Quasi's voice changes depending on if he is speaking or thinking. He has trouble speaking because he a) is deaf and b) has respiratory issues. In his mind, where his physical issues don't touch, he's articulate and clear.

@Orholam5

Жыл бұрын

this!

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for clarifying, I knew there must have been a reason, just couldn't grasp it

@meba444

Жыл бұрын

Also, the reason he’s deaf is because he’s always around those bells and they have completely ruined his hearing. Which adds another layer of abuse. Frollo didn’t care that Quasimodo was losing his hearing

@RichardBrennan

Жыл бұрын

I'll also add that Michael Arden added sign language into his characterization of Quasimodo.

@pumpkinomom4446

Жыл бұрын

@@RichardBrennan he's amazing 🤩

“I’m glad I didn’t watch a bootleg first” is something only people who haven’t seen the boot would say. There is SO much you missed, and things you think happened a certain way but didn’t… you should definitely do a boot reaction.

a cool fact: in the original production, michael arden, the guy who played quasi, sings the line “what makes a monster and what makes a man” in the song *the bells of notre dame,* and then transforms into quasimodo, aided by patrick page, who, as you know, played frollo! just a cool piece of trivia!

@ErinLilleySmith

Жыл бұрын

This! This is what I came here to say. It's one of my favorite parts, because it drives home that this is supposed to be a show (like Clopin's puppet show in the movie) and not "reality". That way, it makes sense to have a visible choir and ensemble members changing in and out of robes and playing multiple characters. This transformation really drives the point home. Such a fabulous, thoughtful show!

Esmerelda: and though i will die. Barbara: NO😡Oh wait. I actually know that won't happen😅 Me: 😬

@adaj472

5 ай бұрын

😬x2

"Years later, in the crypts below Notre Dame, there were discovered two skeletons, one of which held the other in its embrace. One of them was a woman with a woven band around her neck. The second was that of a man, whose spinal column was crooked. When they tried to detach the skeleton he held in his arms, he crumbled to dust." Also something cool about this musical is they implement some Sign Language for Quasi.

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

That's so freaking heartbreaking 😭

It's amazing that Les Mis and Hunchback end on the same theme. With the reprise of Someday and the reprise of Do you hear the people sing, it's not pretending things are good, it's this hope in the face of darkness theme, like things are garbage but they don't have to be, and someday they won't be. I love it.

@TheKnowledgeMan101

Жыл бұрын

Well it makes sense that Les Mis and Hunchback are similar considering both stories were written by the great Victor Hugo

So, my favorite moment in the movie is when Quasi slides down the gutter, and the 'camera' pans around him. So when I saw this at Papermill Playhouse at that moment, Quasi is walking along a bench and the end of the bench gets lifted to evoke that moment. Almost ugly crying commenced. Got to thank the creative at the stage door

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Aaaaww that's amazing

This musical perfectly combines the animated film and the Victor Hugo novel. In the stage show and in the book Quasimodo is deaf. So when he sings in the show, his voice is different because it’s implied that he’s singing in his head. Michael Arden, who plays Quasimodo changed the voice to show he was deaf, not older. He's also directed musicals in the deaf community. Which is really cool. There was actually a production in Seattle where the actor who played Quasimodo (Joshua Castille) was deaf and used American Sign Language to sign all of his lyrics while someone else sang them. That was amazing!! Jehan and Frollo's backstories are different in the book. In the book, Frollo is much younger and was Jehan's guardian from a young age. Like in the show, Jehan drank a lot and gambled. In the book, Jehan also dropped out of university to join the Romani. Quasimodo was not Jehan and a Romani's baby in the book either. In the book, Quasimodo was abandoned on a church bench. Quasimodo doesn't adopt him out of the kindness of his heart but because he thinks it will help earn points for Jehan to go to Heaven. Also, Frollo is an arch decal in the stage musical, as in the book. Not a judge. Pheobus being more of a jerk in this version is book accurate, but he's still nicer and actually cared for Esmerelda here. Book Pheobus was just a player and didn't care about anyone. The gargoyles were cut in this show (which was a good call, in my opinion). In the stage musical, the congregation is implied to be the spirits of gargoyles and statues and paintings that Quasimodo talked to in the original novel. That was a really nice touch. At the end of this musical, it's not stated in the recording; both Esmerelda and Quasimodo die as they do at the end of the novel. Now that you've listened to the soundtrack, I highly recommend watching the bootleg. It's such a good show. I'm still very upset that it never went to Broadway. kzread.info/dash/bejne/mnhkprd9kpyTmM4.html

@michaelwilliamybarra2409

Жыл бұрын

Among Michael Arden's Directing credits are the Tony Award winning Once on This Island revival, the Deaf West Revival of Spring Awakening(which ALSO had Patrick Page playing the Male Adults in the show on Broadway)(Also, fun fact, the original Broadway production was itself produced by Tom Hulce, the original voice of Quasimodo in the Disney film), and he is CURRENTLY on Broadway directing the new revival production of Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown's Parade(staring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond as Leo and Lucille Frank, and ALSO has William Michals[who in this cast recording of Hunchback, played Father Dupin[The guy who expels Jehan from Notre Dame] in the Prologue and the Guard who announces the warrant of arrest at the top of Esmeralda] playing Chief Inspector Starnes) which just started preview in late February and is planning to open on March 16 and run till August 6th! (There's also been some confirmation from the cast and orchestra members on their separate social media accounts that a cast recording has already been made before they went to Tech Rehearsal, so be ready for when the release date is finally announced!) Beyond musicals, he's also directed and co-written a one man stage adaptation of A Christmas Carol staring Jefferson Mays(who some may recall for playing the entire D'Ysquith family in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder) which first premiered at the Geffen Playhouse and was made into a filmed performance that was available to watch in the early time of the pandemic, prior to it's Broadway transfer once Mays finished his run in The Music Man Revival.

