Broadway World, Review The Hunchback of Notre Dame
July 26, 2025 - Great storytelling does not exist in a vacuum. When one puts pen to paper, they create a story based on the creativity within, but also influenced by the world around them. Victo Hugo’s 1831 novel Notre-Dame de Paris was written as a love letter to the Notre-Dame Cathedral. A veritable antique even in his time, the cathedral had been desecrated during the French Revolution, centuries of decay also leading it in danger of being destroyed. So popular was his novel however, one which turned the stone monument into a silent, living witness to an epic story set four hundred years in the past, that restoration efforts were mounted to save the cathedral, ultimately leading to the French government taking ownership and continually keeping the edifice preserved and intact.
Orlando Sentinel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
July 30, 2025 - The thrilling highlight of this “Hunchback” was unquestionably its music. Under the dynamic direction of Clay Price, the choir — which seemed to stretch up to the heavens in the tiers of Steinmetz Hall — put their heart and soul into Alan Menken’s glorious music. Their opening ah’s literally made me sit up straighter in my seat, like the wave of sound was lifting me. (Kudos to choir director Amy Martin Cole.) The musicians, too, produced a magnificently rich sound. And an ensemble of cathedral statues delighted with their vocals.