2005 Year in Review

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Fall in love with The Hunchback at TLP

Is the historic church Notre Dame of Paris a prison or a sanctuary for the beautiful Esmeralda and the grotesque Quasimodo? Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll touches on this very subject during their newest performance, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

The two-act play begins with the introduction of Esmeralda, wonderfully played by Emily Firth (the mother from The Graduate). We watch as the dark haired beauty dances like a dragonfly among the starry-eyed men in the square. Three men are particularly attracted to the young gypsy girl: Pierre, the poet, played by the handsome and talented Adam Henry; Phoebus, the captain of the guard, played by Matthew Callahan, another handsome actor; and Claude, the priest, played by Christopher Russell. All three singers amaze us with their wonderful voices. The love of this woman tragically affects all their lives.

Quasimodo, the hunchback, superbly played by Jeffrey Binney, is introduced toward the end of the first act as a baby given to the priest, Claude. We see Claude love the rejected and simple child and Notre Dame becomes his home, or is it a prison, or maybe a sanctuary from the crowds of Paris. The crowd makes the bell ringer the King of Fools and for the first time his is accepted into the gypsies and rejected throngs of Paris.

Esmeralda saves Quasimodo and in turn he saves the gypsy girl. “Who’d put a heart in a mountain of stone,” the gypsy sings. If you are expecting the cartoon version, you will be impressed by the serious sensitivity in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The second act becomes much more intense as the people of Paris raise their voices with passion and intensity.

The stage, set, and costumes are wonderfully done. The use of the rotating stage to quick change the set was brilliantly done. All the minor parts and extras were also very good. The live orchestra was very nice and didn't overwhelm the singers. This production used a lot of local youth as extras and gives them an opportunity to experience live theater. It also fills the theater with family and friends. Hunchback is a show for the whole family to enjoy. With the intermission the musical lasted just over 2-1/2 hours.

The Hunchback is playing at Timber Lake through August 7, then Late Nite Catechism 2 begins August 11.

by Barb Benson, theCity1.com
July 29, 2005