@alexl.7668

Жыл бұрын

@@michaelwilliamybarra2409 I want to see Parade so badly. I was able to see A Christmas Carol and it was absolutely phenomenal!! Michael Arden is a gifted performer and director.

@michaelwilliamybarra2409

Жыл бұрын

@@alexl.7668 You and me both, expect I didn't get to see A Christmas Carol either, and I hope the pro-shot from Geffen becomes available again. The clips floating around from it are miraculous!

@alexl.7668

Жыл бұрын

@@michaelwilliamybarra2409 That’s how I saw A Christmas Carol. I watched the pro shot. Wish they would release it permanently.

Right??! The transition thematically AND literally from "Heaven's Light" into "HellFire".

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Most iconic moment in this if you ask me

i'm still not over that this never made it to Broadway

@hannahbrennan2131

Жыл бұрын

Yeah. This masterpiece apparently wasn't good enough for Disney to bring to Broadway, but freaking Frozen was. I'll never stop being salty about that.

@samg5601

Жыл бұрын

@@hannahbrennan2131 Actually, they did want to bring it to broadway, but the producers who wanted to transfer it wanted to cut or downsize the onstage choir. The writers refused and said that if the show was to transfer, then the Entire Show had to transfer. The producers weren't willing to pay all those people an Equity amount and so the show never got to broadway because the writers refused to compromise (and honestly good on them for it, the show wouldn't be the same without the choir)

@hannahbrennan2131

Жыл бұрын

@@samg5601 That makes it a bit better, but I'm still salty that it had to be that way.

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

I know right?? That's insane

@Irongiantman007

Жыл бұрын

​@@Barbara2.0 there is a full copy of the stage show on KZread of you'd ever wanna see the full musical

I had to laugh. "I hoped Esmeralda's music would be more traditional." On my first hearing, I was SO EXCITED because they went way, way traditional--they're using medieval instruments and rhythm patterns! LOL!

I'm so glad you reacted to this!! I recently stage managed a production of Hunchback and it was such a fun show, plus of course the music is incredible EDIT: ALSO to explain Quasi's voice, in the stage show (and the book i believe) he's partially deaf and so has a bit of trouble speaking. There are actually some productions that he uses bits of sign language, and I've seen one where Quasi and his actor both are fully deaf, and he signs the entire show while one of the congregants translates. I believe the reason that the script gives for Quasi's voice being Like That is that not only is he partially deaf but he also struggles to talk around Real People. Typically he speaks normally around the gargoyles and such but in the "old voice" around Frollo and any other real human characters.

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Oh that's awesome, thank you! And so cool to hear about the representation in some productions

@theriverrix356

Жыл бұрын

@@Barbara2.0 the specific production they're talking about was with Joshua Castille (a deaf actor) as Quasimodo it played in the fifth avenue theater in Seattle. I highly suggest checking out or reacting to the rendition of "Made of Stone" from this production (fifth avenue theater posted a filmed version of it on KZread) Joshua is a fucking acting powerhouse (he also played Ernst in deaf west spring awakening!).

@kimbrulee_the_musical

Жыл бұрын

@@Barbara2.0 Michael arden also signed some of his lines in the original production!

For the Top of the World comments/questions: his voice sounds like that because he is supposed to be mostly deaf from the loudness of the bells and he has no one to talk to other than Frollo, so he doesn't know how to speak "properly" in addition to the leads the cast has four different groups: a congregation of regular French people, Roma/gypsies, gargoyles/statues, and the choir

I've been obsessed with this musical since I was 8. I remember when all we had was the movie and the German production. Seeing how far its come makes me feel like a proud parent.

I love this production for being an effective mixture of the novel and movie, improving on both for the purposes of a stage show. A few points I’d like to add (some of which have been mentioned in other comments but include for completeness-sake): - Frollo is no longer a judge like he was in the Disney movie - Quasimodo‘s singing voice is purely for internal monologue, with his “old” voice being the one he actually has. One production I’ve seen even had him played by a deaf person using sign language with another actor singing on his behalf, which is really cool - The gargoyles of the movie are replaced with statues of the saints which talk to Quasimodo in his head, similar to his singing. There’s some cool makeup and stage trickery going on with actors as part of scenery - small thing, but I like that Phoebus’ war background/PTSD is referenced, since he’d be coming from the Hundred Years War at the time - Esmeralda does die at the end; it’s why Frollo says their “free of her” 😅 It’s more book accurate in that way (though they omit Quasimodo dying alongside her corpse in an open grave - This show never made it to Broadway because the chorus size would have meant a far larger cast than is standard and would have costed a lot more in addition to union restrictions not present in California, if I remember correctly

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Nooooooo. Ok, the both of them dying broke my heart. I was gonna read the book now I'm not sure I want to 😭

D-does she realize in the end that Esmeralda dies here? Should we tell her...? 😂😂

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Wait, what? NO. What???

