Worldwide sensation "Notre Dame de Paris" coming to Lincoln Center next week
NEW YORK -- The magic of Paris will take over Lincoln Center with the long-awaited arrival of Luc Plamondon and Richard Cocciante's "Notre Dame de Paris."
The epic, worldwide musical hit is opening in New York City next Wednesday with full orchestra and a cast of 30 updating Victor Hugo's timeless classic about cathedral bell-ringer Quasimodo and his impossible love for Esmeralda, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported Thursday.
Quasimodo is played by Angelo Del Vecchio.
"Being desperate for love, for injustice, I need to show my beauty through my voice," Del Vecchio said.
There were powerhouse vocals from every cast member at the press preview.
There will be easy-to-see English supertitles, but reading along may not even feel necessary.
"It is in French, but there's music and there's dance," Cocciante said. "The singers can communicate more than words, more than music. It has the power to make the contact with the audience. There is a magic liaison on that way."
"There's a lot of rebellion. There's deception. There's love. There's hope. There's tragedy. It's really mixed-up emotions. That's what makes the strength to show," said actress Hiba Tawaji, who plays Esmeralda.
Internationally, there have been productions In 23 countries, with 15 million tickets sold since its debut in 1998.
Daniel Lavoie remembers back almost 25 years ago when he was in the original company. He said it was a phenomenon from the start.
"We had 4,000 people running after us after every show," Lavoie said. "We never thought that a musical could have so much success. It was huge. I was there. I remember that very well."
The talented team is ready for some New York City adventures.
"I love New York," Plamondon said.
"The museum of modern art. I'm a big fan of art, so I can't wait," fan Gian Marco Schiaretti said.
"I love New York. Jaime New York le hip hop American," a man named Jay said.
"He loves hip-hop so much. It's like being a child here," Schiaretti clarified.
"We like to give our all to the audience, so to see their eyes tearing is the most beautiful thing," Tawaji said.
"Notre Dame de Paris" runs from next Wednesday through July 24.
