‘What makes a monster and what makes a man?’

In the midst of a feature animation renaissance in the early 1990s, the storytellers at Disney Animation set out to break new ground with their next animated feature by turning for inspiration to Victor Hugo’s classic gothic novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The resulting 1996 film produced a glorious score by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz that was quickly called to life onstage. An initial production titled Der Glöckner von Notre Dame premiered in 1999 in Berlin, Germany, and enjoyed a successful three-year run, but there was more work to be done on the project before a stage adaptation could be considered definitive.  Enter director Scott Schwartz, who proposed a thrilling new intimate stage vision for Quasimodo’s journey into 1482 Paris. Working with Alan, Stephen and book writer Peter Parnell, Scott and Disney created a new, darker, more adult and highly theatrical version, inspired by and incorporating original text from the novel and expanding the Disney film’s beloved score. Showcasing themes such as faith, power, discrimination, isolation, and sacrifice, The Hunchback of Notre Dame offers a powerful message of acceptance.

We are absolutely thrilled to be bringing this incredible production to life to open the 2023 Centre Stage Season, and in a new, bigger venue.