@hannahbrennan2131

Жыл бұрын

@@Barbara2.0 Yeah. Both Quasimodo and Esmeralda die at the end of the show, like in the book.

@yoyoeldas

Жыл бұрын

Yeah "You're a great friend, Quasimodo" were her last words, friendzoning him with her last breaths.

@michaeloconnor5904

Жыл бұрын

@@hannahbrennan2131 Tbf, they seem to leave it as ambiguous in this version whether Quasimodo died or not.

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

I. Hate. It

the "olim deus accelere" at the end always gives me goosebumps

The flight into Egypt song may seem an odd parallel, but it makes sense given that Quasimodo, while talking to himself in the form of his saints, makes the decision to seek out Esmeralda and protect her, like St. Aphrodisius, one of the saints in Frollo’s lessons, did for the Holy Family.

"How did they manage to improve over the movie" well, very similar to Newsies, Stephen Schwarz and Alan Menken actually worked a lot on this musical version as well!

There’s an official recording on a channel called Brady Love, it’s amazing, but I must warn you, you WILL cry. Not crying is out of the question with this show. I also thought I’d mention the fact that in the original draft of Hellfire, before the lyrics were finalized, Frollo sang “I curse you, Maria, and all the saints so cold and cruel who let her fire sear my flesh and bone! I curse Esmeralda, that name which means a fiery jewel! She is a jewel, and one that I must own!” And also, the two most common Latin phrases in this are “Kyrie Eleison” and “Dies Irae, Dies Illa.” Both are from different catholic songs of prayer. Kyrie Eleison translates to “God Be Merciful,” and Dies Irae, Dies Illa translates to “The Day Of Wrath, The Day Of Judgment.” One more thing. “I’m glad she’s alright” AHEM.

Your enthusiasm for my uncle's work is always such a joy to see, this is one of my favorite roles he's done for sure 💖 He doesn't tend to describe his roles as "villains", they're always just "very interesting people" 😄 Frollo is definitely a bad guy, but he's just a guy - as you said, that's part of what makes him one of the most compelling Disney antagonists!! I remember when the show was first trying out at La Jolla and it was a tiny bit different, but the improvements made for the Paper Mill and cast recording are top-notch - shame the show wasn't taken to Broadway, the set was breathtaking but I can understand how it would've been difficult to fit it within the confines of historic Broadway theatres. They really went the direction Victor Hugo intended, with the cathedral itself being heavily centered and emphasized (hence that constant reference to locality that you picked up on in the lyrics!) - the gargoyles were replaced by Quasimodo speaking to the statues and other architectural details of Notre Dame itself (because he's deaf and so isolated that he made friends with the physical features of his home)! So the choir basically IS Notre Dame, it's the setting embodied as a character! Also: you look amazing, I love your hair and outfit so much!!!! ✨

@Sairin13

Жыл бұрын

Beg your Uncle to start a KZread channel where he just churns out covers. We'd love to hear him do "Heaven on their minds," or "One day More", or even just some of the songs the other characters in his shows get to sing, can you imagine him doing "Out there" but Quasimodo's part. Or "Someday," "Is it true?" The possibilities are endless.

@ferenczliszt

Жыл бұрын

@@Sairin13 now that would be cool!!! 💞

@__Black_Sheep__

Жыл бұрын

Omg I absolutely love your uncle. This and Spiderman are what introduced me to his work

@briandoolittlegonzalez

Жыл бұрын

ur uncle???? who??

@ferenczliszt

Жыл бұрын

@@briandoolittlegonzalez Patrick Page

Even if you don’t make a video about it, please watch one of the bootlegs! There is so much inventiveness in the physicality of the storytelling you miss with just the music. This is a show that really makes the most of the theatre medium

I was actually in this show, and by far the best experience of my life. We had a very long rehearsal process, and the shear talent required to do this show is astonishing. However, if you pull it off, it is truly magical.

I can't wait to see how you react to the very church-like atmosphere of this musicalll Also, I have to say the story for this *is* slightly different to the movie, and seeing Patrick Page act as Claude Frollo is a sight to behold, but the main difference lies in the change in Frollo's character, from the eternally cold and cruel Judge, to the musical version (at least, the American version) who's much more Shakespearean in nature

@anantkerur557

Жыл бұрын

Listening to your initial thoughts on Frollo, I do want to add I would highly recommend seeing any version of this play just for Frollo's development into a villain. His relationship with Quasimodo initially is much like the Witch's with Rapunzel in ITW, but he's also has a very,,,,paternal relationship with him, and I mean that in a neutral sense. Initially, there seems to be genuine caring for Quasimodo, and although he's not exactly close with him, he's still kind towards him. Throughout the rest of the show, although this care doesn't exactly fade, he starts restricting Quasimodo more as he feels justified in it. The most telling aspect of his character, however, is his relationship with Esmeralda. He's not immediately perverted towards her, but over the course of the musical, his lust over her becomes prominent, and he starts attempting to-initially subtly, but later much more directly-use his power as an Archdeacon to take advantage over her

This is definitely the best Disney stage musical. I hate that it never got to Broadway because it was "too adult" and they couldn't afford to pay the choir for a broadway production. This show is absolutely brilliant. As others have said, the reason for Quasi's voice is that, like in the book, he is half deaf from all the bell ringing, and so when he sings he sounds different because that's how he sounds in his own head.

