Today's Riedel: Disney planning to bring THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME to the U.S.

[CapnHook]

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/ghost_stuck_on_the_roof_dt56nTFPYfc9LixVPOGGCK

Menken and Schwartz are working on it with Pete Parnell.

FINALLY.

[ucjrdude902]

Now this has flop written all over it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Ugh

[TheatreKid3]

YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. I really do think this could be the show that wins Disney its next Tony Award for Best Musical. It could seriously be their "Les Mis," in my opinion.

[Jordan Catalano]

Yes, it's the kind of lighthearted fare parents will line up to spend $130 a ticket on for themselves and their children since it's one of Disney's most well loved and successful films with characters and songs that children have loved for years!

Oh, wait. It's none of those things.

[TheatreKid3]

That doesn't matter. Disney can do shows outside of their HIT canon and still produce great works. Just look at AIDA. If the show is good enough, it will find its audience. Not to mention the music is some of Alan Menken's best work and one of the most beautiful scores of any Disney film.

[Jordan Catalano]

Yes, but that wasn't aimed at children. A musical based on their animated films will be targeted to children and families. Like TARZAN.

[JohnyBroadway]

I still can't wrap my head around on why Tarzan was produced over Mulan, Hunchback, Hercules, and even Aladdin. Was it a vanity project for Collins?

[KirbyCat]

SWEET BABY JESUS. FINALLY!
I am beyond excited to see this finally happen.
I agree that this is Menken's strongest score as well. Truly haunting and moving.

[Jordan Catalano]

Disney needs something like SNOW WHITE, CINDERELLA, SLEEPING BEAUTY, a completely revamped ALADDIN etc. They need something "magical" like BEAUTY & THE BEAST again and this one ain't gonna do it. When people go to a Disney musical they want something big, colorful, "magical" and Disney seems to be doing everything in their power to keep from giving that to audiences.

There's a lot of theater lovers that would love to see this HUNCHBACK on stage and I guess I'd be curious about it but I swear I can't even begin to imagine what a huge financial flop this would be, for soooo many different reasons.

[KirbyCat]

Honestly, I understand where you're coming from Jordan. That said, this could be the show that saves Disney after Tarzan and Mermaid. Hunchback has such potential to be a real piece of art. Massive scale, lush orchestra, beautiful story. I would give anything to hear that score played live.

[HenryTDobson]

But... Hercules would be so much better! (but also would probably be a financial disaster...)

[Visceral_Fella]

Jordan, I agree Sleeping Beauty needs to be done. So much potential for the movie if it were to become a Broadway musical.

[Jordan Catalano]

Visually it's the most intriguing one and also has every element needed to make a truly spectacular BROADWAY show. The fact that they've never even mentioned it being done is mind boggling.

[Scarywarhol]

Best Disney score ever, bar none.

And you know I mean it. I think Howard Ashman was their greatest talent, and he wasn't even involved.

[rhdery]

Given the success of Newsies it's pretty obvious the box office done by the film doesn't much matter. But the marketing needs to be about the female protagonist more so than bell boy. It might be just the time for some Francophilia with Les Mis doing so well in theaters.

[rosscoe(au)]

Yes, yes , yes.

Best news ever.

[ILOHTFAHA (Aida Man)]

YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's about time! Hunchback should totally be on Broadway

Dream Cast:
Quasimodo-AN UNKNOWN
Frollo-Brian Stokes Mitchell
Esmeralda-Jackie Burns
Pheobus-Ryan Silverman
Colpin-Francis Jue

AND..
Besides Hunchback if a Disney movie were to become a Broadway show, I would love see "Sleeping Beauty" onstage with a few story changes.

[Phillytheatreguy10]

FINALLY! This movie has an amazing score and music! Hope this pans out!

[EponineAmneris]

This news makes me as happy as the closing of MARY POPPINS made me sad

[showchoirguy]

Does anyone else picture Jeremy Jordan starring in Hercules or is it just me?

[Borstalboy]

More children's theater for Broadway.

The best I can manage is a mild goo-goo and one suck on my pacifier.

[GatorNY]

I was just watching some clips on youtube. Frollo looks like Maleficent in male drag, and Quasimodo holds Esmeralda up over his head like baby Simba after she gets burned at the stake.

As a stage musical though, I think that the themes of racism and sexual abuse by the catholic clergy are some of the most challenging and important topics to tackle. I wonder if they'll be able to do so without coming across "trying too hard."

[bdn223]

There are several issues in staging the Original Disney Classics (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White). First and foremost is that unlike the Disney Renaissance films (Mermaid, Beast, Lion King) they have maybe one or two songs, basically meaning a completely new score must be written. Second is that the films were not as theatrical as the Reinasance films, which we're written for the most part as if they were stage musicals. Third is there is way too much deus ex machina in them to leave a modern theatrical audience happy. Adding off that point the characters are extremely dated and one dimensional. The only Disney classics that would make sense to stage is Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. Peter Pan is already a well known Broadway classic so Disney's Peter Pan would basically be a slap in the face of Broadway History. Disney is staging Alice, but Tim Burton's version, likly due to as scene from Wildhorn's Wonderland, there are way too many charters to include, so focusing on just Alice, the Queen of Hearts, The White Queen, and the Mad Hatter makes a ton more sense.

[little_sally]

I can see them completely sugarcoating this show, which I think will probably cause it to suffer in the long run. No way Disney will put something that dark on Broadway.

On a personal note, I was actually pretty frightened by Hunchback when I was younger, which caused me to always kind of hate it. I do not want to see it on Broadway.

[finebydesign]

"That said, this could be the show that saves Disney after Tarzan and Mermaid. "

Saves Disney from what? Disney just had a hit with Newsies and Peter and the Star Catchers was as close as the Lion King Disney will ever get to "art."

Unless Aladdin is completely revamped (cutting all the cut/new songs) a stronger book, it's gonna be the same dreck as all their other flops. Those Ashman songs are cute but slapped together did not jive in that new production.

Hunchback is a neat project, but who would see it really? Stephen Schwartz certainly has some celebrity with Wicked, but I don't see any new angles for selling that monster.