A brand new stage adaptation of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame is coming to Tipperary.
Tipperary Musical Society have secured the rights to bring the iconic animated film to life on the stage of The Tipperary Excel. With music by Alan Menken (Disney’s Beauty & The Beast, Sister Act, A Christmas Carol) and Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, The Prince of Egypt), this Disney spectacular will be a first for Tipperary Town, and one of the first in Ireland.
Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, with songs from the Disney animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame showcases the film’s Academy Award-nominated score, as well as new songs by Menken and Schwartz. Peter Parnell’s new book embraces story theatre and features verbatim passages from Hugo’s gothic tale.
The musical begins as the bells of Notre Dame sound throughout the famed cathedral in fifteenth-century Paris. Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer who longs to be "Out There", observes all of Paris celebrating the annual Feast of Fools festival. Held captive by his devious caretaker, the archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, he escapes for the day and joins the boisterous crowd, only to be treated cruelly by all, but the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda. Quasimodo isn’t the only one captivated by her free spirit, though – the handsome Captain Phoebus and Frollo are equally enthralled. As the three vie for her attention, Frollo embarks on a mission to destroy the gypsies – and it’s up to Quasimodo to save them.
A sweeping score and powerful story make The Hunchback of Notre Dame an instant classic. Tipperary audiences will be swept away by the magic of this truly unforgettable musical.
Paul Norton returns to Tipperary to direct the Disney classic after making his debut with TMS last year for the hugely successful Fiddler on the Roof. Stephanie Browne and Mary Rose McNally also make a welcome return to the society resuming their roles as choreographer and musical director respectively.
The show will open on Monday 13th of February and run for 6 nights only, closing on Saturday February 18th.