French musical 'Notre Dame de Paris' celebrates 100th performance in Shanghai
The French musical Notre Dame de Paris celebrated a milestone on Jan 18, playing its 100th performance at the Shanghai Culture Square theater.
Based on Victor Hugo's classic 1831 novel of the same name, the sung-through musical by composer Riccardo Cocciante and lyricist Luc Plamondon has enthralled over 180,000 audience members in Shanghai since its local premiere in 2011.
The musical tells a tragic story set in the 15th century. The gypsy Esmeralda finds herself caught in a love dilemma between Frollo, the archdeacon of Notre Dame, Phoebus, the Captain of the Royal Archers, and the kind-hearted yet facially deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo.
The 25th-anniversary tour features an international cast, including 75-year-old Daniel Lavoie reprising his original 1998 role as Frollo. The production also welcomes Gian Marco Schiaretti making his Shanghai debut as the poet Gringoire, alongside returning cast members Angelo Del Vecchio, Elhaida Dani, Damien Sargue, Alyzée Lalande, and Jay.
"I really like playing in Shanghai. The role of Frollo has become part of my life, with new nuances to discover every day," said Lavoie.
Fellow cast member Del Vecchio, who plays Quasimodo, echoed the sentiment: "Notre Dame de Paris changed my life. I feel a duty to constantly breathe new life into this character."
At the end of the performance, audiences sang along in French to the encore Le Temps des Cathédrales in choral passages. "For our audiences in Shanghai to learn lyrics in another language and join in so passionately is incredibly moving," said Sargue playing Phoebus.
The musical premiered at the Palais des Congrès in Paris in 1998. It features over 50 songs, including classics like Le Temps des Cathédrales and Belle. It has also garnered multiple awards.
The musical's journey in Shanghai began in 2011 with an English version running for 24 shows. When the original French version then arrived for the first time in 2019, it went viral - with two runs in 2019 and 2020 playing 40 sold-out shows to over 72,000 audiences. Last September's 18-show run was another sell-out with 33,091 tickets sold.
Nicolas Talar, the show's producer, noted that Shanghai joins Paris, Rome, and Seoul as one of the few cities to achieve 100 performances. "It's a remarkable achievement that speaks to the rapid growth of French musicals' appeal in China."
"Shanghai Culture Square has been actively promoting French musicals in China," said Fei Yuanhong, general manager of Shanghai Culture Square Theatre Management Co Ltd. "Notre Dame de Paris' tremendous success paved the way for subsequent French productions to flourish here."
Since Notre Dame de Paris' debut, Shanghai Culture Square has hosted 328 French theatrical productions seen by over 530,000 audiences, including hits like Roméo et Juliette, Mozart L'Opéra Rock, Les Misérables and more.
To commemorate the milestone, the venue has organized special events including meet-and-greets, lectures, workshops, and backstage tours, offering audiences deeper insight into this musical.