Over 20 years after its Parisian debut, Notre Dame De Paris – the musical version of Victor Hugo’s classic 1831 novel – will run at the London Coliseum from 23 to 27 January 2019. The run will culminate in the 5,000th performance of the global hit show.
At the London launch, Musical Theatre Review’s Alex Chard chatted to the cast including Italian-born ANGELO DEL VECCHIO who reprises his acclaimed performance in the role of Quasimodo (the only singer in the world to have performed the show in three languages) and HIBA TAWAJI as Esmeralda, a role she has played all over the world since 2016.
Fellow cast members from the current world tour lined up to appear in the London run include one of the original stars of the 1998 production, Canadian author and composer Daniel Lavoie, who plays Frollo.
The musical version of Hugo’s tragic story of the hunchback bell ringer Quasimodo and the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda features music composed by Richard Cocciante with lyrics by Luc Plamondon.
Angelo Del Vecchio and Hiba Tawaji in Notre Dame De Paris. Picture: Alessandro Dobici
Notre Dame De Paris originally debuted at the Palais des Congrès in Paris in 1998 where (according to The Guinness Book of Records) it enjoyed the most successful first year for a musical. It has since been performed in 23 countries across the world over the last two decades. The show’s West End debut in 2000 featured French Canadian singer and actor Garou returning to the role of Quasimodo and Australian pop singer Tina Arena as Esmeralda.
In conversation with Angelo Del Vecchio…
What is it about Victor Hugo’s stories that lend themselves so well to musical theatre? Of course there’s Les Misérables, and last year in London and Bristol we had The Grinning Man.
I’m a big fan of Les Misérables. These stories are about people, they resonate today. These characters are deep and charismatic, they catch audience’s attention and imagination. So of course they lend themselves to great music, songs… great actors too [laughs].
Would it be fair to say this is a much darker, more faithful adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel?
Of course. It doesn’t compromise on the drama and intensity. These are very, very intense songs, two and a half hours sung through. It’s very hard, especially for my part. I have one of the most difficult roles, I spend almost all my time on stage. And physically it’s very intense.
Did you find it challenging at first to balance the physical and vocal demands of the role?
Yeah, at first I needed special training to get my body, my instrument to alter its shape and get used to this new way of singing. But after seven years in the role I’m comfortable.
And does the costume support Quasimodo’s physicality, taking some of the burden off you?
Of course, there’s the costume, beautiful make-up, a whole transformation actually. It’s the only way we can show the audience all of Quasimodo, what’s outside gives context to what’s within.
Have you found that the reaction to the show changes from location to location?
That’s the beautiful thing about the internationality of this show, we have all have very different reactions, different theatrical customs. For example Italians are very loud, very passionate; China they’re very respectful, silent for the performance then they explode at the end with a standing ovation! It changes by city, by theatre maybe. Which is why I’m very curious to be in London, it’s my first time actually.
A lot of people may already be familiar with the story of Notre Dame de Paris through Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Which were you first familiar with?
I’m sure I saw Notre Dame de Paris first, I have been singing since the age of six so was more fascinated with songs than cartoons.
Quasimodo is one of three to fall head over heels for Esmerelda, along with Frollo (Daniel Lavoie) and Phoebus (Martin Giroux), but would it be fair to say that his love runs the deepest of the three?
Absolutely. I’ve read the novel so many times to study the role, to really deeply understand him. He hasn’t seen much in his life, he was like a prisoner in the cathedral. Through Esmerelda he discovers beauty, she’s the first kind person he meets and he’s fascinated. It’s a pure love, like a child loves his mother.
And finally, is there a language you prefer to perform in?
French. And Italian. Italian because it’s my language, but I think musically it’s best in French because it’s the original version. But I think it’s a show that lends itself to Latin languages, it was written by an Italian composer, Riccardo Cocciante. If I had to choose, Italian would be my favourite.
In conversation with Hiba Tawaji…
Reading through your profile it seems you’ve had an incredible career, participating in The Voice France, releasing three studio albums, and of course playing the part of Esmerelda for the last two years. What drew you to her in the first place?
I always dreamt of being part of Notre Dame de Paris, but thought that it would always remain a dream. Throughout my career I’ve always planned my future, always getting ready for something bigger each time. I live in Lebanon, I grew up with the Arabic culture, I have a great career there but always wanted to expand my horizons and reach new audiences. This is why I wanted to participate in The Voice. It was a risk in order to evolve.
Do you think your time on The Voice helped win you the role?
That’s when Notre Dame came knocking. The producer and author had watched the show and called me to ask if I’d like to play Esmerelda. It was a dream come true for me.
We’ve talked about what drew you to the role of Esmerelda. She’s the object of fascination for the three male leads, Quasimodo, Phoebus and Frollo. What do you think it is that draws them to her?
Each of them very much has their own reasons. Quasimodo is looking for pure love, pure empathy, he’s the person who truly cares about her. Phoebus has an attraction, but it’s mainly physical, it’s not real love. And Frollo loves her also because he’s a very frustrated, complex person. They each have their own reasons. I feel like we can sympathise with all of them though, it’s a real strength of the story and Victor Hugo’s writing. He makes very clear what she means to them.
Picture: Alessandro Dobici
Esmerelda isn’t a classically strong female character in the novel, but in your performance you seem to have found a raw strength in her. Was that easy to discover?
I really understand what she’s saying, I really feel it. There’s actually a resemblance between myself and her. She’s come from another part of the world, she wants to be accepted despite her differences. I come from another part of the world. Esmerelda’s a gypsy and doesn’t look like everyone else but strives to be equal despite the differences.
Esmeralda has a strong character but she’s also very vulnerable. Perhaps that’s to do with being a young woman in those days, but that she has strong values and a rebellious nature. She grew up on the streets, she’s an outsider which is why she empathises with Quasimodo.
Do you find that each stop on the tour has a different reaction to the show?
Each country has its own culture so it’s normal that people react differently. Some of the audiences can be more expressive, some more introvert, it doesn’t mean they like it or not, it’s just the way they express their feelings. We’ve been very lucky to travel around the world and always have positive reviews and reactions from audiences. This is what matters the most, we live for being on stage. It means we can continue doing what we do with confidence.
Tickets for Notre Dame De Paris are available HERE.
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