Under Construction!!

Notre Dame de Paris --The French Musical

This is on the original cast. Directed by:  ...are these things even directed? Original idea by:  Victor Hugo, hehe. Lyrics:  Luc Plammondon Music:  Richard Cocciante Spelling errors are all my fault. I'm too lazy to look up the correct spelling. DVD (which I'm going off) distributed by Pomme Music...

Garou                          ....Quasimodo Helene Segara             .....Esmeralda Daniel Lavoie              .....Frollo Bruno Pelletier            .....Gringoire Patrick Fiori                .....Phoebus Julie Zenatti                .....Fleur-de-Lys

The musical opens on a broad stage, bathed in blue and dark purples.  There's a wall at the back of the stage with large, door-like holes standing at periodic heights and intervals.  The wall is dotted with little bars/handholds (think the handle on your oven door, but smaller).  At this point, out steps a man with lown brown hair (wavy or crimped) wearing a dark-blue, painted-looking trenchcoat over a loose, long-sleeved gray shirt and dark fatigues.  Oh, and the abominable head-set with the large apple/microphone.  His black make-up around the eyes make him look like a morbid Egyptian.  He starts to sing a song, walking back and forth on the stage.  The song, "Le Temps des Cathedrales/The Age of the Cathedrals" basically sets up the musical.  He talks about how once man built great cathedrals, and tells the audience the tale begins in 1482.  That's about it.

Anyhow, so he finishes, and then on stage enter all these vagabonds.  They either resemble melodramatic artists or '80's kids with more fashion sense.  They jump around and go crazy and acrobatic and stuff while one of them - a Jamaican styled man of African decent, dressed in a too-big mess business suit covered with yellow paint splotches -- goes to the front and starts to sing.  In this song, "Les Sans-Papiers/The Refugees" the guy - Clopin, king of Gypsies - tells about his people - vagabonds, beggars, foreign people, etc.  The dancers get in sync finally and sing back up.  They finish the song by hurling themselves at the back wall (which is supposed to represent Notre Dame) while shouting "Asylum."  Then appears a man dressed in a black-hooded robe with a priests' collar, standing in one of the upper door-like holes in the wall.  Through song ("Intervention de Frollo/Intervention of Frollo"), he directs Phoebus, captain of the king's archers, to chase out the vagabonds.  Down on the front right of the stage, a guy in a too-futuristic loose silver shirt (supposed to resemble chain mail) comes out, tells Frollo he'll do that, and he and his soldiers/goons in black start running around, beating people off stage.     Just then, Phoebus grabs one certain gypsy, dressed in a semi-tight green gown.  He asks/sings who/what she is, and she (showing extreme intelligence) lowers her daggers, sits on a crate, and begins to tell about herself as he sits next to her.  Fun song, called "Bohemienne/The Bohemienne Song."  Basically, it sasy that her mom used to tell her tales of Spain, and that Esme (it is Esme) longs to find a way back to the mountains of Andalusia.  She has no father or mother anymore, and she's stuck in Paris.  In the middle of the song, she jumps up and paces around on stage, and before the end of the song, Phoebus has mysteriously disappeared.

Esme instead sits next to Clopin, who starts in on his next song.  Did I mention Esme looks as old as if not older than Clopin?  He sings a song "Esmeralda Tu Sais/Esmeralda You Know" in which he states he was the one who raised her after her mom died.  She's 16 (!!) now, and he warns her to stay away from 1) boys and 2) anyone they regard as different or who regards them as different.  In other words, berating her for putting down her dagger in the song before (yeah, you tell her!).  Then the spotlight goes out on them and a big, rose-window colored spotlight hits the stage.  Phoebus and a girl dressed in a gauzy pink, Sunday-dress like gown (Fleur-de-Lys) meet in the center of it and begin to sing how they swear their love to each other, how they're going to get married, how they're happy, yadda yadda.  "Ces Diamants-la/Look No More for Love".

