Notre Dame De Paris (the French Musical Spectacular)

Posted: 6/4/03 at 6:51pm

Is anyone familiar with this musical??

I have the video, and almost all the recordings
*Studio
*2 cd LIVE in france
*Italian
*Las Vegas Cast with Devon May and Jessica Grove
*London cast with Tina Arena and Steve Balasmo (Jesus of 1996 London recording JCS, he holds the 24 sec note...)
plus sheet music, and more
It's a great show.

any thoughts??

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/4/03 at 7:24pm

I have the french version ( my wife speaks french) I like the music but thought the staging was the pits. There were basically no sets. Try the same show with real sets , costumes & no mike headsets & you might have something

Posted: 6/4/03 at 7:25pm

lol, i know what you mean, but it wasn't considered a musical, but rather a musical spectacular! Have you seen the show or dvd?? It's breath taking!

[Cadriel]

Posted: 6/4/03 at 8:09pm

I absolutely love the French single-disc album. I've heard a bit of the translation, and it sounds awful ("Torn Apart" for "Déchiré," for instance, loses all the lovely impact). I think the low point is "Asylum!" replacing "Asile!"

Didn't it run in Las Vegas for a while? I don't know...I don't think the current European zeitgeist for musicals transfers well to America. As a Chess fan, I dread the thought that the Swedish production of that show might meander its way over here.

-Wayne

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/4/03 at 8:45pm

It was at the Paris in Las Vegas & it layed a colossal egg

[IssaMe]

Posted: 6/5/03 at 6:30am

In Vegas, they tried to pull all kinds of tricks with the unions and lots of performers got injured.

In London, Dannii Minogue (Kylie's pop-star sister) starred in it for a while.

Plans to play it all around the U.S. died after Vegas flop. It never gained the success there that Cirque du Soleil did which could have led to touring and sit-down productions elsewhere in the U.S.

The Vegas producers also wanted to do a Broadway Bares type show in Vegas but those plans died too with the show.

[JakeB]

Posted: 6/5/03 at 1:19pm

It was a bit of a flop in London, about two years, but always struggled a bit.

[MlleDaae]

Posted: 6/5/03 at 1:54pm

I loved it for a long time! Bella...I love that song! My friend had shown it to me and then my Ukrainian friend played the song for me because it was popular over there at the time...and just now people over here are loving it.
 

Updated On: 7/12/19 at 01:54 PM

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 6/5/03 at 3:51pm

Doubt it will be coming here anytime soon

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/5/03 at 3:56pm

I saw it twice in Vegas..... only one reson I sat through it twice though. JESSIC GROVE. It case no one knows, thjough I don't see how you couldn't, I LOVE her. The girl is amazing. Anyways, I saw her as Fleur-De-Lys, but went back to see her as Esmeralda.
Once again I say -- someone give Jessica a starring role in a star-making show. The girl is soooo underappreciated. Updated On: 6/5/03 at 03:56 PM

Posted: 6/5/03 at 4:02pm

Yah, I have the cd recording for the vegas cast, and it has Jessica singing "He is shining like the sun"
the duet with Esmeralda. what a pretty voice. It's a trip that she played Fluer at 8pm, and Esmeralda at 10pm!!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/5/03 at 4:05pm

She is a very versatile little actress. She has such a beautiful soprano. I will admit to listening to the 1998 touring castrecording of 'Oz' regularly beacsue her beautiful rendition of 'Over The Rainbow'. In my book, she ranks up there with Judy. I saw the tour each time it came through here JUST to see her.

Posted: 6/5/03 at 4:13pm

Yah, I have the making of the touring cast on vhs featuring Jessica Grove, her somewhere over the rainbow IS pretty!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/5/03 at 4:14pm

You have the making???? I heard about about but never seen it. I want that!!!!!

Posted: 6/5/03 at 4:19pm

ya, ok, go into chatroom

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 6/5/03 at 4:28pm

Yea, I saw The Wizard of Oz too. Jessica was a highlight of the show for me.

Posted: 6/7/03 at 1:36pm

Well, too bad I missed Notre Dame in Vegas. I was actually there when it was playing, but didn't know what it was. Outside the Paris hotel they played a commercial on the giant screen (it was footage from the French recording) and I thought it looked amazing. Unfortnately the tix were like 70 bucks and I couldn't afford it at the time, so I saw Chicago instead.

I'm sad I didnt see it. But I have the Vegas cast cd to give me the general idea. It was ALOT shorter and most of the songs were cut down, and some were cut completely.

I think they brought it down to about 90 mins. or so.

[aliceripley]

Posted: 6/7/03 at 6:00pm

JakeB - was it really two years here? Wow... Actually the one time I sat through it felt like ninety...

Cadriel -Did you see the Swedish production of Chess. I found it very odd and just wish they'd come to their senses and revive the version that played at the Prince Edward originally.