Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz on The Hunchback of Notre Dame 

Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken premiere a new \'Hunchback\' at the Paper Mill Playhouse

Ciara Renee stars in the new musical version of \'The Hunchback of Notre Dame\'

Ronni Reich | The Star-Ledger By Ronni Reich | The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger

on March 01, 2015 at 9:00 AM, updated March 01, 2015 at 9:06 AM

Where: Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn When: Begins previews March 4, opens March 15, through April 5. Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m.; Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 and 7 p.m. How much: $28-$99, call (973) 376-4343 or visit papermill.org

First, there was the charm of "Beauty and the Beast." Then, there was the smash of "The Lion King." Last season, there was "Aladdin," a fun spectacle whose stars just extended their contracts to 2016.

Now, there\'s "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." But this time, the screen-to-stage shift may be far from what fans expect.

"I don\'t think of this as a Disney musical," said composer Alan Menken in a recent interview. "I don\'t even think Disney thinks of it as a Disney musical."

"I think more than any of the adaptations from Disney animated features so far, this is probably the furthest from the feature itself," agreed lyricist Stephen Schwartz.

The ace pair of songwriters will introduce the musical to local audiences at the Paper Mill Playhouse in a co-production with the La Jolla Playhouse that begins performances at the Millburn venue on Wednesday. With a book by Peter Parnell, the show stars Michael Arden, Patrick Page, Ciara Renée and Andrew Samonsky. Scott Schwartz directs and the choreographer is Chase Brock.

Menken - the go-to composer for animated classics such as "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," and "Beauty and the Beast," and Schwartz, composer and lyricist of Broadway hits including "Wicked" and "Pippin," teamed up before for the 1996 film on which the musical is based.

In that version, which is based on Victor Hugo\'s 1831 novel, Quasimodo is a lovable misfit willing to risk anything for the woman he loves - Esmeralda - with a trio of goofy singing gargoyles as his sidekicks. Esmeralda appears as a big-hearted gypsy who dances beautifully and has flashing green eyes that prove irresistible to the men around her.

But Quasimodo\'s guardian, judge Frollo, believes gypsies are evil heathens and wants to hunt Esmeralda. Meanwhile, Frollo\'s princely Captain Phoebus also falls in love with Esmeralda, defies his orders, and befriends Quasimodo. While the underdog may not get the girl, he does find companionship and happiness in bringing Esmeralda and Phoebus together.

Alan Menken, composer of the new musical \'The Hunchback of Notre Dame,\' is also known for classics such as \'The Little Mermaid\'Elliott Marks/SMPSP

"I\'m always attracted to stories about outsiders and people who are trying to figure out how they can fit into society and what compromises are required to do that and whether those compromises are worth it," said Stephen Schwartz.

That longing and questioning lends itself well to musicalization, he added.

In the movie, there are tough-to-stage action sequences - rappelling down the walls of the cathedral, charging through a raging house fire to save a family of goodhearted peasants. There are also natural production numbers, such as a big celebration called the "festival of fools." There are many new songs for the production, which has gone through continuous revisions since an outing in Berlin in 1999.

While the basic characters remain similar, the new story is closer to Hugo\'s original, darker vision, and is recommended for mature audiences.

"When we were first doing the animated feature, Alan and I and the whole team were trying to find a balance between telling as much of the story, with as much of Victor Hugo\'s tone as we could within the context of a Disney animated feature," Stephen Schwartz said.

"There was always the awareness that parents were going to be bringing little children to this and yet we were telling a very sophisticated and fairly dark story."

He remains proud of the movie but said that now, he and Menken have been encouraged to "not worry about the Disney brand just so long as everybody knows what we\'re doing and doesn\'t inadvertently bring a six-year-old, unless it\'s an extremely sophisticated six-year-old, to see the show."

"When we were working on the movie, the concern was always, is it too dark?" Menken said. "And then when we were done, is it too light?"

The composer and lyricist, whose collaboration began with "Pocahontas," have become accustomed to working out such issues. They are friends, and play tennis and go out to dinner together.

Stephen Schwartz, lyricist for \'The Hunchback of Notre Dame,\' is also known for \'Wicked\' and \'Pippin\'Joan Lauren

"Stephen and I have such a fluid collaboration," said Menken. "We get into a room, look at a problem and within minutes we solve it. We have immense respect for each other as composer-lyricists and when we come together it is its own element."

"I think of the show as a love quadrangle," said director Scott Schwartz, who is the lyricist\'s son.

"The characters are really multidimensional - there\'s light in everyone and there\'s darkness. There are horrific acts and also acts of great heroism."

Menken said that the new musical includes a deepening of the backstory for Frollo, a sense of reality for the gypsies, and a more mature approach to the gargoyles and the inner voice of Quasimodo.

Stephen Schwartz described Frollo as "my favorite character ever to write."

"No matter what he does he feels himself justified," he said of the movie\'s most villainous role.

As far as the music goes, Menken has drawn on the "earthiness and sensuality" of Romany culture for Esmeralda and her co-horts, as well as French classical composers, including Camille Saint-Saens and Maurice Ravel. Carl Orff and medieval music are also influences.

He strives for a "bright, childlike, passionate" depiction of Quasimodo, and a "twisted, sophisticated" voice for Frollo.

"Part of what we also want to do is find that pure voice that he started with, because he\'s not just a villain," Menken added. "He\'s much more than that."

Also onstage will be the local Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus, who will help tell the story and contribute to liturgical and apocalyptic aspects of the score.

"It\'s like they\'re bearing witness to the story," Menken said. "It adds a huge sense of dimension and a sense of conscience."

The choir may also help bridge the gap between the story\'s sprawling dimensions - a whole city is involved - and its intimate focus on four characters. It also fits in with a production focused on methods of storytelling that might have been available in Hugo\'s day.

"There are no prosthetics and no makeup (for Quasimodo) other than makeup he applies onstage right before your very eyes at the beginning of the show," Scott Schwartz said.

While the musical may not be entirely familiar, the collective hope seems to be that it will be relatable.

"Quasimodo is, in a way, a romantic, healing character to people because of his otherness, because of the part of us that is different, and yet his needs are very human," said Parnell.

"They\'re things we all feel. Audiences have always responded to that."

"There\'s a tragic love story quality, there\'s loss for every main character in this piece at the same time that each character feels something that he or she has not felt before," he added.

"It\'s darker in the way the story ends, which is closer to the book than to the movie, but hopefully, if we\'ve done our work right, the audience will understand why things turn out the way they do."

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