Victor Hugo's novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is one of the great classics of world literature. It has been filmed many times, turned into operas, and stage extravaganzas. Whatever the format, it is always a crowd pleaser.

This exciting dramatization by Tim Kelly, one of America's most popular playwrights, captures the essence of the famous original. It brings to life on the stage some of the most memorable fictional characters ever created: the pitiable but good-hearted bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, Quasimodo; the vain, handsome Captain Phoebus; the villainous Frollo; the temperamental poet, Pierre Gringoire (Hugo himself, no doubt); the colorful Beggars of Paris, and the beautiful, innocent, naive gypsy, Esmeralda, whom they all love.

The famous settings of the novel are also here, but in a manner that negates the necessity for pauses for scene changes. With simple shifts in lighting and with the addition or removal of simple set props—carried on and off by the characters—the audience sees the rollicking Festival of Fools; the notorious Court of Miracles, where the blind see and the lame walk; the murder of Captain Phoebus; the lashing of Quasimodo on the pillory; the rescue of Esmeralda from her place of execution on a charge of witchcraft. The play ends on an upbeat note without the tragic denouement of the novel.

Designed for easy production, the play can be as simple or as grand as the producer chooses. Basically, the setting is the bare stage with a few props moved on and off. The play should flow as if it were a film, with fades and dissolves, but no pauses. For staging suggestions, consult the Production Notes in the script.

Here, for actors and audiences of teen-agers and adults, is a significant and entertaining look at Victor Hugo's famous story. The very flexible cast may be increased with extras or reduced with doubling.

Other Kelly adaptations: The Adventure of the Speckled Band, Bloody Jack, Dracula, Fall of the House of Usher, Jocko, Sweeney Todd, Tom Sawyer

See also: Adaptations of the Classics