Then at the end of the song (they spend the entire thing stalking around each other like a couple of dogs) they meet in the center once more, Gringoire (the man from the very first song) appears, kneels in front of them, and throws confetti on them.  This just screams Disney's Clopin, doesn't it?  Well, just you wait.  Phoebus and Fleur leave and Gringoire stands up, facing the crowd.  The stage is bathed in orange and red light and dancers come out, looking like the beggars from earlier.  Gringoire launches into a dance that only three of the dancers seem to be following, and they start in on "La Fete des Fous/The Feast of Fools".  Now my back's killing me, so I'll finish the rest of it later...

Gringoire announces that he'll preside over this Feast of Fools, and goes over the rules basically, as they roll out crowd barriers.  He explains how people should come by and give their ugliest expressions, and the one with the ugliset would win the crown.  Intermission of chanting, which supposedly people come forward and give their uggliest expressions.  In the background, in one of the hole-like areas of the Notre Dame-Wall, there's the shadow of a hunchback.  At the end of the chanting, Gringoire seats himself, asking who is hiding back there (gesturing behind him to the emerging figure of Quasimodo, dressing in brick red...something, with bright red hair, and his deformed face drawn on).  He suggests they crown him.  Then the crowd - dancers - roll out these wooden flats, leading from the bottom steps of the wall where Quasi hides, and out to the middle of the stage.  Quasi follows the make-shift path hesitantly as Gringoire declares it's the hunchbacked bellringer, and that he's the ugliest by far.  Esme runs out with confetti and a crown, while Gringoire continues on, saying Quasi is eyeing her.  She places the crown on the hunchback's head, throws the confetti, and walks away.  Gringoire says they're gonna elect him.  Then the dancers pick up ropes attached to the last wooden flat and start dragging him all over the stage while they continue chanting "La Fete des Fous!  Le Pape des Fous!"        Then they all fall to the crowd around the flat, Quasi sitting on it with the happiest puppy-dog like expression.  Slowly, the flat is raised into the air, and the next song begins ("Le Pape des Fous/ The King of Fools")  He begins to sing to those surrounding him. I'm guessing this is supposed to be representative of the parade.....but, anyhow, he tells the women that they won't mock him now, 'cause he's king of the world!!!  Or Pope of Fools.  He does a happy wave with his hands in the air.  He states that today is the Epiphany, and now he has the power of a king.  Then asks if Esme will love him (he falls in love quick).  Esme on the ground doesn't seem to notice him.  Quasi notices this, and says she doesn't care that they've made him the Pope of Fools.  Finally, he also notes that they really are still mocking him.  He condemns his parents for giving him birth and begs Esme to love him.  She still doesn't much care.  But she does look at him!  Despite being upset, Quasi still seems fairly happy.  Finally, the flat is lowered, and Quasi walks off, walks around, then seats himself again.       Just then, a man with graying hair and a priest's robe (with frills on his arm sleeves that would make him look like Eivil Knieval if only they were colored red, white, and blue) comes from the side - obviously Frollo, from earlier - and Quasi suddenly turns anxious (like a puppy dog does when he sees his master is going somewhere).  A new song starts in - "La Sorciere/The Sorceress".  Frollo fixes Quasi with a pointed finger (duh duh duh!) as he approaches the hunchback.  He then gestures at Esme in a kind of flippant, 'go away' manner, and Esme just puts her hand on her hip and glares at him.  The dancers have all dispersed to different parts of the stage now, the lighting has changed from red to regular blues.  He walks up to Quasi and rips his crown off his head, picks him up by the arm, and hurls him forward.  As Quasi stumbles, Frollo tells him to beware of Esme, 'cause she's a foreigner, sorceress, gypsy, street cat, other bad names.  As he sings, he approaches Esme, who spits at him.  This does not startle him nor interrupt his song.  However, he abruptly changes course and walks back to Quasi.  While Quasi is still cowering before him, he says that she should be locked up, to save her from destroying innocents.  They stage turns really blue at this point, and everyone has disappeared offstage, except for Frollo and Quasi.  He explains to Quasi that that night, they'll chase her into the alleys, kidnap her, put her in a tower, and teach her Christianity.  Quasi then explains as Frollo walks down the steps of the front stage that he would do anything Frollo asks, anything at all.        While Frollo circles around the front of the stage, Quasi starts into the next song "L'Enfant Trouve/The Foundling".  He begins listing all the things Frollo has done for him - basically what Frollo is to him.  The man who took him in, adopted him, fed him, who watched him grow and suffer, who protected him, named him bellringer.  Who taught him to speak, read and write.  He also explains how and why his parents abandoned him, showing what little esteem he holds for himself.  And he states that he doesn't understand Frollo's true feelings.  Whether this means he doesn't understand Frollo altogether, or he realizes there's an ulterior motive to kidnapping Esme, I dunno.  Frollo is back on the stage by this point.  Quasi crawls toward him, telling him that he belongs completely to Frollo, like a dog to a master.

