From "Hunchback" to "Glöckner"

Many of the people reading this site would have seen, and perhaps be familiar with, the animated movie which Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame is based on. However, if you expect to see a carbon copy of the film on the stage, think again! In fact, the stage musical is quite different from the original film. The following are some pieces of information I have discovered about the show, as well as some of the changes you would expect to find if you did in fact, find yourself in the Stella Theatre in Potsdamer Platz.

Pre-Production
Before Berlin, the show was originally based in New York City, where it was workshopped and rehearsed completely in English. This allowed the show's creators to work with their cast and toss around ideas as to what was possible.

Unlike previous Disney-based musicals (Beauty & The Beast and The Lion King) The Hunchback of Notre Dame has an almost completely original script. James Lapine took it upon himself to rewrite all of the dialogue while still keeping the main characters and themes intact. The result is immediately obvious, a much more mature, darker interpretation of the original book. There are a number of new scenes, notably a touching scene near the end of Act I where Phoebus actually catches Esmeralda, and, against his better judgement, allows her to escape. Another scene which really demonstrates that Disney isn't shying away from the sinister lust of Frollo is one near the end of the show, where he visits Esmeralda in prison. Click on the Phoebus Button below to read the libretto.

While the cube-stage was being constructed in Berlin, the cast were working on a flat surface in N.Y., with marks drawn on the floor where the cubes would be. Even with all the warnings of "Don't stand here or you'll be crushed," the cast could not really imagine what the cubes would look like until they got to Berlin and there was suddenly a realisation: "Ahhhh, that's what they were talking about."

Even though it was eventually to be performed in German, the cast was assembled from all around the world. (Even some Aussies!) All of the cast had to be able to speak fluent English, and if they couldn't already speak German, they would have constant lingual coaching. (Even throughout the run of the show, some cast members had weekly sessions where they would go over the language with a professional coach)

Changes Director James Lapine had a very distinct vision of what he wanted the show to be. He wanted to do away with a lot of the "kiddiness" of the film and present a product much closer to the original text.

Lapine originally wanted to remove the gargoyles from the show completely. That idea was, however, very quickly knocked back by Disney. The characters of Victor, Hugo and Laverne were one of the elements that people used to distinguish Disney's version of the classic novel, and the Mouse House wasn't at all keen to lose them. Lapine then set about adapting these characters to fit in better with the story. (Because, let's face it - they were in the movie primarily for comic relief) The first change was to alter their names to Charles, Antoine and Loni. The other change was to make them less wacky. They still talk to Quasimodo, and they still banter between themselves, but they now freely move around when other characters are in the scene, making it obvious that they are, in fact, figments of Quasimodo's imagination. There is also a greater focus on the gargoyles representing the three areas of Quasimodo's subconscious. Charles is the sensible side, Antoine is the impulsive side, and Loni tries to make the bellringer think for himself. There is some debate about whether perhaps the gargoyles have been toned down TOO much, but I don't believe so. I think what Lapine has done is perfect. To cut them out completely would leave a big gap in the story's flow, but they are now more than just comic relief, and play a much more integral part in the story.

The dance sequences are fantastic to look at, although there are only 2 big ones, being "Topsy Turvy" and "Dance of the Gypsies." James Lapine was very strong in that he didn't want this to be "a dancing show," but sometimes whole dances would be choreographed and rehearsed over weeks, only to be removed from the show completely. A frustrating situation for the dancers, to be sure!

The writing of the new pieces of music was a very ongoing process. Throughout the workshop and rehearsal periods, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz would be constantly working and reworking the songs to suit the show. The song "Court of Miracles," which I believe was the weakest and least-fitting song in the film, was still included for quite a while, but it was eventually apparent that it wasn't working. Hence, it was removed, to be replaced by "Out of Love" and "Dance of the Gypsies." The choral parts and harmonies would also be constantly in progress. In fact, only the night before the show began its previews, the entire cast were told that they would be singing the climax of "Someday." (Previously, the entire song had been sung just by Esmeralda and Phoebus) So they were given the parts and told "Have this ready for tomorrow night." The life of an actor, eh?