Music
and Orchestrations by
Neil
Radisch
Synopsis of
Scenes
Act 1 La Esmeralda, a
gypsy girl, is dancing and Pierre Gringoire, a poet, is trying to have his play performed.
Jehan, a young, carefree student (the brother of the Archdeacon of Notre Dame) heckles the
play, reminding the crowd that they are to crown the Pope of Fools, the ugliest face
winning. Quasimodo, the malformed bell-ringer, is "elected." Gudule, a recluse,
calls out to the "witch" La Esmeralda: Gudule hates gypsies because they stole
her daughter years ago. Later, out of the shadows, Quasimodo and a concealed accomplice
spring at La Esmeralda. Gringoire runs in to save her, but is felled by Quasimodo. The
accomplice escapes. The captain of the King's Archers, Phoebus de Chateaupers, rushes in
to rescue La Esmeralda (who falls instantly in love with him), and arrests Quasimodo. They
all leave and Gringoire finally gets back to his feet to renew his hunt as three ersatz
beggars take him to the Court of Miracles. All the evil and corrupt of Paris are there.
Gringoire is brought in to be put on trial. Just before Gringoire is to be hanged for
failing a test, La Esmeralda steps up to claim this unattached man. They are immediately
married. Gringoire finds out that La Esmeralda is not interested in him but rather the
handsome Phoebus who had saved her. She wears a tiny bag around her neck with
"magical powers" to help her find her parents. Elsewhere, Quasimodo is found
guilty of trying to abduct La Esmeralda, in a raucous and amusing courtroom scene. After
two hours on the pillory, only La Esmeralda will quench the poor beast's thirst. Gudule
curses La Esmeralda again. As time moves ahead two months, Quasimodo is in his tower
ringing his two favorite bells and singing about his love for La Esmeralda. We learn in a
scene between Jehan and the archer that Phoebus has a tryst scheduled with La Esmeralda
for that night. After the scene shifts to a rented room, La Esmeralda and Phoebus are in a
passionate embrace as the evil Archdeacon peers through a crack in the door. When he can
no longer stand what he sees, he bursts through the door, stabbing Phoebus and leaving La
Esmeralda to face murder charges. Quasimodo, not knowing any of this, is still in his
tower singing, "No one will hurt her, I will protect her. In my world she will be
safe."
Act 2 La Esmeralda is
tried, tortured, ordered to do penance, and then is to be hanged for Phoebus's murder. In
a dank dungeon, Archdeacon Frollo pleads with the gypsy to give herself to him, which she
refuses. After a scene when we learn more about Gudule and her longing for her child, the
scene shifts to outside Notre Dame during the "Mass for the Condemned": La
Esmeralda again refuses Frollo, and he angrily leaves her to be hanged. La Esmeralda sees
Phoebus in the crowd and knows that he is not dead. Quasimodo rushes the gallows and takes
La Esmeralda into the cathedral shouting "Sanctuary!" In the bell tower,
Quasimodo and La Esmeralda hesitantly get to know each other. She longs for Phoebus and
sends Quasimodo to get him, though the archer has no interest in the girl. When Quasimodo
returns, he finds Frollo trying to abduct the gypsy, and he stops the Archdeacon. Frollo
leaves yelling, "No one will have her, not even you." Back with the vagabonds,
Jehan has joined their ranks as they prepare to storm the cathedral. Jehan climbs into the
church, attacks Quasimodo, and is dropped off the tower to his death. Frollo, disguised
again, and Gringoire convince La Esmeralda that the King is trying to have her killed and
she must escape with them. Away from the church, Frollo and La Esmeralda are alone again.
She still refuses him, so he leaves her in the clutches of Gudule while he goes to alert
the soldiers. The soldiers storm onto the stage and hang La Esmeralda, tearing off the
amulet from around her neck and throwing it where Gudule retrieves it. Seeing a small pink
shoe inside, Gudule discovers that she is La Esmeralda's mother. Meanwhile, Frollo has
made it back to the bell tower to watch the hanging from afar. Quasimodo, seeing that
Frollo is really the one who stole her and had her hanged, throws him off the bell tower
to his death. Quasimodo, deeply saddened by this cruel turn of events, laments that
everything he ever loved (the girl and Frollo) is now dead. The torment ends. [Music,
Lyrics, Logos, and Written Words © 1993, 1996 Charles Seymour, Jr. and Neil Radisch. All
Rights Reserved.]
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