Then they leave the stage.  The lights go up slight, revealing a sort of fine mesh screen, that cuts the stage in half.  Behind it is the wall-Notre-Dame, and oil barrels set aflame (think like they show bums huddling around in movies).  Men -well muscles men - walk about with crutches and nearly nude women act licentious by the buring barrels, all behind the mesh.  Gringoire appears in front of the mesh curtain, back in his trenchcoat.   A new song begins, "Les Portes de Paris/The Gates of Paris".   He tells how the gates of Paris are already closed during the night.  The song goes on about how sinful the night is. He

walks before the mesh while people behind the mesh screen continue to act licentious and crippled.  He talks about how on the Pont-au-Change (a bridge) that night, he found an angel (Esme) who smiled at him and then disappeared.  He followed her through the streets, but he lost her.  He goes on about how carnal the night is.  Basic recap.  More licentious stuff going on in the background.  Then he disappears into the darkness.       In the background, behind the mesh screen, the figure of Quasi climbs down the wall/Notre Dame.  Esme stands beside a burning barrel, warming herself.  The music of the next song, kinda spooky, starts in ("Tentative d'Enlevement/The Kidnap Attempt"). Something scares her, and she suddenly runs from it.  Quasi reaches the ground and starts after her.  Suddenly, a bunch of guys in black suits (the soldiers from earlier?) come out and seize Quasi, promptly beating him with nightclubs.  Esme backs right up into Phoebus' arms.  He tells her he's the captain in charge of security (for men *and* women  *wink, wink*)  She fights away from him, snatching up that same dagger from earlier (which she dropped for some reason) and holds it up at him threateningly.  He offers to take her out of the city where the gypsies live (both men *and* women *wink, wink*  eh....).

At this point, he's managed to take her hand, which he caresses.  Playing hard-to-get (disguised as actual independence and dislike), Esme pulls away, telling him to go away, 'cause he obviously has mistaken her for a soldier's girl (I'll explain when you're older).  She then tries to run away, but Phoebus chases after her, telling her to meet him at dusk the next day at the Val d'Amour.  She pauses at the edge of the stage, considers him for a moment, repeats the name, and then runs off.  As if her entrance suddenly inspires a surge of rel-- er, energy, the dancers all jump up, lose their crutches, move away burning barrels, and the mesh screen comes up.

The dancers start dancing around like weird freaks,  and suddenly a large steel beam is lowered from the ceiling, Clopin seated quite proudly upon it.  He no longer has his jacket, and his shirt's bared open to his pecks.  The song "Cours des Miracles/Court of Miracles" starts in.  Clopin starts by explaining that they're all brothers there, and that there is no heaven and hell where they are.  He explains that they're worms of the earth.  Then he proceeds to go over the filth that populates the Court of Miracles.  Despite being varied, they're one and the same.  They belong to neither nation nor religion.  He then makes a point of comparing colors of skin (skin color is big in this musical).  By this time, Gringoire is out on the stage, sans trenchcoat, applauding the men climbing the wall behind Clopin (....)  Clopin calls him by name, and the poet gives a flourish of a bow.  Clopin tells him he's guilty for trespassing as several vagabonds grab him and drag him toward the steal beam still floating about the stage.  They stuff him in a big bag (not joking), then hang him from a crane that lowers from the ceiling.  Clopin outlines that unless a woman will take him for a husband, he'll hang.  Now, three women supposedly reject him at this point, and on close examination, I've found three female dancers begin to swing him back and forth in his bag.  I am to assume these are the three that reject him.

