Act Two
Oh look! The troupe is back from the coffee break, ready to... do whatever it is that they do. Act II begins, with the return of those little rose-window spotlights. Standing in them this time are Gringoire and Frollo, who start into the first song, "Florence/Tell Me Of Florence." "Hey Pierre. What's up with Florence, and all this nutty Renaissance stuff?" "I know! It's crazy, isn't it?" Okay, that's not a literal translation. I'm just having some sort goofy sugar high. Basically, the boys discuss the changing times, what with those newfangled printing presses and whatnot. Ships have begun to sail the seas, things will never be the same, and man will end up destroying God. This will destroy that.... this will destroy that... did they mention this will destroy that? Well, it will!
Gringoire and Frollo hang around for the next song, as they notice the bells of Notre-Dame haven't been ringing for three days straight! ...It took them this long to realize it? Anyway, they discuss poor Quasimodo. He's sad, he's in love, and he's pissed! Well, maybe not... he's unhappy anyway, because he doesn't know where Esmeralda has gone. Meanwhile, several large bells are lowered from above, with humans riding them. Let's call them the "bell pushers." As the bells arrive, Frollo and Gringoire exit, and Quasi enters. Hmm, a bunch of bells... can you guess what the next song is called? You guessed it! "Les Cloches/The Bells"! Quasi goes on to serenade his iron ladies (the bells, you silly), singing for all the things they represent: birth, death, etc. He introduces his favorite bells, the three Maries. The biggest Marie makes him sad, because it rings for those darned newlyweds, and he knows he'll never be one of them... drat! Anywho, ring, bells! Ring! Tell the world Quasimodo loves Esmeralda, in that... bell language of yours! Umm... yeah. At this point, the 'human bell pushers' do their job, moving the bells back and forth to make them 'ring.' Yet another fade to black.
Bye-bye, bells and Quasi... hello, Gringoire, Frollo, and Clopin, who decide to sit on the steps at the front of the stage and look pitiful. Frollo asks Gringoire where the poet's wife (Esme, of course) has run off to. In essence, Gringoire says, "Heck if I know. I'm just a poet, you're a priest. None of our beeswax." Where is she? Hey! Song title! "Ou est-elle?/Where Is She?" Frollo points out that the streets of Paris are pretty dull without her. Gringoire gives Frollo some sort of suspicious look and says that maybe she's in a tall tower somewhere, where she can't harm certain people with her so-called sorcery. Guilt trip for Frollo? I think so. Frollo asks Gringoire exactly what he means by that (little whippersnapper!), and tells him to stop avoiding the question. Clopin joins in, asking where his queen of the Court of Miracles has gone. Gringoire chimes in, saying she's a bird whose wings have been clipped (nice metaphor, poet!). He then whispers -not loud enough for Frollo, but loud enough for Clopin and a large audience to hear- that Esme is in a certain prison (La Santé), and is on trial to hang. At this point, he puts his hand to his throat, making a little choking gesture that I find all too amusing. Clopin (having heard quite enough!), gives Gringoire an I'll-take-care-of-it sort of nod. Now, all three of them ask where she is ('their' Esmeralda. Awwww...), once again using that fabulous bird metaphor. Fadey, fadey...
Picture a huge set of bars, representing a prison. These giant bars have a slanting effect that I find very interesting (but then... I'm weird). Behind them is poor Esmeralda, looking pathetic. She is now wearing a very plain, white dress. You can't wear pretty clothes in prison! She's leaning against the bars, both hands grasping them. Don't worry that the bars are far enough apart that she could easily squeeze through them and escape... it's just a symbol! So begins the next song, "Les oiseaux qu'on on met en cage/The Birds They Put in Cages". Insert more trite metaphors here. She asks where her Quasimodo is. He's supposed to save her! Talk about your damsels in distress... Anyway, as she wonders where Quasi is, here comes Quasi himself! No, he's not really there. He's back at the cathedral, talking to a gargoyle... but for the purpose of the scene, the gargoyle is rolling across the front of the stage on a pedestal, and Quasi is riding along with it. He asks where his Esmeralda is (look behind you, Quasi! Just turn around!!). Has she gone on a trip with her handsome captain? Is she hiding? Is she dead? He just doesn't know. They now sing together (God help me, but "Somewhere Out There" from An American Tail comes to mind... kill me), recalling the day that they became friends for life. Last verse, same as the first! Quasi rolls along his not-so-merry way, and Esme goes off to do... prison things?
