The Don Bosco Oratory Theatre in Victoria is staging the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame for the first time in Malta. With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by James Lapine, the musical is based on Victor Hugo's novel and songs from the 1996 Disney film of the same name.
The show includes music, song and dance numbers, which recount the emotional story of Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bell ringer of the iconic French cathedral, who falls in love with the gypsy Esmeralda.
Among the most popular songs are The Bells of Notre Dame, Topsy Turvy, Out There, Rhythm of the Tambourine, God Help The Outcasts and Top of the World, as well as Hellfire and Esmeralda.
Ludwig Galea will interpret the main part of Quasimodo, while young artist Krista Mercieca will portray Esmeralda. Other characters are being played by Andrew Buhagiar, Karl J. Buhagiar, George Camilleri, Louis Andrew Cassar, Fabian Galea, David Grech, Matthias Mercieca and Casey Sacco, together with an 80-strong cast, including musicians, singers, choristers and dancers.
Musical director Mark Gauci will be conducting the orchestra, while the choir director is Antonella Rapa. Artistic direction is in the hands of Jamie Camilleri, while Mario Grech and Frances Zammit are in charge of choreography. Scenography is by young Paul M. Cassar, together with a group of volunteers from the Don Bosco Oratory Theatre.
The show is being staged on November 9, 10 (matinee show), 16 and 17. Tickets can be obtained from the Don Bosco Oratory every day between 5 and 6pm, or by calling on 2155 6616 or 9948 7751. Online booking is also available through donboscogozo.org.
The musical, held as part of the theatre’s 75th anniversary, is being staged under the licence and relevant permits of Music Theatre International of London, and with the financial support of the Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry for Gozo and the French Embassy in Malta.
The show also coincides with the completion of the restoration works of the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris after it was devastated by a fire in 2019.