ThrowBook Thursday: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Here's a little background for today's post. I recently started listening to the soundtrack from The Greatest Showman (despite not having seen the film) and the music rekindled an old, oft-buried desire of mine: to write a musical. By way of research, I started looking into my favorite musicals (again) as well as those of my friends who were quick to suggest shows they loved. One of those musicals was the stage version of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Despite trying to listen to other musicals as well, I've been in a bit of a loop listening to this production in the last few weeks. Between this and listening to The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies, I'm feeling a serious Beauty and the Beast reading/rereading marathon building. But that's beside the point.

I want to talk about why I loved reading Hunchback and why I love the musical.

The Novel

I will admit that for years I was more familiar with Disney's adaptation than with Victor Hugo's story (though the Wishbone episode devoted to the book helped). Even now, the music from the movie is too strongly tied to the story for me to completely put it aside. But the novel is worth reading, especially if the doorstop size of Les Miserables scares you (it took me 2 years to finish, so I don't blame you if it intimidates you). Hugo's penchant for historical and social commentary gets to shine here as well, though his cast is less developed and nuanced than in Les Mis.

The most interesting difference between the novel and the Disney film (for me) was the characterization of Claude Frollo. (I specify Claude because, if you aren't familiar with the book, he has a younger brother Jehan who comes into the story at a few key points.) Frollo is not presented as an out and out villain. He is still an antagonist and drives much of the conflict, but Hugo shows us the reasons for his antagonism, and they extend well beyond the simple bigotry of Disney's chilling characterization. Much of his mistreatment of Quasimodo stems from his disappointment in his brother Jehan (who does not share Claude's studious nature) and in the apparent loss of Quasimodo's ability to be a scholar when his task as bellringer results in his going deaf.

The other main characters (Esmeralda and Phoebus) differ from their usual presentations as well. Phoebus is entirely unsympathetic (most of the versions I've seen try to make him at least a moderately good love interest for Esmeralda), ultimately choosing to allow Esmeralda to die for his murder (yeah, he survived; nobody cared) rather than speak up and save her. (This is after he wooed her purely to get her in bed. A real pillar of society, that Phoebus. /sarcasm) Honestly, I prefer Disney's version as a person, though Hugo's characterization definitely heightens the tragedy of the book.

Esmeralda is still the central object of the three male main characters, but she's less a paragon of kindness and hope in the novel than she is someone simply trying to survive each day. She's also sixteen, much younger than most adaptations cast her. Her kindness to Quasimodo in giving him water when he's publicly punished (for kidnapping her on Frollo's orders) only extends that far; she finds his touch disgusting. Later in the novel, she shows a harsh lack of charity when she is confronted by a hermitess (who the author reveals to be her birth mother).

Speaking of Esmeralda's birth mother, there is a subplot or sorts in the novel surrounding Quasimodo's and Esmeralda's origins. Unlike the Disney prologue, Hugo's story reveals that Quasimodo's Romani parents stole Esmeralda from her cradle, leaving Quasimodo behind in exchange (changelings, anyone?). Esmeralda's mother, heartbroken by the loss of her daughter and disgusted by the substitute child, further abandons Quasimodo at Notre Dame. It's a convergence of personal histories that in the hands of someone like Dickens would be resolved with realization and reunion for the characters involved; Hugo doesn't do that. Esmeralda and Quasimodo die without knowing their shared history, and Esmeralda's mother only understands she's found her lost daughter as she loses her again. (Did I mention it's a tragic book?)

Still, for all the book's darker take on humanity, it's worth the read for the skill with which Hugo looks at human nature.

The Musical

When I heard that Disney's Hunchback was getting the stage musical treatment, I was ecstatic because Disney's theatrical productions tend to be skillful and memorable. Hunchback is no exception (though sadly it didn't make it to Broadway; still, there's a cast recording). The musical adapts the film while incorporating more elements and themes from the book, and the new songs add some of the best moments in the musical.

First, let me talk about some of the differences between the musical and the film. First, the prologue is a weird blend of the book and the movie. Jehan (Frollo's brother from the novel) is included, though it's only to demonstrate his differences from Frollo and to father Quasimodo. When he dies, Jehan leaves Quasimodo in Frollo's care. I like this version of the backstory for Frollo and Quasi because it makes his responsibility to Quasi much greater (and thus, the betrayal of that responsibility all the greater). It also ties Quasi to Jehan's death (in the book, Quasi kills Jehan when he tries to infiltrate the cathedral where Esmeralda is hiding), which is a nice thematic touch. Phoebus and Esmeralda keep much of their characterization from the film, though Frollo's character is a blend of film and novel. After the prologue, the plot continues along the same lines as the film, with the main exception being the ending, which matches the novel's for the most part. (Phoebus lives, but here he mourns Esmeralda rather than betraying her; Frollo and Esmeralda die, and Quasi dies of brokenheartedness holding her body.)

The new songs for the musical include a couple of introductory songs for Phoebus and Esmeralda ("Rest and Recreation" and "The Rhythm of the Tambourine") which are melded into the "Topsy Turvy" sequence from the film. Then there's "Top of the World," a song Esmeralda sings when she visits Quasi at the top of the cathedral. "Esmeralda" serves as an Act I finale, "In a Place of Miracles" is a love song for Esmeralda and Phoebus that includes a sad reprise of Quasi's "Heaven's Light," and "Made of Stone" is Quasi's dark night of the soul. In addition, "The Bells of Notre Dame" gets multiple reprises throughout the show, often carrying plot information, and "Someday" (the credits song from the film) is inserted as a duet between Esmeralda and Phoebus before her public execution.

A few songs from the production are left out of the cast recording, including a thematic Frollo song "Sanctuary" (that immediately precedes "Out There") and its late reprise (which adapts a scene from the novel in which Frollo offers to save Esmeralda if she'll be his; needless to say, she refuses). There are also reprises of "Esmeralda" and "Rest and Recreation" from the second act that are left behind. Of these, only "Sanctuary" and its late reprise are significant losses to the album; the initial version introduces Frollo's vendetta against the Romani (also mentioned in early songs) and has Quasi telling Frollo he is "very strong" -- a line that returns in the finale. Without the introduction of this line early on, its use in the finale feels like a payoff that was never set up.

I'm already running long, so I'll say two more quick things. First, the musical replaces the movie's gargoyles with a chorus of saints whose statues decorate the church. They serve as Quasi's conscience and inner thoughts, and often sing in his place when he's with other people. It's a brilliant conceit that works to great effect, especially in "Made of Stone," where one line ("We just thought you were made of something stronger.") is used for a greater emotional bang than in the movie. Second, the lyrical brilliance of Stephen Schwartz is evident in his expansions here. One notable example of this is the use of Notre Dame in its full religious sense (it's French for "Our Lady" and a reference to the Virgin Mary, something that gets lost in the film), especially in the opening number where the phrases "by the grace of Notre Dame" and "be thanks to Notre Dame" expand the audience's understanding of the name beyond the cathedral.

If you want to give the soundtrack for the musical a listen, you can check it out below:

You can also watch the full show here:

Do you enjoy the story of Hunchback? What do you think of the musical? Let me know in the comments!