The Gypsies appear in front of the giant bars, dressed in what looks like white jogging suits with hoods. I can't say I understand why they are dressed this way, but at this point, I'm beyond any clear thought. Maybe it's their special break-into-the-prison ensemble. Clopin accompanies them, singing "Condamnes/Cast Away," which, to me, is one of the more redundant songs in the musical. All the terrible things that his people are subjected to: accused, exiled, deported, bad stuff, bad stuff... During the course of this song, the Gypsies do a funky dance that sort of creeps me out. I'm not sure I want to talk about that... so, moving on! Look out, Gypsies! Here come the Men in Black, ready to bust some aliens! Ha ha... ha... little joke there... very little. Ahem. All the Gypsies are captured and taken off stage. I guess their wardrobe wasn't that effective after all.
While we weren't looking, Esme was transferred to a much smaller "cell" made of... chicken wire? She should have slipped through the big bars when she had a chance. Nevertheless, Frollo and a few of the Men in Black arrive ("Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"). "Le proces/The Trial" begins as Frollo questions Esme. "I didn't do it! It was a crazy priest guy that's stalking me! Hey... you look kind of familiar". Frollo says she's imagining things, and that she is accused of wounding Captain Phoebus. Esme catches this word and concludes that Phoebus may still be alive, and begs to see him. Frollo, of course, isn't going to let that happen. Just to show how bitter he is about it, he announces that it's torture time!
"La Torture/The Torture" begins. The Men in Black rig Esme up on a stretching device... or maybe it just a foot smusher... at any rate, it's a torture device. Let's assume that the thing hurts like a son of a gun. She confesses only that she loves Phoebus. This, apparently, is the same as an attempted murder confession, and Frollo tells the men to untie her. Frollo announces that she is guilty of all charges; witchcraft, prostitution and harassment of the Captain, etc., etc., and that she will be taken to Place de Grève to be hanged (at her earliest convenience? Why not? Let's say tomorrow at dawn). Frollo and his evil henchmen disappear.
Esmeralda is left alone, to sing "Phoebus/Phoebus If You Can Hear". Frankly, it makes me want to hit her over the head repeatedly with a blunt object. I know she's naive, but I can't help myself. Anyway, she sings of her Phoebus. She asks him, if he isn't dead, to tell them she didn't kill him. It's pretty obvious that this isn't the issue anymore, but she doesn't get that yet. She wishes for him to come and rescue her, so they can escape to the hills of Andalusia. The song ends, and she curls into a fetal position in her little cage.
Frollo reenters nearby and sings another song of his despair, "Être prêtre et aimer une femme/I Am a Priest". It's somewhat similar to his song from the previous act. He's suffering, he's conflicted, he's going to burn in Hell, and so on. He seems to be okay with it though, as he admits a Hell with her would be his paradise. Oh, the torment. Exit Frollo.
Now, if I recall, Esmeralda's still sitting there in her cage, but just for symbolic purposes. I would think that if she saw Phoebus coming on stage, as he does, it would cause some sort of reaction... but I digress. The mesh from the previous act comes down again, and at either end of it are Phoebus and Fleur. Standing between them are three girls from the Val d'Amour scene. Phoebus is sort of glancing from Fleur to Esmeralda (inner conflict, I would think). Fleur looks like she's ready to spit nails, and sings "La Monture/My Heart If You'll Swear". She tells him that she once thought he was noble and wonderful. Now she sees that he is an animal, that may not have a heart beating under his armor. However, she'll let everything slide if he swears Esmeralda will hang, and that he'll never do anything like this again. Do you get the feeling that this isn't going to be a happy marriage? Me too.
It's now Phoebus's turn to grovel and beg for forgiveness ("Je Reviens Vers Toi/To Get Back to You"). He tells Fleur that he was bewitched, and it wasn't his fault (ha!), and that the Gypsy is condemned to die. He says he'll never ever do it again! As he sings all this, he moves along the line of ladies standing between them. Instead of keeping his hands to himself, like he should, be brushes up against or touches each of them on his way back to Fleur. I'm thinking he probably will do it again, he just won't get caught... but I could be wrong. The ladies depart. He finally gets to Fleur and kneels in front of her, putting his hands around her waist. He swears that Fleur is still the only one he wants. Blah blah blah... The two "love birds" leave.
