The Munster Theatre Company of Munster High School is pleased to present its winter production of the Craig W. Stump’s stage adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel, Hunchback of Notre Dame. Produced by Larry A Brechner and Carol Lynn Brechner, this full-length, student-directed production will feature co-directors Allison Hemingway and Hayley Kwasneiwski, and Assistant Director Thomas Speranza.
Two narrators, Soufflé (Rohan Chatterjee) and his hyperactive younger sister, Cheese (Claire LeMonnier), relate this adaptation of Victor Hugo's French literary classic.
Quasimodo (Trey DeLuna), a deformed but lovable man, has spent his entire life within the walls of the cathedral of Notre Dame. With some urging from two zany nuns (Alex Raycroft & Taylor Merkel), he attends the Festival of Fools. Though he is crowned the King of Fools (the ugliest person at the festival), his guardian, Archdeacon Frollo (Billy McDunn), is enormously displeased with Quasimodo. Frollo forbids Quasimodo to leave Notre Dame again. Also at the festival are La Esmeralda (Anna Bilse), the gypsy queen, Clopin Trouillefou (Jonathan Neeley) the court jester, and Pierre Gringoire (Ethan Courtney), a playwright. Frollo is taken by La Esmeralda's beauty and determines to have her, sending the guards after the gypsy queen to capture her. Both Quasimodo and Gringoire attempt to save La Esmeralda, resulting in Quasimodo's two-day punishment in the town square without food or water and Gringoire's narrow escape from hanging by the peasants' Court of Miracles. La Esmeralda helps them both, giving Quasimodo water and saving Gringoire from hanging by marrying him. Frollo, desperately jealous, stabs Gringoire and frames La Esmeralda. Though La Esmeralda is sentenced to death, Quasimodo saves her, taking her into the cathedral of Notre Dame and sanctuary. Frollo again tries to attack La Esmeralda and Gringoire, who has survived the stabbing, but falls to his death from the top of Notre Dame. Then it is up to the King (David Green) and Queen of France (Vivian Reba) to determine La Esmeralda's guilt or innocence.
Hunchback of Notre Dame will feature a cast of over thirty Theatre Company veterans and newcomers, and will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday February 5, 6, and 7, 2015 at 7pm in the Munster Auditorium. All Tickets are $5 at the door and are available at the Auditorium Box Office on performance nights or visit our web site at www.munaud.org.