All of a sudden, Esme comes on the stage, and Clopin asks her if she'll take him.  She says if he's for the taking, she'll take him.  Then he declares Gringoire's her husband, but certainly not her lover.  As Esme helps get him down from the crane and bag, the dancers continue dancing, and Clopin goes on with the rest of the song.  They both step to the background and dance and stuff....I find that amusing.  Anyhoo...at the end of the song, the crane is lifted back up, and the dancers leave the stage.

In the meantime, Esme and Gringoire make themselves comfy on a mattress left by the dancers (they use mats in order to do somersaults without killing themselves), where the next song begins "Le Mot Phoebus/The Word Phoebus."  Esme begins by asking Gringoire who he is exactly.  Gringoire explains that he is the prince of the streets of Paris.  Esme mocks him (or she does in my opinion).  Then he tells her that he's not good with women, but if she'd have him, he'd make her his muse, his lady, etc.  He holds her hand to his chest (awww).  But all she asks him is if he can tell her the meaning of the word phoebus.  Somehow, he infers it's a name (?) and asks who the heck would go by such a name.  She says it's the man for whom her heart beats.  Then he says if he remembers his Latin, it means 'sun.'  She seems awed.

She stands up and moves to the front of the stage, as Gringoire leaves, then begins the next song "Beau Comme le Soleil/Shining like the Sun" where she begins to sing Phoebus' praises.  Basically, she professes how in love she is with him, saying he's as beautiful as the sun.  Suddenly, on the other side of the stage, Fleur-de-Lys, in her gauzy pink Sunday dress, appears, singing the song, as well.  To Esme, he's a prince.  To Fleur, he's a soldier.  She talks about how she wants to get away from him, but she can't (ie, she loves him).  They then sing together, talking about how they love him so much and how he'll love them for the rest of their lives.  Now on my video, between them is projected Phoebus' humungously large head.  This frightens me...

But they leave the stage and Phoebus appears in the center of it, starting a new song "Dechire/Torn Apart."  Somewhere, some place said he says this in front of his soldiers, but unless his soldiers are muscular men dressed in tight black briefs and doing some form of gymanstic ballet....I don't see it.  He starts by singing how he's torn between two women he loves and two women who love him.  I dunno, the way it starts, it seems as if he loves them both dearly, and hates to be torn between them, but then he asks if it's his fault he's happy.  He separates them both: one for night, one for day, one for love, one for life, one for forever, one for a short time, one for heaven, one for hell, one for sweet, one for sour, one to whom he makes oaths, the other with whom he breaks them.  On and on....he finally decides...ehh, won't be too hard to handle 'em both.

The stage goes from blue to a green, orange, and red.  Try to imagine that color combo.  The song "Anarkia/Anarkia" starts.  In the background, right in front of the wall, Frollo approaches Gringoire (back in his trenchcoat) and asks what he's doing with Esme.  He explains Esme's his wife, and Frollo demands if he's touched her.  Gringoire says he'd never! and Frollo says he better not.  Then Gringoire, doing the coolest eyebrow arch, tells the priest he'd like to show him something he found written in a stone in the gallery of kings (assuming they're both in Notre Dame now).  The word Anarkia appears faintly on the wall, large enough for the audience to read.  Pierre asks what it means.  Frollo explains it's Greek for 'fatality.'  Then Gringoire starts upstage slightly, as he sees Quasi dragged on stage.  He asks if that isn't Quasi they're dragging 'down there.'  Frollo calls Quasi an idiot who got himself arrested, God knows why.

