You’ve Heard of Les Mis Now it’s Time to Meet Les Monster

Anthony Policci in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

by Anthony Policci

If I were to ask you who Victor Hugo was, would you be able to answer? As a theatre goer, chances are good that you do know the name. But even if you had never seen the front side of a proscenium, you would probably know his two most famous stories - Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

Both stories had their first film adaptations in the 1930’s and both share similar themes of redemption, faith, false piety, separation of classes and hardship in the streets of France. While Les Mis has been entertaining theatre goers for over 30 years, Hunchback has only recently made its way to the stage. It has even deeper themes of spirituality, love, hate, prejudice, rejection and loneliness. The script adaptation is by Peter Parnell, the hauntingly beautiful musical score is by Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Newsies) and the lyrics are by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin, Wicked).

Now in the spirit of full disclosure, I thought I knew the story of the Hunchback…heck, I even saw the Disney live version in their Anaheim park…but my eyes were truly opened a few months ago when I had the good fortune to join the all ages cast for the Arizona premier. The epic story has since stolen my heart and my name’s now on the growing list of fans - many of whom consider this show to be Menken’s and Schwartz’s best work. Whether that’s true or not, I do believe The Hunchback should be a permanent addition on your must-see musicals list. The dramatic characters and weighty themes are surprisingly easy to relate to and it is impossible not to find a little of yourself in the story.

I portray the anti-hero, Dom Claude Frollo. As I dug into the role, I learned that Frollo shares a striking resemblance to Hugo’s more famous character, Inspector Javert. Both men pursue someone to the bitter end, at great personal cost, while destroying lives around them; each vindicate their desires through their self-proclaimed “righteousness,” and both have an unfortunate fate.

In this version of Hunchback, Frollo is the older of two brothers who were taken in by the priests of Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame is the iconic representation of God and Frollo is in a position as a “minister” of God. At first, he seemed like a good guy who had devoted himself to the pursuit of his faith and had risen to a senior clergy position as the Archdeacon of Notre Dame. But I soon saw there was something terribly wrong with his belief system and his “heart”.

Michala Montano and Anthony Policci
in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

One question plagued me as I studied this character.  How could Frollo have risen to the position he achieved with so many flawed beliefs? There were basic tenants of his “religion” that were in direct opposition to his behavior. Did he simply go through the motions and advance up the ranks of position in the church, without actually understanding the teachings of his religion? Had he never read the writings foundational to his doctrine?

From the beginning of the story we see that he has issues. He despises a particular group of people, in this case the gypsies in Paris, or as he would often call them, “dogs or vermin.” Instead of loving them and trying to help them as his faith calls him to do, he wanted only to eradicate them all. Then one day he sees a beautiful gypsy and becomes infatuated with her. Eventually he becomes consumed with lust and in his twisted thinking, decides she is worthy of saving.  Not the rest of her people, mind you, just her… and not because he sees her as a “child of God” but because she is the object of his desire.

Throughout the story, Frollo refuses to accept responsibility for his human desires and “sin”. Instead he blames God, even pointing out how God “made the devil so much stronger than a man.” He doesn’t seek forgiveness or strength through the “God” he supposedly believes in, he doesn’t act with humility or repentance to carry out God’s will. Instead he relies on his own strength and position of power to exert his own will. He believes in condemnation but shows no grace. He wants justice but lacks mercy. He is captivated and concerned about all the wrong things and projects his own flaws onto those around him. His faulty theology and lustful pursuit of Esmeralda wreaks pain and persecution throughout the city.

Was Frollo ignorant or arrogant? Did he just pick and choose what he wanted to believe?

Either of those options are a recipe for disaster when it comes to a belief system - especially religious -yet people do it all the time. The atrocities committed by Frollo in the name of God were not perpetrated by God, nor should they reflect either on God or Notre Dame and the genuine believers. (Incidentally, it’s my personal stance that all belief systems should be judged by the actions of its best practitioners, not its worst).

How often has history shown this same scenario played out in our world?

How often does it still rear its ugly head today?

What makes Frollo a character worth watching is that he, like many who stray into evil, isn’t all bad. The audience can recognize in themselves some part of his human nature. Yet this story could have ended differently if someone would have been able to correct his errors in thinking and beliefs.

How? Perhaps it could have been as simple as speaking the truth to him.

In the opening minutes of the play, the question is posed “what makes a monster and what makes a man?”  It is a great question. Quasimodo, the Hunchback, seems to be the shoe-in. He is outwardly unappealing, deformed, twisted, hideous and even believes he is stupid. He is shunned from society and must find comfort not from the insignificant material world but from deep within himself. And inwardly he is kind, courageous, humble, loving and obedient. Let’s call that beauty.

Frollo, is outwardly appealing. Dressed in his fine robes, holding a position of power, possessing a sharp intellect and refined speech, and is supposed to be devout to God and a protector and servant to the people. But he has lost his sacred faith and stands as a symbol of the evils committed by those within the Church who have abused their authority throughout the ages. Let’s call that monstrous.

In this story, Notre Dame is not to be blamed, it is always Frollo. That is a principle that applies in the real world too. As long as people continue to justify their misdeeds by shirking responsibility or shifting the focus to a divine scapegoat, the question of who is the monster will continue to plague us. After all, without the intervention of something divine, there is a villain in all of us.

What really captured my heart about this show is the music. I must have listened to the original cast recording at least a dozen times before I could finally get through it without weeping…
uncontrollably. (Go ahead, take away my man card). The score is epic. If you were to set aside the acting and the staging, and simply sat through the show with your eyes closed, I expect you would still walk out of the theatre raving about the production. So, come. Experience all that is the magic of Notre Dame. It is a story that asks the great eternal questions that we humans have the desire to know but often do not have the courage to ask and it holds powerful lessons for us as human beings.

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