MT. PLEASANT — The North Sanpete High School drama club is presenting “Hunchback of Notre Dame” from Feb. 23-26 at 7 p.m., plus a matinee on the Saturday, Feb. 26 at 12:30 p.m.
Seating is reserved and tickets are available for $8 at the door or online at nshdrama.com.
Director Alex Barlow said, “If you come see Hunchback, you will leave the auditorium feeling different than when you came in. Hunchback has a powerful message about the importance of acceptance. Feeling like an outcast is something that we all struggle with; this show has a terrific way of expressing that feeling.”
As in the Disney film, the musical begins as the bells of Notre Dame sound through the cathedral in 15th-century Paris. Quasimodo, the deformed bellringer who longs to be “Out There,” observes all of Paris reveling in the Feast of Fools. Held captive by his devious caretaker, the archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, he escapes for the day and joins the boisterous crowd, only to be treated cruelly by all but the beautiful Romani woman, Esmeralda.
Quasimodo isn’t the only one captivated by her free spirit, though – the handsome Captain Phoebus and Frollo are equally enthralled. As the three vie for her attention, Frollo embarks on a mission to destroy the gypsies – and Quasimodo tries to save them all.
“Our show has some heavier and darker elements than your typical Disney production, it’s more along the lines of Les Miserables or Phantom of the Opera but it has some powerful, very touching moments and one of the best scores I’ve ever heard. The ending especially (which differs from the Disney film) is very impactful,” he said.
Barlow says there are 36 members of the cast, plus a large tech crew. “We have really gone all out on making this as epic as possible, the technical design is inspired by the architecture and features of the actual Notre Dame Cathedral and we have custom made elements that pay tribute to the bells, the beautiful rose windows and the bell tower at Notre Dame. Our set is by far, the biggest set we’ve ever constructed and spans the entire stage and vertically is around twenty feet high,” he said.
The cast is excited to put on this production. Senior Emily Wheeler, who plays Esmerelda, said, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a beautiful show about embracing and accepting those different from us. The show is about showing the humanity in each of us, no matter who you are or what you look like, the true worth and value of a person lies in the way we love others. This show is an amazing show of love, courage, and what it really means to be human.”
Senior Shaylee Wilkey, who plays Clopin, said, “This show invites everyone, on all walks of life, to “Come one, come all”, Come experience the wonders and mysteries of Notre Dame, and to truly discover what it means to be human.”
