As beautiful as this musical was (and putting the technical and creative choices aside for a moment), I do think it might have had a problem finding an audience. Mainly because, despite the fact that Disney did not put their name over the title on this one, many would have known it as one of the movies from the latest renaissance of Disney cinematic features.
Certainly it's not as known as some of the others, nor has it been seen by as many as such films as Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid. Heck, I even have friends from the decade I spent working for Disney who will say, 'That is the one I still haven't seen.' Even so, it's obviously Disney.
As to the audience though. Would you see a line of adults (only) at the box office, or a line of adults (only) walking into the theater? Probably not. They'd still see it as "Disney," so unless they're just big theater fans who want to have a taste of everything, many would take a pass.
Conversely, can you see a line of families with kids waiting to walk into the theater or at the box office? You probably would if it was those who didn't know much about its themes and were just going off the Disney brand. But then what would you see walking out of the theater after the show? Certainly not the smiles on the kid faces you see coming out of Aladdin or BATB or TLM.
It would have been a risk.
I will admit that when I saw it there were very few kids in the audience to be honest. It was early in its run so a lot of older (presumably) subscribers. And the response of the audience walking out of the theater was more of a mature, 'Wow. That was pretty powerful.' You could tell people liked it, but it was a different kind of response. Thought provoking almost.
But being Disney, it just might not draw that initial interest from adults to get them in the seats to begin with on a wider, Broadway scale.
As for kids? Too dark the way it was presented. I think the word of mouth would have gotten out about its intense themes.
It was an interesting piece to say the least. And while I partly agree with what many have said about the narration, when I saw it a second time with another group of friends who wanted to see it, the narration didn't bother me as much. And the performances, led by Arden, Page, Renee and Samonsky, were just great. Especially Arden and Page. Arden was heartbreaking as the Hunchback, and Page a true force as his nemesis.
Even despite some of the critiques and mild ridicule it gets in the reviews of some, I am really glad I saw it. I can say that everyone with whom I saw it loved it just as much as I did. And for the record, all seasoned Broadway theater-goers as well, being either from the northeast coast originally or CA natives who have wide experience of seeing shows in NY themselves. (And I only bring this up because the first few times this discussion circulated it was inferred by a poster or two that LA audiences aren't the same as NY audiences and don't expect as much. However, there are a lot of transplants here who bring with them those expectations, and those with whom I saw this show really liked it). So it all comes down to personal opinion and what does or doesn't work for you.
I thought it was an important message with some fantastic performances and some of the most beautiful music ever heard in a Disney movie.
