[On Stage] Encore Performance 'Notre-Dame de Paris'... A Festival of Light, Melody, and Gesture

Angelo Del Vecchio (Quasimodo) Photo by Mast Entertainment

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] “Beautiful city Paris, the era of the almighty god / The year is 1482, a story of desire and love (...) The era of cathedrals has arrived / Now the world welcomes a new millennium / Humans who want to reach the edge of the sky / Write their history on glass and stone.” - From the song ‘The Age of the Cathedral’

The history written on glass and stone became the moment when the masterpiece of French literature, Victor Hugo’s ‘Notre-Dame de Paris,’ came to light. In 1831, when the novel ‘Notre-Dame de Paris’ was written, France was in an unstable situation with the aftermath of the July Revolution still unresolved. After Napoleon’s fall, Charles X of the Bourbon monarchy, who regained power, pursued extreme conservative reactionary politics, and in 1830, issued decrees restricting basic rights such as freedom of the press and publication, leading the people to build barricades and rise up in the July Revolution.

During this unstable and chaotic time, Victor Hugo, while observing the Notre-Dame Cathedral located in Paris, noticed the word ‘Fate (ANArKH·Ananke)’ engraved in Greek on a corner of the cathedral wall, which deeply inspired him. How painful must the soul have been that left such a word? From that word, Victor Hugo began the novel ‘Notre-Dame de Paris,’ which consists of as many as 11 parts.

The play unfolds against the backdrop of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. It refers to the Virgin Mary and is famous as a Gothic-style cathedral located on the eastern side of the ?le de la Cit? in Paris, France. In 1991, it was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

From the left in the photo: Angelo Del Vecchio (Quasimodo), Laurent Bang (Frollo), Flo Kali (Phoebus) Photo by Mast Entertainment

“You watched over me / as I grew up / and suffered // You protected me / became the bell-ringer / and gave me grace / to live // I learned to speak and write / from you / but I cannot read / your heart.” - From the song ‘Abandoned Child’

The story centers on Quasimodo, the hunchback abandoned as a child. The bishop of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Frollo, raises him as the cathedral’s bell-ringer and makes him a loyal servant. The problem begins when the gypsy Esmeralda appears. Frollo, captivated by her whom he saw by chance, orders Quasimodo to kidnap her, but the captain of the guard, Phoebus, appears and rescues her, arresting Quasimodo. However, even Phoebus, who has a fianc?e, begins to feel love for Esmeralda. Meanwhile, Esmeralda, while giving water to the imprisoned Quasimodo, captivates him with her warm touch. It is a story of three men surrounding one woman.

The play is a typical melodrama. Phoebus, who returns to his fianc?e, tries to have Esmeralda hanged, and Frollo demands love from her in exchange for her life. But Esmeralda, who remains faithful unaware of Phoebus’s change of heart, is eventually executed by hanging, and an enraged Quasimodo pushes Frollo down the stairs to his death.

The work is a sung-through musical performed entirely through songs without dialogue. The play, driven by 54 songs, dance, and acrobatics, adds excitement. Since its premiere, it has been translated into 9 languages in 23 countries worldwide and has attracted over 15 million viewers, showcasing its charm. Especially, the intense movements of a separate choreography team, brought in instead of the lead actor to focus on the singing, strongly captivate the audience’s eyes. Even without understanding the meaning, the charm of the French language’s melody that clings to the ear naturally delights the listeners.

Gargoyle. Photo by Mast Entertainment

The stage decoration is also a must-see. The gargoyle, a Gothic cathedral’s water spout stone decoration that appears massively, catches the viewer’s attention. In reality, it has served as a drainage channel carrying rainwater from the cathedral roof for over 600 years, and there are two reasons for this. One is to threaten visitors to the cathedral that if they lack faith, they will be devoured by monsters, and the other is said to be a guardian role using its grotesque appearance to prevent evil spirits from invading.

Following performances in Daegu and Busan, the encore performance held at Seoul Blue Square Shinhan Card Hall welcomes audiences until the 18th of this month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.