The stage version of hunchback is the best thing that classic Disney has produced (also Alan Menken's favourite). It's somewhat different from the movie but that's a good thing. It changes it for the better, making it perfect.

In a lot of live productions, the actors tend to use that hoarse voice for speaking to kind of accentuate the character's deformity since heavy makeup is impractical. Quasimodo also tends to view things in a different way because of how long he's spent in the bell tower e.g. talking to the gargoyles, how he hears himself in his head (singing) vs out loud, etc. There is a great version of HOND that the 5th Avenue Theatre did - they cast Josh Castille as Quasimodo which was perfect as it stayed true to the original text with him being deaf from ringing the bells and the actor himself being deaf. Watching his version of 'Out There' in sign language is so much more meaningful and emotional especially with lines like "if i were in their skin, i'd treasure every instant", it speaks on a whole other level. And because he wasn't singing, he could contort his face to look deformed. Check it out at some point, it's just beautiful

So in the original work, which this show leans heavily into, Quasimodo is deaf or extremely hard of hearing from having rung the bells of Notre Dame all his life. The speaking voice for him is to reflect that, in all probability, he can’t hear himself speak and doesn’t really know how - he’s copying mouth movements and the gist of sounds. When he sings by himself or to the church, it’s how he sounds in his head. 17:37

I found out about the existence of the Seattle 5th Avenue theatre production (with Deaf actor Josh Castille as Quasi) the day after it closed, and I will go to my grave still heartbroken about that 😭 (Here’s the sizzle reel from that production - so everyone here can share my pain kzread.info/dash/bejne/kZmdtJWeeKfcoco.html Also Josh Castille is an absolute treasure and everyone should appreciate him)

2:27 Clopin is the first person (other than the choir) to sing during the musical lol 3:32 Quasimodo's mother is a Romani woman named Florika, who Frollo (along with the general anti-Roma sentiment during the 1400s) blames for 'corrupting' Jehan and leading him to his death (both Florika and Jehan die of smallpox-- in lines not included in the recording, Jehan mentions that Florika died a bit prior to Claude's visit). Even as Jehan tries to convince his brother to take care of the baby, he has to remind Frollo that he's not just Florika's son. 5:52 there is a whole song missing from the Cast Recording, which is part of the 'Stay in Here' extension 12:18 the reason why Movie Esmeralda's voice (or voices, to be more accurate) is deeper is that both of her VAs (she only has two VAs because Demi Moore threatened to leave if they didn't find someone else to be Esmeralda's singing voice) for the movie were specifically chosen for their deeper voice, to make Esmeralda sound older and mature, as the movie has her in her 20s - 30s lol. This kind of thing really isn't needed for a live musical, though, so I imagine they skipped over that part when casting. 27:07 Funny thing about this-- this song, along with Someday and the other songs lifted from the movie, are some of the oldest songs in this musical. In a Place of Miracles was supposed to take place immediately before Frollo found the Court in the movie, was a duet between Esmeralda and Phoebus, and was also the song where Quasimodo accepts that Esmeralda loved Phoebus and wanted to be with him. It was cut because it apparently took too much focus away from Quasimodo, which to be fair, from the storyboards I've seen, Quasimodo only has a few lines of dialogue, only appears near the end of the song (along with Clopin), and as far as I'm aware, does not sing at all. You can actually listen to the original synth demo on the Hunchback remastered soundtrack, along with demos for most of the songs, and several songs from the German musical.

someday was written for the movie. The scene was sadly cut.

Ahhh this is one of my favorite musicals of all time! The ending made me cry so hard I love it so much!! To me it is such an important show that gives opportunities for those with disabilities. In the production I saw the actor who played Quasi was deaf (which is implied in the soundtrack hence the raspy voice) and used sign language during the songs and one of the gargoyles became his singing voice. It was a powerful production especially when the gargoyle sings “Made of Stone” while Quasi is chained and signing to the ‘saints of plaster.’ It was amazing! If you’re accepting more musical suggestions I would love to see what you think of these: - The Wiz (live nbc proshoot- a fantastic show that never gets enough recognition) - Shrek the Musical (proshoot dvd- a show that while it has some flaws it has amazing songs and costumes. Better than the movie in my opinion!) - Les Miserables (either the 10th or 25th anniversary concert proshoot- a classic show that redefined musical theater for its time) - Cats the Musical (Universal proshoot- a show that is overly hated in my opinion. It’s more spectacle than plot but it’s just plain fun!) - The Phantom of the Opera (25 Anniversary proshoot- (my love for this show has somewhat wavered over time but it’s still a great production!) Another fantastic video! Thank you for all the hard work you do!

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Quasi being deaf and some productions actually casting deaf actors is just brilliant, way to go!

