The streets of Paris have taken over the stage of Baldwinsville, as the Baldwinsville Theatre Guild takes on a production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” which will run until Feb. 10.

Based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo, the story follows hunchback Quasimodo as he faces the challenge of leaving his bell tower and stepping into Paris. The production company is keeping up with its tradition of producing big winter musicals and brings this show to life with 41 cast members and a 14-member orchestra.

While the cast and crew want the audience to enjoy the show, they also want the performance to leave them thinking, said Liam Fitzpatrick, who plays Quasimodo. Fitzpatrick said the questions “what makes a monster?” and “what makes a man?” resonate throughout the story as Quasimodo interacts with other people and observes how they treat him.

“He is a person who is differently abled, and he just longs for human contact and to be accepted,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think he’s pretty relatable to anyone who’s ever felt like an outcast, or felt like they were not part of the crowd.”

Not only is Quasimodo a relatable character, but he also acts as an example for how people should act, Fitzpatrick said. His kind nature is something that the cast and crew believes should be more common.

“If we could all be as unfalteringly kind as he is, the world would be a much better place,” Fitzpatrick said.

Another message that the director, Abel Searor, said he hopes the show will portray is that the world we live in today isn’t so different.

“For a novel written in the 19th century, it’s a little bit disturbing that there are still people that we are marginalizing,” Searor said. “Frollo’s attack on the gypsies is not completely unlike the Syrian refugee crisis, the people without a home, being chased out of places and are unwelcome.”

The crew is trying to make the set as similar to the actual story as possible. Josh Taylor, a set designer who also plays the role of Clopin Trouillefou, built the Notre Dame Cathedral and the famous rose windows for the show.

“It’s one of the most beautiful shows I’ve ever done, and one of the most beautiful sets I’ve ever designed,” he said.

Taylor won the Syracuse Area Live Theater award of Set Designer of the Year in 2015 for his work in the Baldwinsville Theatre Guild’s production of “Young Frankenstein.”

Producer Korrie Taylor, who is married to Josh Taylor, said this show’s set is so beautiful that they were banned from posting any pictures online — it’s a big spectacle and they didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

Korrie also acknowledged how talented the cast is.

“I feel like a lot of people don’t understand the insane talent in their own community and in their own backyard,” Korrie said.

Tickets for “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” can be purchased on cnytix.com.

Published on January 29, 2018 at 9:57 pm

Contact Sarah: srslavin@syr.edu