Notre-Dame de Paris

 

Bruno Pelletier's fame, both in Québec and throughout the world, skyrocketed when he took on the role of the poet Gringoire in the musical, Notre-Dame de Paris, in 1998.  The musical debuted at the Palais de Congrès in Paris, France and proceeded to be performed there and throughout the world.  In 2001, Bruno reprised his role of Gringoire in the English-language production of the show in London, alongside four of the original cast members.  The show has since had ten different troupes and been translated into many different languages, such as Italian, Russian, and Flemish.  In 2010, the cast of the original French musical traveled to Russia and other countries in eastern Europe to perform a choral and orchestral concert dedicated to the musical.  The concert has since been reprised in Bercy, France.

 

Notre-Dame de Paris  features fifty songs and no dialogue.  Written by Luc Plamondon and Richard Cocciante, it features the classic tale originally spun by Victor Hugo in 1831 (known in the anglophone world as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame).  Through music and lyric we are told the sad story of the hunchback Quasimodo and his life in the bell tower as he laments the love of the beautiful gypsy girl, Esméralda, who in turn loves a ruthless soldier.  The love Quasimodo has for the gypsy is shared not only by the soldier, Phoebus, but also by the villainous Archdeacon Frollo, who raised Quasimodo and who believes that Esméralda is nothing more than a humanly manifestation of sin.