@theriverrix356

Жыл бұрын

WAS IT AT FIFTH AVE THEATER

But... you do realise that Esmeralda DOES die at the end, right? 😅 I was waiting for your reaction to that after you said "at least I know she's not dying"...

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

No. I did not realise until after. Probably because I was in denial

@saphira4366

Жыл бұрын

@@Barbara2.0 Very understandable!!

That Esmeralda doll is TERRIFYING ... I love her

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Why is everyone terrified of her, she's literally so pretty 😭😭

@CindersSpot

Жыл бұрын

@@Barbara2.0 I can't speak for anoyine else, but for me personally, it's because her eyes are so big and slightly too wide, that makes her look very uncanny valley to me.

I will confirm for you, the choir is human. My voice teacher was part of the workshop when they were working on the play in San Diego. She's now a professional opera singer.

I think my favorite part about hellfire is that the Latin in the background is a prayer of confessin

I'm so glad you cover this one. Since you're not watching the actual performance you probably have no idea there was an actual genuine - in terms of story of course - attempted rape by frollo once he had Esmerelda in a prison cell. And hell yeah, she dead at the end. The novel ends with her being hung, and eventually her skeleton is found in a tomb with Quasimodo's remains lovingly wrapped around her.

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Wow it gets much darker than I thought! The cast recording really hides most of that

@leadingblind1629

Жыл бұрын

@@Barbara2.0 because I use a microphone to type, I just saw all my mistakes so hopefully my first post was actually legible

29:30 "Congratulations, you played yourself" :P

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

I was a fool, a FOOL

You asked why he sounded so old. Living among the bells, Quasi is rather deaf. So when he is talking to Frollo etc, he has that vocal affect. But when he is in his own head, that falls away to hear Michael Arden's natural voice.

I'm glad you gave it a listen, this is one of my fav stage shows. I'm obsessed with the movie too, but I will say that from a musical and writing standpoint I think they improved the overall story in the stage-play. Michael (Quasi) sustaining for his life throughout the show is my favorite part, the entirety of Made of Stone always feels like it's coming for me personally. And I agree with the motifs and everything the choir is doing throughout the show, it's so damn good.

@bananaboatcharlie

Жыл бұрын

Something about how he breaks the sustaining of "to the stones be_e_low" before he does his thing drives me crazy. Also his delivery is a little different in the bootleg recording! Have you seen that because it's like a war crime how good it is

oh, and the choir is almost always onstage watching quasi as they go in and out being gargoyles. Michael Arden's performance was transformative. By the way - you can see lots of these songs being performed on youtube...either from the paper mill or the LaJolla playhouse.

This has been one of my absolute favorite musicals for years!! So glad you reacted to it :^)

I love love LOVE this cast recording so much!!! Some of the original songs from this are amazing, so happy you reacted to it

I will forever be salty over this not coming to Broadway - I didn't have the means to go see this in La Jolla or Paper Mill at the time but I would have been there in a heartbeat... Hunchback was one of the first Disney movies I distinctly remember seeing promotions for when I was 4yo (i.e. puzzles, the Burger King toys, etc.) - I lived in CA at the time and went to Disneyland a bunch and I remember they had an outdoor Hunchback live show and I got chosen to play the tambourine for one of the girls during the pre-show bit! 🥰🥰🥰

I CAME AS SOON AS I SAW THE NOTIFICATION HOLY SHITTTT AAAAAA

@fanfandoming8225

Жыл бұрын

Me too🤣🤣🤣

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

LET'S GOOOOO

I was listening to the musical again today, and I was reminded of a lyrical difference between the movie and the musical that I remember thinking “wow, this is going to be different” when I first heard it Movie: The Bells of Notre Dame - 5:22 “Even this foul creature may yet prove to be Of use to me” Musical: The Bells of Notre Dame - 6:01 “See this loathsome creature from whom lesser men would flee I will keep and care for him and teach him at my knee To think like me”

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Nice one! Another good example of difference in Frollo's character

So apparently at the end, Esmeralda dies from smoke inhalation

@michaelwilliamybarra2409

Жыл бұрын

Or as one would call it, asphyxiation. Seems to be a running theme of dying in some of Alan Menken's darkest works. First it is mentioned in "Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless you Mr. Rosewater(the first collaboration between him and Howard Ashman, which has a Encores production and cast recording that stars the likes of Santino Fontana, Skyler Austin, and JAMES EARL JONES which I highly recommend!)", Orin dies of it in Little Shop of Horrors("Jesus Christ, I could asphyxiate in here!"), and now we have Esmeralda following suit here as well!

What happens to Esmeralda spoilers: . . . . . . . . I think there was some misunderstanding because I feel like we would have gotten more of a reaction, but Esmeralda does die in this version (like in the book).

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

It's insane how subtle that is in the cast recording. Maybe because she says the same line in the movie and actually lives I totally thought it ended the same way

@meba444

Жыл бұрын

@@Barbara2.0 yeah, it’s super subtle! In the actual performance, they have a whole little epilogue that’s told between two themes in “Finale” (at around 12:10 in the song, before Clopin starts singing). “Years later, in the crypts below Notre Dame, there were discovered two skeletons, one of which held the other in its embrace. The first was that of a woman with a woven band around her neck. The second was that of a man who’s spinal column was crooked. When they tried to detach the skeleton he held in his arms, they crumbled to dust.”

