In Havana, Hunchback of Notre Dame
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- 06 / 09 / 2008
This musical, based on the work of Víctor Hugo, will run each Saturday and Sunday until September 7. The lead roles will be played by Jose Luis Perez (Quasimodo), Jose Siveri Monteros (Claudio Frollo), Christyan Arencibia (Esmeralda), Yoe Rodríguez Valdes (Febo de Chateaupers), Esther Somodevilla (Chopin) and Guelmi Silva Paz (Poet).
The revival of musical theater began in July, 2006, with the premiere in Havana of The Phantom of the Opera and the staging of the operetta The Merry Widow in June, 2007. Alfonso Menéndez said the success obtained by these two pieces, "reaffirmed that it´s possible, and above all necessary, to offer the audience something that goes beyond what it´s used to." Menendez is also lighting engineer and set designer.
The famous novel by Victor Hugo (France, 1802–1885) has numerous versions for musical theater and cinema. All of them have been taken into account by Menendez, who acknowledges the collaboration of a large number of people for the staging of The Hunchback…, especially that of soprano Maria Eugenia Barrios, who gave him the recording of the musical Notre Dame of Paris presented at France´s Palace of Congresses, with music by Richard Cocciante and Luc Plamondon in charge of the script.
During his preparatory research work, Menendez made an even more exciting discovery: that Byron Janis, considered one of the greatest concert pianists of his time, had also been seduced by Victor Hugo´s novel, and wrote the theater piece The Hunchback of Notre Dame which he wanted to premiere in Cuba with the Rodrigo Pratts Lyrical Theater Company from Holguín province, but the project never materialized.
(www.granma.co.cu)
The revival of musical theater began in July, 2006, with the premiere in Havana of The Phantom of the Opera and the staging of the operetta The Merry Widow in June, 2007. Alfonso Menéndez said the success obtained by these two pieces, "reaffirmed that it´s possible, and above all necessary, to offer the audience something that goes beyond what it´s used to." Menendez is also lighting engineer and set designer.
The famous novel by Victor Hugo (France, 1802–1885) has numerous versions for musical theater and cinema. All of them have been taken into account by Menendez, who acknowledges the collaboration of a large number of people for the staging of The Hunchback…, especially that of soprano Maria Eugenia Barrios, who gave him the recording of the musical Notre Dame of Paris presented at France´s Palace of Congresses, with music by Richard Cocciante and Luc Plamondon in charge of the script.
During his preparatory research work, Menendez made an even more exciting discovery: that Byron Janis, considered one of the greatest concert pianists of his time, had also been seduced by Victor Hugo´s novel, and wrote the theater piece The Hunchback of Notre Dame which he wanted to premiere in Cuba with the Rodrigo Pratts Lyrical Theater Company from Holguín province, but the project never materialized.
(www.granma.co.cu)
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