Almost 25 years after its creation, Notre Dame of Paris about to take his first bite of the Big Apple. The musical show moves to the prestigious Lincoln Center in New York on Wednesday for 12 performances.
When passing the Journal in the rehearsal rooms of the troupe of Notre Dame of Paris, last week, the excitement was palpable. It must be said that this first meeting with the New York public had first been set for the spring of 2020. The pandemic having forced the closure of theaters, the performances of the musical show had therefore had to be postponed.
It is therefore finally Thursday evening that the work of Luc Plamondon and Richard Cocciante will make its debut on Broadway with, within its cast, a significant Quebec presence.
In addition to the regular cast of Daniel Lavoie (Frollo), Yvan Pedneault (Phœbus) and Emma Lépine (Fleur de Lys), stunt doubles Robert Marien (Frollo), Mike Lee (Clopin), Philippe Tremblay (Quasimodo) and Jaime Bono ( Esmeralda and Fleur de Lys) are currently staying in the Big Apple.
And it is in its original version (read: in the language of Molière) that the show will be presented to Americans. English surtitles will make it easier to follow the plot, inspired by the work of Victor Hugo.
“We went to London in French and it worked very well. It doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll never go back to New York in another language, but the original version… it’s the original version. It’s a tremendous attraction, regardless of the country,” emphasizes Richard Cocciante.
Different from Broadway
The host of the show – Lincoln Center – represents a symbolic choice for the team of Notre Dame of Paris. Located at the limits of Broadway, the establishment hosts a very wide range of events in addition to musicals, distinguishing it from those where the Wicked, Chicagoand others Cats of this world.
“Our approach is very different. The choreographer Martino Müller comes from contemporary dance and I from Carbone 14, so it’s very modern,” says director Gilles Maheu.
” In the musicals, the singers dance, but they could not perform this kind of choreography. I wanted to have the best singers and the best dancers,” he continues.
- Notre Dame of Paris will be presented at Lincoln Center in New York until July 24. The show will then head to New Brunswick, then Quebec.
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