Fall musical opens next week

After a recent run of musicals that tended toward the lighter side of life, the Buffalo High School Theatre Department is leaning into a darker, more complex challenge with next week’s opening of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” 

Four performances are scheduled, with 7:30 p.m. shows Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 14-16, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Nov. 17.

“Our goal is to teach our kids and help them grow, so we were looking for something that would really stretch them,” said Director Tracy Hagstrom Durant.

Raising the degree of difficulty through a production that tells the story of Quasimodo, the iconic cathedral’s lonely bell ringer, is an all-encompassing endeavor. For one thing, the music requires a greater skill level than a typical high school production.

“Vocally and instrumentally, the music is incredibly difficult, but it’s gorgeous,” said Hagstrom Durant, adding that an ensemble choir will augment the singing done by individual actors.

On the technical side, an enormous multi-level set has kept a crew of 30 to 40 students occupied with construction.

“It’s huge, but it’s mostly stationary,” said Hagstrom Durant. “Then we bring on some smaller accessories to turn that set into a variety of different locations. So it’s not just the inside of Notre Dame, it’s not just Quasimodo’s bell tower, it’s not just the town square, but we turn it into all of those things. There are a lot of unique qualities to the set that are just different from what we’ve asked kids to do in the past, so they’re learning in that way. That challenges our actors, too, because they have to interact and respond to that set differently depending on the setting.”

Thematically, characters wrestle with their own brokenness, individual and collective treatment of societal outcasts, and the concept of sanctuary. 

“Everybody is broken in some way. That’s why we all need each other,” said Hagstrom Durant. “Not everybody is a perfect fit, but you have to find the people who are your fit, and they will be your sanctuary.”

Costumes loaned from the Academy of Holy Angels help address the needs of a widely diverse cast, as characters range from gargoyles made of stone – who come to life when Quasimodo is alone with them – to cathedral officials and members of the gypsy culture. 

Special effects are another hurdle, as the tech crew substitutes safe but effective alternatives for the actual pyrotechnics called for by the script, and seeks convincing ways to portray high-level falls and the weaponized application of molten lead.

“This show is big. It’s a heavy lift. It’s a hugely challenging piece that in my opinion is in the difficulty level of ‘Les Miserables’ or ‘Phantom of the Opera,’” said Hagstrom Durant. “I’m excited, and I think people will like it.”

Adaptations and tickets
Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel has been adapted in various ways over the years, with a lengthy history of movies and productions. The BHS version is loosely based on the 1996 Disney film, but “it’s not the animated movie, and people should be aware of that,” said Hagstrom Durant.

“The one we’re doing is much closer to Victor Hugo’s original novel. The story is heavy. There are dark thoughts and not-nice people. Some of the characters die. It’s not that you can’t bring children, but keep in mind that it’s not the animated film.” 

•    See next week’s Journal Press to hear more about the production from members of the cast and crew.

•    Tickets for each show date are available at https://sites.google.com/bhmschools.org/buffalohighschooltheatre/home.