Vox Lumiere's The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Last night I had the opportunity to watch Vox Lumiere at Emerson's Majestic Theater. Prior to going, I watched a short video of the production on the theater's website. Although I didn't understand what I was watching, I was excited about the show and encouraged by the LA Times review, which called it "absolutely riveting." Nearly 24 hours after the show, I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

First, I think the idea behind the show is brilliant. The creators played the silent movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame on a large screen floating above the stage and had rock musicians and singers perform on stage in front of it. I suppose it's kind of like taking the piano soundtrack that silent films used to have and putting it on some serious steroids. The music definitely fills the theater and gives the performance power.

But the production's brilliance also makes it challenging to follow. Specifically in the first act, there's almost no interplay between the silent film and the cast. The film doesn't explain what's happening on stage and vice versa. Much of the time, it looked like there were two shows happening simultaneously, a movie and a rock concert. It was somewhat disorienting and confusing because I didn't know which to follow and it was annoying trying to read the few remaining caption left in the film.

I was also surprised by the frequency and length of the periods when the audience only had the movie to watch while the singers were offstage. If I had paid for my ticket, I would've been upset that I was basically watching a movie when I paid for a stage production with live action. The film-only periods weren't interesting, and just left me wondering what was the point. On the other hand, I thought the singers were great, but I wish the producer had used them more. They were just singing, not acting, and didn't really become any characters. Although they sang beautifully, they didn't clearly identify who they represented, which made it hard to follow who was who. The film and the live action also didn't always match up, and the production had a level of emptiness to it because the singers seldom interacted with each other or with the audience. My friend and I felt the most engaged when the solos and duets (with lyrics) were performed, primarily because the production became more focused on those people and becuase there were lyrics which moved the story forward.

The strongest piece, however, was the Court of Miracles scene in the middle of act two. Unlike most of the show where the performers had tightly constrained dances and very static movements, that piece - which mirrored the attack against the aristocracy - was wild! The cast let loose, made use of the stage, and looked like they were finally having fun. Unfortunately it didn't last long, but it was a welcome contrast to the limited choreography and awkward movements happening throughout the rest of the show. I couldn't decide whether some of their awkward gesticulations were meant to be edgy or if they were adopting the kind of moves that silent film actors would have done. Either way, there was an overall lack of clarity that no amount of great singing could overcome.

Overall, I'd say it was an interesting experience. I can see this kind of theater becoming popular, but the best productions will have to continue to guide the audience experience rather than overwhelm them with lots of sound and fury, but little substance.

Comments

[Vox Lumiere's #1 fan! (They even said so! Ha!)]

I saw this on March 12st!Im currantly working on MY play review for the show(Drama essay) and I came across this. All I can say is WHAT?!?

"Nearly 24 hours after the show, I'm still not sure how I feel about it"...24 hours after the show I was STILL jumping up and down! I barley got any sleep the night before out of over excitment! I'd been counting down the days till the show for almost 4 months!

"Lacked live action,Little substance, I wish the producer had used more"...Umm,what else could Kevin do? It was a muli-media exraveganza!

Before I go on a complete rampage, I think this was freakin amazing! I was the first to arrive at the theatre 2 hours early and very hyper! I kept saying "Omg...Omg..OH MY FREAKIN GOD!!!" It was hilarious! At the end of the show, when the cast was doing their bows,I kept yelling "I LOVE YOU VOX LUMIERE!!!" Even the people at the theatre knew who I was! I ran in they all said "Omg, It's Vox's #1 fan! It's -my name-right? Kevin told me all about you". I had front row centre seats and even got to go and meet the cast (and Kevin!). I also stayed for their interview after which you can see me jumping up and down and even a few screams in there too! Kevin is SOO nice^^ As soon as someone working at the theatre pointed him out to me, He knew exacally who I was and came over and gave me a hug! I was talking to him after for so long! We'd been conversing by email a few months before the show and even now, he still emails me! This was an amazing experiance and a "dream come true" =)