Patrick Page Talks Creating 'Frollo' Onstage in 'HUNCHBACK' at La Jolla

D23 spoke with star of La Jolla Playhouse's upcoming produciton of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, Patrick Page, about why he was drawn to the project and the role of 'Frollo' and what to expect from the premiere. Scroll down for some excerpts from the interview!

On getting involved with HUNCHBACK: "I think when this came up it was just one of those things that felt right. They called me when they were doing the first in-house readings of it and they asked me if I would come and read, but I wasn't able to because I was out of town. I felt so devastated. But then finally when they were doing the lab last year, they called and asked again, and I enthusiastically said, 'Yes!' It went well, and here we are."

On the Disney movie: "I saw it when it came out, and as an actor, of course, you sort of know what you'd like to play, and I immediately felt that with the role of Frollo. First of all, there are so few roles written for a bass-baritone singer, so I immediately felt that it would be something that I would like to do one day, having no idea if ever a show would be made of it. With the film, as I said, I was very into the gothic and the macabre as a kid and so I was a big fan of the novel and of the movie with Charles Laughton; and so for me the film straddled two worlds. On one hand there are some Disney aspects to it, like the gargoyles that are Quasimodo's buddies, but on the other hand, it's quite dark-you have Frollo singing about 'Hellfire.' It was a remarkable achievement, and clearly something that wanted to move forward into another medium."

On channeling the darkness in HUNCHBACK: "What's nice about this material is it's very deep and very rich, like an oil painting where all of the details are filled in. In that way, it's very rewarding to play."

On what audiences should look for: "I think they will be excited and very moved by how much this has become a stage representation of the novel, with the extraordinary score by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. It took a step in that direction in Germany, and it's taken a further step in that direction. I think all movement in that direction is a good thing."

Page ended the interview by saying the next Disney role he'd like to play onstage would be THE JUNGLE BOOK villain 'Shere Khan'. And as we know with Page, sometimes it's good to be bad!

La Jolla Playhouse just announced a week-long extension for its U.S. premiere production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, featuring a score by the multiple Academy, Grammy and Tony Award-winning team of composer Alan Menken (Newsies, Little Shop of Horrors) and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin), book by Peter Parnell (The West Wing, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) and direction by Scott Schwartz (Playhouse's Jane Eyre, Broadway's Golda's Balcony). Produced in association with Paper Mill Playhouse, by special arrangement withDisney Theatrical Productions, The Hunchback of Notre Dame will now run October 26 - December 14, 2014 in the Playhouse's Mandell Weiss Theatre.

Based on the Victor Hugo novel and featuring the Oscar-nominated score from the 1996 Disney classic film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the only stage collaboration from two masters of the American musical theatre, composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Celebrated for such beloved and award-winning works as Menken's Newsies, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin and Schwartz's Godspell, Pippin and Wicked, their artistry reaches its zenith in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Featuring a lush, emotionally rich score, performed by a top-notch cast led by Michael Arden, Patrick Page, Ciara Renee, Andrew Samonsky and Erik Liberman 0- and featuring local choir Sacra/Profana as the on-stage chorus -- this new production from acclaimed director Scott Schwartz highlights the music's orchestral power and choral beauty in an intimate retelling of the famous love story. LibrettistPeter Parnell crafts a bold, highly-theatrical take on the moving tale of the scorned bell-ringer Quasimodo, the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda and the dashing Captain Phoebus in 15th century Paris.

The nationally-acclaimed, Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse is known for its tradition of creating some of the most exciting and adventurous new work in regional theatre. The Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck,Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, and is considered one of the most well-respected not-for-profit theatres in the country. Numerous Playhouse productions have moved to Broadway, including the currently running hit Jersey Boys, as well as Memphis, Big River, The Who's Tommy, Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, Thoroughly Modern Millie, 33 Variations, Bonnie & Clyde, Chaplin, Peter and the Starcatcher and Hands on a Hardbody Located on the UC San Diego campus, La Jolla Playhouse is made up of three primary performance spaces: the Mandell Weiss Theatre, the Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre and the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for La Jolla Playhouse, a state-of-the-art theatre complex which features the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. La Jolla Playhouse is led by Artistic Director Christopher Ashley and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride