One may try to resist the charms of Notre-Dame de Paris, but when the musical is approaching a geographically acceptable point, the invisible bugle calls, and time, money and even perhaps company come out of nowhere, and all of a sudden here you are sitting in the audience and your face is blue with the gleam from the stage light, and the show is about to begin ...
So
hello, Notre-Dame, two years later! The first and last time we met was in Paris in December 2016, and, frankly, you did not impress me back then. The huge
stage of the Palace of Congresses seemed cold, the singers looked lonely on it,
each of them seemed to be fighting for a place under the cold sun of the stage
lights, and it was the loners’ struggle for survival. The dancers too fought
for survival with their own methods, often defeating the singers, and the
invincible Daniel Lavoie towered over the battle.
Much water has flown under the bridge in these two years. The show has
crisscrossed France, traveled to Belgium, Lebanon, Turkey, Russia and finally
made it to Canada. In the good city of Sherbrooke, engulfed in the blazing
colors of autumn maples, our paths converged. And so...
I
saw a completely different show. The Notre-Dame de Paris 2018 is ablaze with
fire and does not let go until the last note. The form established once and for all years ago had filled up with soul and living emotions, acting got enriched with
nuances, the performers' eyes sparkle with live fire, the one that is
impossible to resist.
First that fire lights up in the laughing eyes of
poker-face Richard Charest - Gringoire, whose style of an intellectual artist is
irresistible.
Daniel Lavoie - Frollo who burns out from the inside with cold black
fire, is the only representative of the classic 1998 cast in this production
and he managed to surpass himself, create a new and even more powerful
character and prove that a real artist does not repeat himself and that for him up is the only way.
The incredible Angelo del Vecchio - Quasimodo, ablaze with the carmine
fire, on stage performs all that’s artistically possible and impossible and is the real heart of the show.
The beautiful face and body of Martin Giroux-Phoebus burns with an empty white flame, and his sufferings do not evoke sympathy thereby proving the
artistic skill of the highest level.
Jay - Clopin is blazing with fire of social protest and is a brilliant link between the vocal and choreographic
elements of the show.
One aspect of the show that peeked my curiousity in particular was the
presence of Valérie Carpentier in the role of the Fleur-de-Lys. Valérie is a
Quebec star, introduced to the musical exclusively for the Canadian tour. A performer with a pronounced eccentric individuality in the tradition of Diane Dufresne, unexpectedly found herself in the
role of a young aristocrat coming of age while discovering some strong feelings
(passion, followed by jealousy and cruelty). Valérie, who normally does not fit any mold, hereby is placed in one which is very rigid. Her signature
sensual, slightly cracked jazzy voice had to give way to a “clean” soprano, the make-up leveled off some stronger facial features and hid tattoos on her fingers, a
pink floor-length dress and a long wig finished the job of hiding Valérie from
the viewers. So what's left of her? What’s left is that little imp in her eyes, the feline grace in her walk, the characteristic gentle hand gestures, the light that
illuminates her face when she sings about the one who is “beautiful as the sun”
and also - a noticeable deep delight from being on stage. Good luck, Valérie!
You have a long road ahead, on which Notre-Dame de Paris will be but a short and
beautiful stop.
But the delights don't stop there! In addition to the singers, there is also a corps de ballet (dancers, acrobats
and breakers) on that stage. Oh, that corps de ballet of Notre-Dame! It is raging on stage like a firework that suddenly
exploded, making the unthinkable with all those legs, arms, torsos, faces and
eyes of theirs. Unlike two years ago, now the presence of these artists on stage does not seem to be a separate show, everything has grown, gotten fit and
sealed together. This bunch are also the perpetrators of the show’s little pranks,
like the final dragging in of the body of Frollo sporting a short beard and a
grin (despite the fact that the Frollo who was thrown down the scenery was
completely shaved and serious) ... Thank you, guys, I appreciated this!
As far as the staging itself, its initial pros and cons remain in force for me. The
music is beautiful, so are the light and most of the mis-en-scenes, but some
scenes would benefit from less visual “noise” on stage. It seems to me that if the magnificent soloists had full
and undivided viewer attention in their most dramatic scenes, these scenes would have even more impact.
And so, good-bye, Notre-Dame de Paris - I do not say farewell,
because, judging by everything, you have a long life ahead of you, maybe we’ll meet again.
Love, P.
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Bonus.
Additional videos from Sherbrooke.
©Paroles
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