The audience is directed to the front of the stage, where Quasi is being tied to what appears to be a large hamster wheel.  Keep in mind, he's not being tied in the hamster wheel.  He's tied to the side of it ala da Vinci's Vitruvian Man.  So, anyhow, the Men in Black grab the sides of this giant wheel and start to lightly roll Quasi between them.  Unfortunately, Quasi's sentence is to be made mercilessly sea-sick.  He tries to distract himself from the gently jogging audience before him by singing "A Boire/?", where he sings for a bit of water.  I don't know about him, but I couldn't stand thinking about putting anything in my mouth after watching him see-saw for two minutes.  But Esme obliges and walks up, giving him a drink from her gourd.  Quite happily, he utters as she walks away "Belle".  And, to keep you from getting confused with another musical that features a number called Belle and revolves around the French story of a beastly man and his love, this does not have any dancing, singing French provincial villagers.  Anyhow, so the Men in Black lower Quasi to the ground (wheel and all) and untie him.  He picks himself up, launching into the song "Belle/Belle".  He sings toward an Esme who happens to be walking at the front of the stage, supposedly being oblivious to his serenade but looking more to me like she's preening.  Anyhow, in his part of the song, he talks about how pretty she is, how he wants her, how he knows it's bad, umm...how if anyone hated her, he doesn't deserve to live, etc.  Then Frollo starts in with his verse.  Basically, he sings about how she might be a demon making him evil, but he wants her anyway.  He begs Notre Dame to let him have her (as compared to Quasi begging Lucifer).  Let me note here that each of the men's verses end with something along rather sexual lines.  It seems to be more a love song about sex than anything, but.....next we have Phoebus.  He's been standing over to the side holding Fleur this whole time, but when his verse comes up, he immediately departs from her side to sing about how he really, really hopes that Esme's a virgin, and how he really hopes Fleur won't mind him cheating juuuust a little.  Anyhow, then the Men in Black who are surrounding Fleur decided to attack her for some reason, and Phoebus quickly retreats to save her.  Then they all three return to the center of the stage to surround Esme (who's...lying...on the stage for some reason) and finish up a reprise of Quasi's verse.     Now you'll have to forgive my real lack of knowledge as to what exactly occurs at this piont. This could easily be my least favorite part of the entire musical, and no matter how many times I've watched it through, I without fail tune the next two songs out.  Anyhow, I believe the first song that plays is Ma Maison C'est Ta Maison/?, which is a song from Quasi to Esme.  She's up in the cathedral, conversing with him, for..some..vague reason.  Well, whatever it is, she's there.  And they sing how they're best friends now, and everything's goody-goody, and how the gargoyles are Quasi's friends, and they can be Esme's friends, even if they scare the $#@! out of her!  Anyhow, that song eventually ends, and we're treated to a song I detest nearly as much as the previous one.  That being Ave Maria Paien.  This involves Esme looking at a point above the audience's head, supposedly addressing the Holy Virgin, or the rose window, or the lighting crew, or whatever.  It works about the same.  She sings about how she wants the Mother Mary to protect her from...cruel..men.  Thus far, the only cruelty I'd seen was Phoebus beating a lot of people toward the beginning, but Esme still seemed rather naive.  I'm just glad in the last half hour, she's become weary of the world.  Always in desperate need of a sagacious, time-worn 16-year-old heroine. Moving on from that dreadful song (I've started to develop a pet theory as to why every Esme must address the Virgin), we now get a song from Frollo, called "Tu Vas Me Detruire/?."  Actually, there's a small song before this, called...well, you got me.  "Je me sens ma vie qui bascule/?," I believe.  Anyhow, this is the introduction of "Tu Vas", where he just holds himself and talks about how vulnerable he's feeling.  Then...awesome music starts...and then...      He's dressed in his little Mr Rogers sweater - aww! - and he walks between several pillars that have been moved onto the stage.  As he walks and sings, he watches Esme, who's..apparently outside again, because she walks about, naive of him, and at point stops to bathe her leg in a prop-fountain.  But the song's not about her, so back to Frollo.  He follows her around, clutching at his heart as he sings about his lust for her.  He curses her, he talks about how lost he is, curses her some more.  Beautiful characterization of Frollo in this song.  Though I honestly think Frollo's shown to be a little too full of himself in this musical.  Anyhow, basically, he just talks about his own faults, and blames them back on Esme.  Nice touch.     I...cannot..for the life of me remember....oh, wait, yes, indeedy do.  