Dramatic and compelling and jam-packed with equal parts spectacle and heart, The Nocturne Theatre’s The Hunchback Of Notre Dame is all this and more, though not however a kids-friendly family musical like Disney’s The Little Mermaid or Beauty And The Beast.

With nearly two-thirds of its Alan Menken-Stephen Schwartz score new to the stage show and only a few of the 1996 Disney animated feature’s central conceits making the cut (say adieu to comic-relief gargoyles Victor, Hugo, and LaVerne), this “new musical based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney film” is every bit as adult-themed as Nocturne’s recent Jekyll & Hyde.

 A back-story quite distinct from the Disney flick introduces us to Quasimodo (Thomas Adoue Polk) as the orphaned son of chief villain Claude Frollo’s (Kelby Thwaits) younger brother Jehan (Jordan Iosua Taylor) and his Romani lover Florika (Liana Rose Veratudela).

Hunchback The Musical does follow the movie as regards the sultry Esmeralda (Kylie Grogan), introducing us to the seductress during Quasimodo’s excursion to the annual Festival Of Fools, where our hunchbacked hero also makes the acquaintance of Captain Phoebus (Troy Dailey) and soon finds himself competing with the dashing soldier for Esmeralda’s affection.

Meanwhile, Frolo’s lust for the gypsy temptress not only smolders, it ranks tops among reasons for parents of preteens to hire a babysitter before heading off for a night at the theater.

Menken/Schwartz fans can rejoice that almost all of the film’s original songs remain including “Out There,” “Somewhere,” and “God Help The Outcasts” (though not the campy “A Guy Like You”) and a number of the musical’s new songs prove memorable as well.

As for Peter Parnell’s book, it’s hard not to be gripped by this centuries-old underdog tale, whether witnessing Quasimodo’s public humiliation at the hands of an intolerant populace or seeing Esmeralda and her fellow Romani demonized as sub-human. In other words, this is one musical likely to resonate with anyone who’s ever felt victimized by fear-induced prejudice.

Recently named L.A.’s Best Theater In The Round, The Nocturne keeps getting better and better with each new production, a grand total of six in the space of just eight months, every single one of them directed by Justin Meyer, who once again proves himself a master at arena theater staging, ensuring that no matter which of the four sides of the stage you find yourself seated on, you won’t feel shortchanged.

 Choreographers Ernie Peiffer and Melissa Meyer and assistant choreographer Madison Mi Hwa Oliver dazzle in production number after production number, most especially in the exuberant “Topsy-Turvy” and the seductive, belly-dance-packed “Rhythm Of The Tambourine.”

Nocturne returnee Polk has found the role of a lifetime in Quasimodo and he soars with it, heartachingly vulnerable but with so much strength, integrity, and inner beauty that it’s no wonder Quasi wins Esmeralda’s heart, albeit not in the way it pounds for Dailey’s swashbucklingly handsome, silver-throated Phoebus.

Longtime Glendale Centre Theatre favorite Thwaits goes villainous to commanding, basso-voided effect as the sex-starved, Esmeralda-obsessed Frollo, with Nocturne Theatre newbie Grogan making for the most radiant of raven-tressed leading ladies, her exquisite “Someday” reaching the heavens above Notre Dame.

Brayden Hade completes the cast of principals to engaging effect as narrator Clopin (somehow the only character with a French accent), and recent Breakout Featured Performance Scenie winner Veratudela and a gym-ripped Taylor do standout work early on as Florika and Jehan before joining the ensemble once the doomed lovers have met their fate.

 Jack Bernaz (Father Dupin, Gargoyle), Cassandra Caruso (Madam, Gargoyle), David Gallic (King Louis XI, Statue), Bedjou Jean (Soldier, Gargoyle), Danielle Johnson (Demon, Romani), Nolan Monsibay (Saint Aphrodisius), Wes Morrow (Lt. Frederic), dance captain Oliver (Demon, Romani), Samantha Rose (Reveler, Gargoyle), and Jewell Valentin (Demon, Romani) reveal triple-threat talents in a variety of roles and costumes strikingly designed by Tanya Cyr, with special snaps for the Gargoyles’ masks and garb.

Music director Monsibay earns bonus points for the cast’s pitch-perfect vocal harmonies sweetened by The Hunchback of Notre Dame Choir, recorded live by the cast, and for the most part Matt Merline’s audio design keeps prerecorded tracks from overpowering live vocal solos.

Jay Michael Roberts’ impressive work as scenic designer (the stained-glass-window floor is an inspired touch) is complemented by Eric March’s dramatic, saturated lighting design (his most effective so far with faces no lover consigned to the shadows) and the effects March achieves in “Hellfire” will have you believing you’ve descended deep down into Hades along with Frollo.

Micah Delhauer is stage manager.

 Local audiences had ample reason to fear for the future of live musical theater in The Jewel City when the much loved Glendale Centre Theatre failed to survive the pandemic.

Now, only a few years later, those same audiences can rejoice in its rebirth as The Nocturne Theatre, with power couple Justin and Melissa Meyer quickly establishing themselves and their rechristened venue as forces to be reckoned with in the SoCal musical theater scene.

 A mere eight months and a whopping six shows in a row since Madame Scrooge started things off with a great big holiday bang, The Nocturne Theatre once again hits the entertainment bullseye with The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Just make sure to leave the grade-schoolers at home this time.

The Nocturne Theatre, 324 N. Orange St., Glendale.
www.TheNocturneTheatre.com

–Steven Stanley
August 9, 2024
Photos: The Nocturne Theatre

Tags: Alan Menken, Los Angeles Theater Review, Stephen Schwartz, The Nocturne Theatre