It shows off the credibility of a musical theatre society when they attempt a difficult show such as The Hunchback Of Notre Dame but Redditch Operatic Society have managed to pull it off!

Set in the beautiful surroundings of Paris’s most famous of cathedrals, Hunchback tells the story of a physically deformed recluse that is hidden away in the bell tower by his strict uncle and priest of Notre Dame who believes that the city would not accept his nephew and vice versa.

With only the gargoyles for company, Quasimodo, played by the incredible Daniel Tomson (Romeo & Juliet, Top Hat) sees an opportunity and leaves the rafters to experience life in the city. 

Whilst there, he is ridiculed by the locals only to be taken under the wing of the beautiful Esmeralda, played by the stunning Laura Woodall (Cats, Sister Act) who is probably the first woman he has interacted with.

Quasimodo is just one in a long line of men who fall in love with Esmeralda, a gypsy girl who herself, is treated differently from others so she is empathetic to Quasimodo’s plight.

When the priest, Dom Claude Frollo, played by the very talented Matt Bridgewater (Legally Blonde, Kinky Boots) discovers that Quasimodo has been interacting with a gypsy, he is banished back to the tower under the watch of army captain, Phoebus de Martin, played by Paul Mitchell (Spamalot, 42nd Street) who sees this for what it is and after meeting Esmeralda, falls in love with her and goes against the instructions of the priest.

The story is based on the 1996 Disney movie of the same name with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken. This is a dark story of prejudice and power where the ending is not a happy one.

The production is well put together with some fantastic performances from the principal cast. The set excellent and the orchestra under the directorship of Joe George. The singing performances were professional and for a difficult production was executed well.

There were some audio issues throughout with mics not coming in and I felt that there were too many cast on the stage which tends to happen with societies trying to offer everyone a part, but this did not take away from the overall enjoyment of the show.

They deserve to have sell out shows and I would urge you to grab a ticket or two and support this very talented group of performers.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame continues at the Redditch Palace Theatre until 23rd November. Tickets and further info from redditch-operatic.co.uk