It was March 14, 2002, when the Gran Teatro di Roma opened its curtain for the first time on a musical that has fascinated millions of people, “Notre Dame de Paris” based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.
After 20 years, its anniversary is also celebrated in Sicily.
From 18 to 28 August 2022, the Di Verdura theater in Palermo, within the beautiful setting of its garden, hosted the original cast of the interpretation.
Lola Ponce in the role of Esmeralda, Giò Di Tonno in those of Quasimodo, Vittorio Matteucci (Frollo), Leonardo di Minno (Clopin), Matteo Setti (Gringoire), Graziano Galatone (Febo), Tania Tuccinardi (Fiordaliso).
The lyrics are by Luc Pamondon, the music by Riccardo Cocciante, directed by Gilles Maheu, the Italian version by Pasquale Panella, the choreography by Martino Müller, the costumes by Fred Sathal and the sets by Christian Ratz.
A cast of extremely talented artists manages to create a synergy of themes that have always been significant, within the evolution of human history.
It begins with the concept of the inclusion of immigrants, of gypsies, who are badly received by a society made up of wickedness, injustice, hostility and bigotry. Therefore, the need for social inclusion for guests. This moment makes us reflect on the atavistic question of Freedom, without exceeding the limits of the lawful, understood as a precious undeniable asset to man belonging to any ethnicity and religion.
Along the thread of synergy, the eternal theme of Love is inserted, lived in all its facets. Begged, clandestine love, passionate love, illegal love like that of a priest who falls in love with a bewitching woman, since he himself is a man with his weaknesses. And then the betrayal and forgiveness… sometimes.
All the whirlwind of these strong emotions is masterfully represented by the spectacular mastery of the great performers. Through the interpretative power of their voices, the energy of their movements and the design of the great choreographies, they mark the air and the theatrical spaces. All this supported by the majesty of the sets.
A group of bodies clinging to ropes of bells and medieval sculptures trace, to the enchanted spectator, a clear idea of the era, history, experience, feelings, emotions and sufferings of the history of man, who even after crossing centuries, he experiences the same universal problems that torment him without any sort of resolution or comfort.
The only consideration that the man-spectator makes, at the end of the show, is that of having lived an artistic experience of high depth and full of emotions, whose universal message is: “Only Love is the key to everything “.
