Film & Theater studies

Please provide 300 words describing your experience watching the chosen play and your observations about the experience of discussing the play with your group.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame La Jolla Playhouse

I need two separate response each around 300 words.

ANSWER

The Hunchback of Notre Dame La Jolla Playhouse

The Hunchback of Notre Dame La Jolla Playhouse

Discussion 1

The success of any version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame depends mostly on Quasimodo and the music performances involved. Having watched and enjoyed the Disney animated movie and listened to its studio recording on Spotify, I was very anxious to see how well the stage performance would present the show. Seeing the movie performed on stage was so much better than watching it as an animation. At the beginning of the play, Quasimodo’s voice sounded weird, but I grew to like it as the play progressed. His singing voice, however, was crystal clear and lovely. I enjoyed his movements and performance, as well as the emotions that he went through (sadness, fear, guilt, happiness, and love).

The play sticks more faithfully to the Hunchback of Notre Dame book rather than the Disney animated movie, especially when it comes to Frollo and Quasimodo’s backstory, as well as Esmeralda dying at the end. This makes the play even sadder than the animated movie, especially because I have been a fan of Esmeralda since I first watched the movie. All the other characters are excellent in their delivery and the songs were clearly and well-performed. I loved the songs that were in the original animated movie more, except for the change from “Who is the monster and who is the man?” to “What makes a monster and what makes a man?”. All the new songs were also enjoyable to watch and listen to.

Lastly, I enjoyed discussing the paly with my group members. We all agreed about how amazing the songs were, especially “Heaven’s Light” and “Hellfire” and how they were played back to back. We also agreed that the stage musical performances and the play reinforce the message of the original animated film: all human beings have value and are equal regardless of their physical appearance.

Discussion 2

Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame animated film presents both a ghastly and captivating blend of misfortune and love. The animated film has soaring songs and outstanding characters. I was glad to see my memory of the animated film wiped clean by the onstage play at La Jolla Playhouse. Quasimodo was an outstanding character in the play, from the outfits to the voice and his display of emotions. The play reaches back into the complexity of the original novel by Victor Hugo, even remaining true to the scene where Esmeralda dies. The play gives Frollo much stronger emotional and family ties to Quasimodo while restoring him to the church. Frollo perceives Quasimodo as a test from God.

I particularly liked the appearance of Quasimodo. He appears fully aware that his appearance shocks those around him. Quasimodo’s pain and suffering are brought out in songs such as “Out There” and “Made of Stone”. The songs from the original animated film are well-performed, and the new ones are exciting and captivating. Frollo stands out from the characters, mostly because of the torment that he is constantly experiencing. His righteousness slowly changes into cruelty against Esmeralda. He decides that she must be purified in a “Hellfire”. The character’s bass-baritone vocals are perfectly suited for the role.

Discussing the play with my group members was enjoyable. Most of us agreed that the play is great and that the songs make it very enjoyable to watch. However, the play leans a lot on narration. I think that the show could rely on the audience to keep up with motivations and plotting, which are both very clear from the audience having already watched the original animated film. The music and the portrayal of emotions were well done in the play. However, the play does not give the audience a happy ending, as is the case with the Disney animated film.