I was fortunate to see this production three times; twice when it premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and once when it moved to the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey. It was a Disney Theatricals production, being a new adaptation of their production launched in Germany. However they did not stress their involvement when the show was promoted. Probably because it was a darker take than the animated film and they were not sure of what audience to go for. One of the big changes from the German production was the de-Disneyfication by not using puppet-style gargoyles, instead just using human actors in grey robes as the gargoyles. In the end the show never transfered to Broadway, even though it was a great production, because of the issue of who was it really intended for? Definitely not children, so not going to get the Disney name on Broadway. The large choir on stage was one of the most impressive things in the production. And Patrick Page was really great. Sad that it didn't have a longer life, but so thankful we got a cast recording.

Your fangirling over the score gives me all the life i need, and especially with that big Wicked poster behind you, since this score was the BRILLIANT teamup of Wicked's Stephen Schwartz (lyrics) and Disney Legend Alan Menken (music) Edit after the song Esmeralda: HA, "Is Frollo from Oz?" HILARIOUS

Speaking of the Hunchback of Notre Dame - would you ever be open to reacting to French musicals? The major ones like Notre Dame de Paris (of course with the same original source material, but it's darker and more accurate), Romeo and Juliet, and Mozart Opera Rock have officially recorded versions. I don't know about the other ones, but I know Notre Dame de Paris is uploaded on youtube with subtites. The music in French musicals are truly beautiful and amazing, it could be a new experience - I'd definitely recommend them even if you decide to watch them in your own time🥰 Thank you for your wonderful video once again, Barbara!

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Definitely would, thanks lovely!

@xhemo874x

Жыл бұрын

French Romeo & Juliet is also a masterpiece!!

@fynchbird

Жыл бұрын

@@xhemo874x The music is so good! I love how big scale the French musicals are with simple set designs but a huge stage for the dancers and finally a huge curtain call😙 I don't even speak French or understand it, but I fell in love with their musicals quite fast.

@xhemo874x

Жыл бұрын

@@fynchbird me too! It's so heartbreaking and so beautiful 🥲

I feel Frollo’s background makes him less sympathetic because he utilised Quasi as a thing to absolve his brother’s sins. The fact that he witnessed first hand what that pushing people outside does to them, leaving them to die alone. He saw how much his brother loved this woman and the child chose to have no empathy.

I have been waiting for this! So excited!

This has become one of my all-time favorite musicals. I have seen the version here on KZread and one a local theater of ours put on (not as great a quality but still well put together for a smaller scale). I was in awe. The soundtrack is spectacularrrr, and I listen to it regularly! I also watch the version here often, too! SOOOO GOOD! My faves are: Cats, Wicked, and Hunchback...

Woah! I was not expecting this, but I’m not complaining. I love this musical!

Less than a minute in, but I just want to say I am SO EXCITED!! I LOVE this musical so much!! This and Hadestown are my favorite musicals of all time

when i first read frollo’s name, i thought you pronounced it sort of like the word pollo in spanish (bc i forgot they were french), so for three days i though his name was pronounced fro-yo😂😂😂

Oh GOSH I just finished watching your reaction to Bare and then I subbed. And now I'm about to embark on this one. Absolutely heartbreaking and I can't wait to see what you think!

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Yay welcome to the channel!! 🥳

Oh my god I have ben LOOKING for reactions to this version of Hunchback. I never see any reactions to this version I am gonna watch this whole video

I LOVE the disney movie, but I saw this production at the Paper Mill playhouse in New Jersey and it was AMAZING!!!! disney won't bring it to broadway because they say it is too dark for children!

this was the first time ive seen any videos of this channel and i instantly recognized esmerelda

I saw a production of this show a few years ago. Your reactions are delightful, and your analysis is awesome! I hadn’t realized how many layers of meaning there were until you pointed them out. That’s a good observation about “God Help the Outcasts.” I actually think it’s easier to believe in God/a divine power’s existence, than it is to believe in God’s love, goodness and caring. Christians believe that God became a human being, Jesus, to experience suffering with us, and many saints like Mary (Notre Dame = Our Lady) also experienced great suffering out of love, so they seem close and relatable rather than removed and indifferent. That’s really comforting and even kind of empowering. If I remember correctly, “Someday” was actually written for the movie, but they changed it to “God Help the Outcasts.” However, I think they used the lyrics of “Someday” in Latin for the opening of the movie! Funny that you compared this to Les Mis just in passing, as they’re both adaptations of Victor Hugo novels! I wasn’t sure if you caught how the ending was different from the movie, but true to the book … after seeing it onstage, I was really confused about their decision to keep that, and whether the ending was supposed to be uplifting or tragic, or somehow both. I thought it was kind of dissonant (thematically, not musically). Thanks for covering this!

The rest of this musical is good, but the ending is Perfect. Actually just completely perfect.

It was definitely a version of the Disney film, although it did take some things from the book. IT does sound like it's more in line with the plot and characterisation of the Disney movie than the actual book. If you like Hunchback of Notre Dame, I highly recommend listening to/watching the musical Notre Dame de Paris. It's, as far as I'm aware, the most accurate to the book and the songs are STUNNING.

