Review: Arts Center of Cannon County's Spectacular HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME Deserves Your Attention

Passionate and captivating, The Hunchback of Notre Dame - the stage musical based on the Disney animated classic, featuring music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Peter Parnell - is given a superb production at Woodbury's Arts Center of Cannon County and discerning theater patrons in Middle Tennessee have but two performances left to experience the show under the direction of Darryl Deason and Rachel Jones.

My advice? Stop reading right now and make reservations quickly (before all the seats are claimed for the show's closing weekend), then come back and I will explain why you shouldn't miss this completely engaging version of Hunchback. Call (615) 563-2787 now.

Meanwhile, I'll wait...Happy Valentine's Day, gentle readers! What's your favorite love song from a Broadway musical? Consider that while you're waiting for someone to answer the phone.

You're back? Terrifc! I'm delighted to share my impressions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a show that left me fighting back tears and wanting more from the excellent ensemble of performers assembled on the Woodbury stage. ACCC's production had an astonishing impact on me, something I attribute to the energy of the performers that comes across the footlights and settles squarely in your heart and mind. It is, quite to the point, a spectacular production of a show that is not without its problems (the rather pondersome tale can be hard to follow, when entrusted to lesser talents), but which can impact its audience in the very same way other epic musicals can.

Every season in local community theater circle, there seems to be one title - among the thousands available to play selection committees worldwide - that every company wants to do, regardless of their talent pool or level of theatrical achievement. Clearly, the most popular show in 2017-18 is Menken and Schwartz's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the musical version of Victor Hugo's tale of the misunderstood Quasimodo, who has been secluded by his imperious (evil and misguided) uncle Claude Frollo in the bell tower of Paris' Cathedral of Notre Dame since he was a baby. Physically deformed, Quasimodo is feared and reviled by those with whom he comes into contact, save for the beautiful Esmeralda, the gypsy temptress whose kindness offers the first indication he is not a monster and is, indeed, a gentle spirit who sees the good in people despite the horrifying realities of the life he is forced to lead.

Hugo's 1831 story of Quasimodo, Esmeralda, Frollo, Phoebus De Martin and the habitues of 15th century Paris, is a beloved literary classic - as is the arguably more famous Les Miserables, which was adapted for the stage in the late 20th century and which continues to be a musical theater icon - and it enjoys tremendous popularity among regional and community theater companies. Already, multiple productions of the musical have been mounted in Middle Tennessee, with the Arts Center of Cannon County's rendition, which features a stellar cast of stage veterans and relative newcomers, clearly among the very best musicals we've seen on local stages during our long tenure of reviewing theater here.

Co-directed by Darryl Deason and Rachel Jones, Hugo's story is brought to life with a fervent understanding of what works (and perhaps more importantly, that which does not work) onstage to engage an audience in the somewhat convoluted tale. And although the source material was written during a pre-Victorian world of the early 19th century, its amazing relevance, its very prescience, is certain to grab the attention of any audience member eager to find himself transported to another time and place. Deason, Jones and their creative team have crafted a production that will immerse audiences in the social milieu of Paris, that seems not that startlingly unlike the present-day world in which we live.

Deason designs the set which provides the appropriate backdrop for the play's action, allowing his cast to move in and about the space with unfettered ease as one scene dovetails into the next, creating a cinematic flow in which contemporary audiences can lose themselves.

The cast of actors brought together to relate this intriguing tale deserve credit for effectively becoming their characters and it is their total focus and palpable sense of thorough commitment that ensures the show's impact will be immediately felt. Their herculean efforts (it's an intricate and ferocious tale of intrigue and romance unfolding onstage) seem at once to be both intimate and larger than life. And, truth be told, every person on that set (so artfully rendered by scenic artist Cody Rutledge) appears to be having the time of their lives.

David Cummings is properly dastardly and unctuous as Claude Frollo, ably depicting the man's inner turmoil that makes him at times somehow approachable and sympathetic despite his distasteful arrogance and superiority, commanding the stage with immense presence.

Peri Watson's finely tuned performance as the fiery and passionate Esmeralda is tremendously appealing and altogether watchable from her very first moment onstage to her quietly compelling demise at the show's end. She embodies Esmeralda with a fierce authenticity that ensures every eye is riveted to her stunning portrayal of the Roma beauty.

As Phoebus de Martin, Noah Brady delivers a richly hued performance, managing to walk a very fine line between the dashing hero and the amusing buffoon as his character is written. Brady sings with vigor, moves about the stage with impressive bravado and scores laughs here and there that help to lighten the mood and which reminds us all of the musical's animated background.

Other notable members of the ensemble include the always impressive Sevon Askew, a young man we've watched grow up on local stages over the years (he is the scion of a starry local theater family, actually), who scores as Clopin, the king of the gypsies. Greg Henry is well-cast as Jehan Frollo, Claude's ne'er-do-well younger brother who is Quasimodo's father (and he is given the opportunity to virtually stop the show in Act Two as Saint Aphrodisius); Elisha McFarlin is quite good as Phoebus' second-in-command; Allison Hall is terrific as an officious madam; and Kyle A. McCurry has a brief scene as King Louis XI, during which he displays superb comic timing and an alarming stage presence in the process.

In addition, the various and sundry members of the ensemble and the choir (kudos to music director Robert Hiers and choir director Allison Hall for their own talents in ensuring the score is so beautifully performed by their musicians and singers) play an assortment of roles, ranging from gypsies and monks, to soldiers and everyday Parisians. Regina Ward's choreography keeps her actors moving along with a certain style and flair, while Chelsea Toombs' wonderful puppets bring the Cathedral of Notre Dame gargoyles to charming life (thanks in large part to the talented crew of actors who breathe life into them).

Yet, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is clearly young Matthew Henry's show: At 20 years old, he delivers a starmaking turn as Quasimodo, one that seems free from any sort of stagey artifice despite his obvious command of an estimable bag of actorly tricks. Henry enters the stage and immediately seizes control, never allowing it to be wrested from him even when he is paired with the more seasoned and more experienced Cummings. Their scenes together fairly crackle with an intensity that every actor hopes to achieve at some time, while his moments with Watson's Esemeralda are sweetly conveyed, enormously moving and heartrending in their own subtle way. Henry sings the show's score with confidence and moves about the stage as if he owns it. His performance is breathtaking and his final words as Quasimodo are so powerful as to break the heart of even the most cynical person in the audience.

You owe it to yourself to take in the spectacle of The Hunchback of Notre Dame before it's packed away.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Peter Parnell. Based upon the novel by Victory Hugo. Directed by Darryl Deason and Rachel Jones. Musical direction by Robert Hiers. Choir direction by Allison Hall. Choreography by Regina Ward. Presented by Arts Center of Cannon County, Woodbury. Through February 17. For details, go to www.artscenterofcc.com. For reservations, call (615) 563-2787. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (with one 15-minute intermission).

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