “Vivre” in particular. Jay was a formidable Clopin, and Alyzée Lalande a charming Fleur de Lys.

Without a doubt though, my favourite performance of the day was Richard Charest as Gringoire, a poet who also serves as commentator. He captured my heart from the minute he began singing; “Les Temps de Cathédrales” and “Lune” gave me goosebumps! What was also fun was how animated and expressive he was. As he helps us navigate the action, Gringoire spends a lot of time watching and reacting to the other characters, and my eye was drawn to him whenever he was onstage. I especially liked the “La Cour de Miracles” scene when he was suspended in a sack swinging around as Clopin sings about his fate for trespassing, and sitting with Esmeralda watching the revelry, his reactions to the dancers at particular moments made me laugh and I smiled so much. I remember texting my friend Rachel gushing about how much I loved the show and Richard in particular, and on Sunday when she saw the show she sent me a photo of them together afterwards. She told him I’d been in the previous day, and that he was my favourite. Apparently that made his week, which made my entire weekend!

Individual performances aside, the sound the whole cast made while singing together was astonishing, and the curtain call where the audience joined in with a chorus was a lovely and moving thing to experience as a fan who is relatively new to the show.

Seen in 23 countries in nine different languages over the past twenty years, it’s fair to say Notre Dame de Paris is nothing short of a phenomenon. It ran for only seven performances and I’m incredibly grateful I managed to see it, and given the rapturous reception it received after my show, hoping it will return one day.