Loved your reaction and analysis. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you watch the video of the show (I’d say see it on stage, which I guess that too, but sadly there hasn’t been a professional production of this show in English since 2015). While the music is amazing, and I agree it was the right decision to listen to the soundtrack first, the visuals of the stage production and the scenes in between the songs really help to bring together the whole story, which as you can hear is a lot more layered and nuanced than the Disney movie. Without giving anything away, I always appreciate when a stage production uses the limitations of live performance to their advantage to create meaningful symbolic moments, and one of my favorite examples in this show revolves around the theme of “what makes a monster and what makes a man.” I also have a soft spot for shows with an ensemble cast. This show only has five main characters, while the congregation steps in to portray all of the various other characters throughout the show, whether it be the gargoyles, the townspeople, etc. Very rarely is a character ever on stage alone, as the congregation is almost always in the background. It gives the idea (along with their narration) that they are telling the story from an outside perspective, rather than inhabiting one specific character. Shows like Pippin and Godspell have similar aspects in that regard. (Edit: come to think of it, all three were written at least in part by Stephen Schwartz, maybe that’s what it is!) I only wish I could see this show in person, but for now bootleg will have to do! Glad you enjoyed listening!

Ugh the playhouse production❤❤ honestly I wish it was still doing shows

I’m sure someone’s beat me to it, but the reason his voice changes is because the bells have made him deaf. When he talks to people, that’s how his voice really sounds. When he sings to himself though he is in his head, and he sounds normal to himself in his head.

I saw you mention how much you loved Patrick Page as Hades, wondered if you noticed that he was also Frolo

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

I went into this already knowing ;)

This is easily my favorite Musical of all time 😍

I love watching people react to this musical!! When I first listened to it at work through my headphones I was literally like 😦😩😍 the entire time. Definitely didn’t get any work done hahaha! Also fun fact! In A Place of Miracles was actually a deleted song from the animated movie, as well as Someday (which ended up being replaced in the movie with God Help the Outcasts, of course) I feel like my obsession with this musical leads me to new information every day 😂😂

The full Paper Mill Playhouse musical was uploaded to KZread. You might enjoy it if you have time to watch it. It’s all the same cast 😊. Edit: Now that you’ve listened to the album, ofc lol.

i actually never heard this musical, but i used to be obsessed with the french musical Notre Dame De Paris which is based more on the book. i think you would actually enjoy that one. you can watch it with subtitles.

I cannot put into words how much I love this musical. I’ve watched the bootleg version on KZread twice and I can’t get through it without tearing up at LEAST once. The ending scene is just absolutely incredible in a way you can’t see by only listening to the soundtrack. It is my dream to see a professionally done production of it. Or to play Quasimodo. Either one would also be amazing.

It's appropriate that Esmeralda sounds younger, she's supposed to be about 16 in the book. :)

Nerdy speculation moment: I am Ukrainian and we always celebrated Christmas on the 6th of January In Topsy Turvy Clopin mentions something about the "sixth of Januervy" or however you spell that AND the Rhythm of the Tambourine does have a motif that sounds very similar to the Carol of the Bells.... So this leads me to believe (and it might be completely irrelevant) that this musical is happening during Christmas Just something to think about :)

Ah yes, the musical why I'm not allowed to play music in the car anymore

I saw this live but only up until the part where quasimodo is crowned king of fools then we got rained out and it had to be cancelled 😭ill never not be miserable over it

Oh my goodness this is one of my favourite shows ever and it's so underrated!! was lucky enough to be in it at Lincoln Cathedral last year and oh my 😍

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

A production of this in an actual cathedral?? SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY

@georgiesuffell

Жыл бұрын

@@Barbara2.0 I know right!! there are photos on Google but no footage i'm afraid :/

@colonyofrats4193

Жыл бұрын

lincoln cathedral in lincoln, england????

@georgiesuffell

Жыл бұрын

@@colonyofrats4193 yes

@colonyofrats4193

Жыл бұрын

@@georgiesuffellI live in Lincoln 😭 how did I miss this

great video

@Barbara2.0

8 ай бұрын

Thank you! 😊

Yes! 🎉 Finally! My favorite musical has finally been given the love it deserves! Thank you! So many thanks! Edit: As I'm sure many have mentioned, Esmeralda doesn't survive in this version. It's why the end finale has such a sombre tone and leads into the story of the skeleton found hunched over another skeleton. It's such a masterful show!

I like how your hair kinda matches the Esmerelda doll

If you love the Music from Hunchback, listen to the 1999 German version of the Musical as well (Der Glöckner von Notre Dame). It's a very different beast from the English musical and some great tunes that are no longer in the show (and while they wouldn't fit in this version they truly deserve to be heard)

If you like this massive scale ensemble you should listen to Titanic the Musical! It's fantastic and has some incredible ensemble moments

I wrote to Alan Menken back when I was in high school complaining about how there aren't enough good parts for low bass, since I am one. He actually wrote a letter back and told me that Heaven's Light/Hellfire was originally half an octave lower, but Tony Jay couldn't reach quite that low so they transposed it up. Kind of rough for Tom Hulce and the others that ended up singing Heaven's Light, since the dual song nature of it meant that it was raised for that part of the song, as well. But a few more solos that drop to a low C wouldn't be a bad thing for some of us.

