Andreas Moffett as Frollo
Featuring a sweeping, musical score and an epic story of love, acceptance, prejudice and what it means to be a hero, City of Fairfax Theatre Co. presents “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” It takes the stage July 18-26 at Katherine Johnson Middle School, 3801 Jermantown Road, in Fairfax City.
Based on Victor Hugo’s novel and the Disney film, it’s the story of Quasimodo, a deformed yet kindhearted bellringer living in the Notre Dame Cathedral in 15th-century Paris. Kept hidden by his guardian, Archdeacon Claude Frollo, Quasimodo yearns to explore the world outside. He also befriends Esmeralda, a Romani woman fighting for freedom and justice.
The show has a cast and crew of 55 from throughout the Washington Metropolitan area, including Little Rocky Run’s Andreas Moffett. There’s a 15-piece orchestra and a three-level set that’s a deconstructed version of Notre Dame, including a stained-glass-rose window and the bell tower.
Show times are Friday, July 18, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, July 19, at 1:30 and 7 p.m.; Sunday, July 20, at 3 p.m.; Wednesday, July 23, at 7 p.m. (Sensory Friendly Show); Thursday, July 24, at 7 p.m. (ASL, audio description, pay what you can); Friday, July 25, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, July 26, at 1:30 p.m.; and Saturday, July 26, at 7 p.m.
Ticket information, including prices, is at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/fairfaxcitytheatre/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame#/day. Note: Because of language and content, it’s not advised for young audiences.
“At its heart, it’s about the way we as a society treat people who are different in their looks – body types, skin color and disabilities,” explained Director Zachary Flick. “It’s also about how Quasimodo and Esmeralda, who come from two different worlds, come together. By treating each other as people, with kindness and humanity – how they’d want to be treated – they change the world.
“It’s a story about radical kindness, standing up to oppression and finding your voice to speak out for what’s right. And it feels extremely relevant to our world today – how we treat immigrants and people who come to this country with different languages, skin colors, cultures, customs, etc. It’s a story we all need to hear right now, and I’m honored to be telling it.”
Moffett portrays Frollo. “He’s archdeacon of Notre Dame and the epitome of everything wrong with religion,” said Moffett. “He’s incredibly manipulative, intelligent and self-righteous. And he’ll rationalize anything to get what he wants, even if it means jettisoning his faith.
“At the same time, he’s Quasimodo’s father figure. Frollo experiences and expresses love for him, while also feeling intense hatred for him because he’s the son of a Roma woman. Frollo thinks Roma people are irredeemable monsters who need to be rounded up and exterminated – totally missing the irony.”
Moffett said this role is both physically challenging – because he’s a classically trained tenor who must sing bass as Frollo – and emotionally difficult “having to inhabit the antithesis of everything I believe in and make it convincing. It’s also scary. There are moments when Olivia [Clavel-Davis, as Esmeralda] and I have to check in with each other, before and after an intense scene, to make sure we’re both OK.”
He especially likes his solo, “Hellfire,” where Frollo’s pleading with the Virgin Mary to explain to him why he’s so obsessed with Esmeralda. And, said Moffett, “He resolves that he’ll accept damnation in order to have control over her.”
Calling this show both crucial and challenging to put on in the context of current ICE raids in Northern Virginia, Moffett said it demonstrates how “absolute power corrupts people absolutely – especially when the person wielding that power is motivated by hatred, prejudice and fear. Theater is supposed to challenge people, and I hope it opens up their eyes to what individuals can do to fight injustice and how people together are stronger than any, one man.”