We're taken back to Esme, waiting in her cage. Frollo returns to visit her, hence the title of the next song, "Visite de Frollo a Esmeralda/Frollo's Visit to Esmeralda". He is there to prepare her for her death (or so he says...). Esme does some more pleading, and he dismisses it. She asks him what she did to make him hate her. He replies that it's not hate, but that he loves her. "Je t'aime!!". His loud confession causes Esme to cringe and covers her ears. Now she asks what she did to make him love her. Why ask why? Anyway, Frollo goes straight into the next song, "Un matin tu dansais/One Bright Morning You Danced." He tells her how he saw her dancing in the sun one day, and that he's been screwed up ever since. I know I'd be flattered. Esme tries tuning him out (think happy thoughts!), speaking of her darling Phoebus. She then glares at Frollo, telling him that she isn't afraid of him, and she would kill him with her own hands if she could. Frollo then presents an offer to spare her life if she'll be his. The gallows or his bed. Life or death! Esme huddles in the corner of her cage and tells him to go away... repeatedly. Instead of going away, he opens the door of the cell and... latches onto her like a tick (where's that self-defense she mentioned before? Wuss).
Just in the nick of time, Clopin comes from behind and knocks Frollo over the head. Esmeralda gets out. How does this happen? Why, our hero Quasi, of course! He has freed all the Gypsies from the prison. How did he do it? ...I can't say that I know. Who cares? It's cool! Quasi seems rather proud of himself as he starts off the next song, "Liberes/Free Today". He proclaims that he's set them all free, they've escape, they've rebelled, etc. Clopin and the Gypsies join in, repeating the same thing, and then Esmeralda. Pierre... somehow got in there too, and says they demand asylum! I like how they all join together and sing ("We're mad as Hell, and we're not going to take it anymore!"). All the Gypsies and Quasi leave the stage, and the lights fade.
Everything is now dark except for a rose-window spot light, where Pierre stands, and a light above in the shape of the moon. Here comes a very pretty song ("Lune/Moon")! Pierre sings about the solitary planet that looks over the city of Paris. He relates to it the sadness of Quasimodo's deadly love. The tune has a sort of mournful element to it. He asks the moon to shed light on his pen, so that he can tell the story of how a man can love. This song is one of my personal favorites! So there! Faaaaade.
We find Quasimodo and Esmeralda in one of the holes in the wall (the cathedral). He gives her a whistle to blow in case she needs him ("Je te laisse un sifflet/This Small Whistle I Leave You"). Esmeralda falls asleep in the middle of his sentence. Short attention span? Could be. He says how beautiful she is when she sleeps, and assumes that she's dreaming of her sun, Phoebus. He climbs down the wall of Notre-Dame and moves center stage. Here he sings "Dieu que le monde est injuste/God You Made This World All Wrong." Esmeralda prefers a handsome soldier, who can do no wrong in her eyes, instead of him, a man who loves her more than anything. He asks if God has always preferred the Three Kings to the poor shepherds, and so on. He wonders how someone so beautiful could ever love a monster (Yet another Beauty and the Beast similarity!). It's another sad song. Come to think of it, a good part of this act is the same way... why did I end up with the depressing act?! ...Oh well! Quasi leaves the stage.
One of the large pillars has been moved in front of the 'window' Esmeralda is lying in. She now wakes up and stands, going right into the next tune, "Vivre/Live For the One I Love." As she steps onto the pillar, she sings of how she doesn't want to die before she has had a chance to love. She wishes that the world could be different. People should be free to live and love as they choose. Despite not wanting to die, she would be willing to give her life to change the course of history. As the song continues, the pillar is moved towards the front of the stage. Once it ends, the lights fade. Sure the song is trite, but it has a nice message, don't you think? If you don't... tough. I'm writing this synopsis!