I'd recommend you "Notre dame de Paris" Daniel Lavoie, Garou, Helene Segara and etc. I feel its far more interesting, shorter, and much clearer imo And it's much closer to the novel

Serious question, serious answer: they’re not. They were so big they couldn’t fit into a broadway theatre which is why it never transfered

I think the dark ending is one of the reasons it never transferred to Broadway. It would be seen as a Disney property and therefore kid friendly. It really isn't. The very first stage production 'Der Glöckner von Notre Dame' was back in 1999 and the set and production was huge. So many moving pieces, hydraulics and projections, If you can find a decent copy of that bootleg, check it out. The English language version in 2014 (and now the licensed version) is VERY different but in my opinion, it relies too much on Narration, with ensemble members saying things like 'and so Quassi went up to the belltower' or 'Quasimodo slammed the doors shut' And the basic set design is very dull compared to the OG. Made of Stone is easily the best new number in the show.

sadly actually Esmeralda dies in this version! there´s a video of the ending and is so beautiful sad and powerful

She did it!!!!!!

FINALLY!!!!!

yeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I'VE BEEN WAITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'll never forgive Disney Theatricals for passing over this show to put Frozen on Broadway first (even though Frozen is a great show too) i think my single critique of the entire cast album is Clopin doesn't hit that fabulous D5 that the original (Paul Kandel) did at the end of The Bells of Notre Dame

YES YES YES HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

YEEEEES

As much as I love The Hunchback of Notre Dame musical in general, I can't help but feel like this iteration of the musical is lacking in a couple of areas, especially when compared to the 1999 production in Berlin. I don't like how minimalist the set design for the show is, I'm not a fan of having the entire cast narrate the show instead of Clopin acting as both a specter and an omniscient narrator, I don't like "Flight Into Egypt" as a song in of itself nor as a replacement for the 1999 production's "Out of Love" (which is a duet between Phoebus and Quasimodo that's both a beautiful song and a narrative important song), and I much prefer "Someday" as the penultimate song before the finale as opposed to "Made of Stone" being the second to last song.

Weird relationship with this one, I've listened to what I consider the show's 3 main solos quite often but I haven't seen it and a friend recently recommended a French musical that is the same story but more loyal to the novel, and while it was solid it was also quite a bummer. I think I'll check this at some point perhaps. Also, are there any none English musicals you like? I recently listened to Elisabeth(in German) though I don't speak German and it is one of my favorite shows now and my current obsession(thanks Reddit). Also, sorry if I'm slowly driving you insane but I can't wait for your reaction to JCS.

@yoyoeldas

Жыл бұрын

Elisabeth is great--one of the best and (at the time) boldest German language musicals out there in my opinion. Very epic yet thematically very well crafted. I'm sure there's an English subbed version of the proshot (or the 2002 Essen housecam video with Pia and Uwe, my personal favorite) if ever anyone's interested but don't know the language. Back to Hunchback, the interesting thing is that between the movie and this version there was actually another iteration of the musical that premiered in Berlin, 1999, and that version follows the film's plot much more closely, albeit taking a darker tone too. The staging was epic as well, something I miss in the Papermill production. And of course there's Notre Dame de Paris, the show that began the French musical craze. Honestly so many of these adaptations of this one story each having different takes, and a comparison between them would be really really interesting

@detectiveassassin7937

Жыл бұрын

@@yoyoeldas It would be interesting to see a comparison between different iterations indeed. I have listened to some of the songs in this and the version I was talking about was NDDP(which is honestly quite a bummer but solid). Glad to see a fellow Elisabeth fan here BTW, at first all the cool elements in the show made it seem a little too good to be true but after I watched it I found that it was as good and solid as I had hoped for, I wish there was an English version of it though since more people need to know about it IMO.

kzread.info/dash/bejne/iGt4yLakc9qreLA.html a video recording of the original cast

You comparing hunchback to les mis is hilarious bc both books were originally written by victor hugo

@Barbara2.0

Жыл бұрын

Yep, that was a little book nerdy joke haha

I do love the music of this show - I'd listen to it way more often than I do if they didn't use the g-slur so much 😅

It seems no one has said this yet, so I’m so sorry to have to be the one to break it to you, but…Esmeralda does die in the stage show 😬

This is still the Disney version right? I feel like it’s too exhausting lol, since every song pretty much has the same orgasmic ending. It’s still good though and one orgasmic ending is just gorgeous. I don’t know if you could find it, but there’s a book-abiding French musical (that also has an English version). It’s more balanced in my opinion. There’s a bigger role for Gringoire the poet and it’s most fitting.

@linggao2602

Жыл бұрын

m.kzread.info/dash/bejne/f3qHqJWuXcqbcpc.html&pp=ygUbbm90cmUgZGFtZSBkZSBwYXJpcyBlbmdsaXNo This is the French version with English subtitles, and in my opinion the best version. Enjoy.

Ok ok … Jesus Christ superstar cause ykno … religion but also can be analysed (Jesus is portrayed as just a map)