The lights dim, then brighten (well, become less dark) again to reveal Phoebus sitting on the steps on the stage.  He looks up, then begins to sing about how curious it is that his shadow is following him ("L'Ombre/Shadow").  Behind him, on that thin mesh screen, a freaking huge shadow of a robed man appears.  Phoebus figures out it's a guy who's following, and asks what he wants.  The shadow tells him to stay away from the Val d'Amour (remember that from the first?).  Then Phoebus demands he shows himself, and the shadow concedes.  All we get to see is Phoebus shouting, "Par Dieu!"  Which is roughly translated as "By God!".  Which...doesn't tell anyone much.  Is he going, "By God, I'm utterly shocked and horrified!!" or, "By God, I was pretty damn sure that was you!"  Welp, none of the Phoebus' to this date has really given us a hint in the way of acting as to what they meant, and I don't think we'll ever know otherwise.  Continuing, the lights dim again, audience claps.    When they come up again, we're treated to one of the most flamboyant performances on the stage since La Fete des Fous.  In fact, you might even think it's La Fete -- they use the same lighting.  But, no, you'll start to notice that the women who run onto the stage are dressed in flesh-colored, skin-tight outfits, making them appear practically naked.  And the men who follow join them in a dance that could have only been choreographed by the guy who did Dirty Dancing.  Now, if this isn't giving you enough of a hint, behind these dancers is a structure that has door-like holes in it, and in these doors, you can see the silhouette of men and women dancing.  Well...they certainly don't look like they're dancing.  Let's just say I had to cut this scene off when a parent came into the room.  It's not as bad as most of the stuff you see on sitcoms nowadays, but I'm sure my dad would be curious as to what they're saying in the song.      And what are they saying?  The song "Val d'Amour" starts up, and our favorite poet, sans his trenchcoat (it's been missing for several of his songs), comes out to take up the lyrics.  He sings that there's a building on St. Denis, and it's a happy place.  Why?  Well, because when the lights go off, everyone's having a good time.  Especially since the women at Val d'Amour are pretty dang cheap.  If you're not getting it yet, Val d'Amour's a brothel.  Gringoire goes on to tell about how everyone goes here to enjoy themselves.  Gringoire then admits aloud that he's come there to drown his love-sickness (in love with Esme?  Who knows?).  At this point, Phoebus shows up and says that whenever he's down or bored, he comes here too.  But tonight, he's all for Esme.  And he makes some reference to palm-reading, which I'm just sure is filthy, somehow.  Well, if Gringoire's in love with Esme, he makes no attempt to stop this rendez-vous, because as the song leaves and the lights dim, the poet departs, as well.       Finally, a spotlight starts up, focused on a bed in the middle of the stage.  Esme is walking backwards toward it, a knife drawn.  I can't believe this girl.  She must be a complete idiot.  Twice she's pulled a knife on Phoebus, and she hasn't killed him yet.  Doesn't this say anything?                   Anyhoo, Phoebus comes up from the other side of the bed, and starts into song ("La Volupte/The Voluptuary").  He tells her how sexy she is, and how he won't let any harm come to her, how much he loves her.  You know the routine, surely.  She finally decides she's safe and abandons her knife.  You ask where?  I dunno, I never watched.  Well, she abandons it and climbs up onto the bed, singing about how finally, it was white man with gypsy woman.  A great day in the war of racism!  Or...whatever equivalent war there was back then.  She then tells him to take her if it's her destiny, and he approaches the bed, saying, well...let's see, shall we?  She calls his name, he calls hers, and above...well, behind them, actually, that mesh screen from L'Ombre appears again, and the freaking huge shadow of a robed man is cast on it as he raises a knife.  He brings this down...on...some random point behind them, but you assume he's stabbing Phoebus, because suddenly there's a bright flash of a strobe light, and Phoebus falls down.  Dead?  Who knows?      Then the lights go black and Gringoire steps out, starting into the last song of the final act ("Fatalite/Fatality").  Behind him, spotlights appear on the characters Fleur, Phoebus, Frollo, and Clopin, I think.  They all sing the chorus with him.  Anyhoo, he sings about Fate being their mistress, controlling their lives, etc.  And that's how the first act ends. To be continued...  (duh duh duh) And it is!   GO TO ACTE II SUMMARY NOW! (by Erin) Or jump directly to Acte I's lyrics

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Text and page (c) Misty Woodard 2000-2001, please don't use without permission or recognition.

These pictures are made by me, but are owned by Richard Cocciante and Luc Plammondon.  They're all used without permission  And if I knew more about copyright law, I could tell you how legal this is.  If it isn't and if you're offended, e-mail me and I'll remove them promptly.