When the lights come up again, Clopin is in one of the windows of Notre-Dame, calling for the right sanctuary ("L'attaque de Notre-Dame/Attack on Notre-Dame"). Refugees and Men in Black are scuffling below. The MiB are using those metal crowd barriers from the Feast of Fools to try and round up the Gypsies. Phoebus appears on one side of the stage. Frollo comes in on the other, giving the Captain and his soldiers permission to break the right of asylum, and they start singing "out with the refugees!" as Clopin and the rest continue to call out "asylum!". Clopin reprises "Les Sans-Papiers" (Foreigners, men and women without homes, etc.). This goes on for sometime until Clopin comes out of the cathedral to defend his people. A few Men in Black jump on him and beat him down. Esmeralda comes out and runs to his side. He says that he is dying. He tells her that she must carry on, and proudly proclaim who she is, for him. I tell you what, folks. This is one heck of a death performance. We're talking dramatic here; reaching, gasping, choking, you name it. Anyway, Clopin dies. Esmeralda gets to her feet, slowly walking towards the front of the stage. Along with the Refugees, she continues where Clopin had left off, with the words from "Les Sans-Papiers". Pierre joins in, saying they are a thousand or more, and soon they'll be millions, knocking on the city gates. Phoebus and the soldiers resume their chant. As the song ends, the MiB have the Gypsies rounded up, and Esmeralda has gone back to mourn over Clopin's body.
A couple of soldiers grab Esmeralda and pull her aside as Phoebus announces that the refugees will be exiled, expelled, deported, etc. ("Déportés/By Royal Law"). The MiB shove the Gypsies off-stage to the right as a large platform is moved in from the left. Esmeralda is dragged onto it, where a noose is lowered from above and placed around her neck (dun dun dun!).
Frollo is in a portal of the cathedral, looking on. Quasimodo scales the wall near Frollo, and tries to persuade him to stop the hanging ("Mon maitre, mon sauveur/My Master My Saviour"). He knows Frollo has a heart that can love. Frollo tells Quasi that he also has a heart that can kill, and that it was he who handed Esmeralda to her executioners because she would not be his. Quasi, of course, is shocked. Frollo then directs his attention to the gallows, laughing a sinister laugh, as Esmeralda hangs. Quasi shouts, "Frollo!" and jumps at him. There is a bright flash of light (much like the one from the end of the first act), and Frollo is shown falling from window to window down the steps until her appears at the bottom, dead.
Quasimodo scales down the wall, running towards Esmeralda, who is now lying near the front of the stage (they sure untied her quick!). A few of the Men in Black attempt to hold Quasi back as he shouts for them to give her to him ("Donnez-la moi/Give Her to Me"). She belongs to him. The soldiers don't put up much of a fight, and they leave the stage.
Quasimodo goes to Esmeralda. As he hovers over her body, he begins the final song, "Danse mon Esmeralda/Dance My Esmeralda." He tells the audience that in times to come, buried together, they will find two bodies entwined, to show the Universe how much Quasimodo loved Esmeralda. He then begs Esmeralda to dance and sing one last time for him. To die for love is not death. I get weepy just thinking about this song! As Quasimodo sings, several Men in Black carry out dead bodies of a few of the refugees. Hooks are lowered from the ceiling, on which they hang the bodies. The Men in Black decide to let the bodies swing a little (ewwww). At the song's finale, the bodies seem to come to life, as they are lifted into the air. This is probably to represent their souls, floating off to Heaven. Upon the final words of the song, Quasi collapses with Esmeralda, and the stage goes dark.
Now for the ovations! What can I say? They bow... they bow.... they bow some more! A herd of groupies gather at the foot of the stage to encourage them. It's amazing how tall Garou (Quasimodo) is when he isn't hunched over. Wow! Yep, still bowing... After this looooong series of bows, Bruno Pelletier (Pierre) steps forward and begins an encore of "Les temps des Cathédrales." Soon, his costars join in, as well as the dancers. I think it's pretty cool, personally. And the crowd goes wild!
That's it! I hope you enjoyed this little synopsis... and if you didn't, I warned you! Despite the fun I've poked at it, the French version of the Notre-Dame de Paris musical is easily one of my favorite adaptations (if not THE favorite), and I'd like to personally thank the maintainer of this site for helping me realize my addiction! You've been a great audience, folks! Goodnight.
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