King’s Head Theatre, London.
20 March to 13 April.
Photo by Roy Tan
Since the 19th century, the bells of the best-known cathedral in Paris have been ringing out with deafening clangs. So bad were they, that they were mocked as having deafened Quasimodo, the lead of Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
But on Palm Sunday, the infamous discordant clangs of Notre Dame Cathedral were replaced with a new and hopefully more harmonious set of bells, to mark the 850th anniversary of the city landmark.
I’m sure Quasimodo would have been over the moon.
It is apt timing then that TheatreUpClose at the King’s Head in Islington has decided to present the world premiere of little-known musical Quasimodo.
The production marks two exciting firsts. It is the first time that Lionel Bart’s show has been staged since it was written in 1963. It is also the first musical to be put on by TheatreUpClose since it moved into the King’s Head two years ago. No pressure then.
A lot is packed into the two hours as we see Quasimodo’s abandonment by his mother, his adoption by Notre Dame Archdeacon Claude Frollo, the story of Esmeralda and the impact she has on the men around her, all leading up to the final tragic scene. The resulting show is an energetic and fast-paced piece of work that swings swiftly through musical numbers.
The musical is also given a much-needed contrasting layer of subtlety and poignancy by Steven Webb as Quasimodo and Zoe George as Esmeralda. The hunchback is not a Disney-like caricature, but an actual young man with disabilities who is afraid of the world.
Lalayn Baluch
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