More than twenty years after its launch in France, the hit musical Notre Dame de Paris is performed for the first time in New York .
Under the ovations of the public.
Created in 1998 in France, the Notre Dame de Paris musical telling the adventures of Quasimodo, Phœbus and Esmeralda took the stage for the first time across the Atlantic. Luc Plamondon (lyrics) and Richard Cocciante (music), who revived the tragic story of Quasimodo and Esmeralda in a musical version on French stages in 1998. Since then, the musical show inspired by the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo has continued to travel the French and international roads, and has now become cult for the French-speaking public. Adapted in 9 languages (French, English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Dutch, Polish and Mandarin), it has notably revealed artists such as Garou, Hélène Ségara, Julie Zenatti and Patrick Fiori to the general public. Made in France in New York Last year, to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary as it should be, Notre-Dame de Paris hit the road again in a very slightly dusted-off version but still faithful to the original creation. The new troupe notably brought together Hiba Tawaji as Esmeralda, Angelo Del Vecchio as Quasimodo, but also Daniel Lavoie, who had donned the priest Frollo’s cassock for the occasion two decades after the creation of the play.
A troop coming from the four corners of the globe
The whole troop of singers, dancers and acrobats, very eclectic and coming from the four corners of the globe, had managed to restore intact the original emotions drawn from the story of the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda and the bell ringer Quasimodo , grappling with their feelings and the fatality of their destiny.
Performed in 23 countries
The vocal accuracy and hypnotizing presence of Esmeralda (played by Hiba Tawaji) did justice to the pieces Bohémienne and the duet Beau comme le soleil. Like the male characters of Phoebus, Frollo and Hunchback, the public was charmed by the raw talent of the Lebanese singer. Throughout the musical, the voices are given pride of place, of course, but the dancers and acrobats under the direction of Martino Muller provide a successful coating of the story, revealing synchronicity and technical prowess, particularly in the pieces Les sans -papers and The Court of Miracles.
Inspired by the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo
The sets and costumes chosen with finesse added a realistic signature to the work taking place at the magnificent Notre-Dame-de-Paris Cathedral. What makes the longevity of the work, which has toured China, South Korea or Russia in recent years, is also its timeless character. A recipe mixing references to the time of the novel and more modern ingredients, in the costumes, the choreography, the sets or the music.
