Esmeralda Study Guide

Esmeralda
Company Dancer Luz San Miguel. Photo: Jessica Kaminski
Study Guide
Presented by the Department of Education
Table of Contents
A Trip through the Spin Drier ----3
----3
Synopsis of the Ballet ----4
----4
French Idol – Victor Hugo ----7
----7
Noh’Noh’-truh dahm duh pahpah-ree’ ----9
----9
Springtime in Paris ----10
----10
Devilishly Decorated Drainpipes ----1
----11
Chimeras ----1
----12
The Pope of Fools – Quasimodo ----1
----13
Beauty and the Beast ----1
----14
Best in Show ----1
----15
Fire in his Eyes ----1
----16
Man vs. Man ----1
----17
Working as a Team ----1
----18
Hugo’s Musicals ----19
----19
Merci! ----22
----22
Appendix A: Wisconsin Model Academic Standards ----2
----23
Appendix B: How to Be a Good Theatre Audience ----2
----24
Appendix C: Balletomania! ----2
----25
Appendix D: Milwaukee Ballet’s Community Outreach Programs -26
Thank you to the following sponsors!
Without you our programs would not be possible!
2
A Trip through the Spin Drier
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! As the bells of Notre Dame ring, we welcome you to the study
guide to Michael Pink’s Esmeralda. If you have been a devoted fan of Milwaukee Ballet
since 2002, you may be familiar with Michael Pink’s other masterpieces – Dracula, Romeo
& Juliet, Cinderella and most recently, Peter Pan. In this same style, he brings us
Esmeralda– a dance drama said to be even bigger and more dramatic!
Here are some of the reviews:
“Hunchback is simply a monster smash!” – The Sunday Times
“Spectacular, eye-catching, fast moving … breathtaking sets.” – The Spectator
“Romance and tragedy writ large, dance drama as powerful, eloquent and exciting as
anything I have seen… Hunchback is an unquestioned triumph, a stunning fusion of
skill, talent and artistic vision.” – The Stage
This isn’t a light and airy ballet though. It is heavy – both in subject matter and in style. It
is intense and serious. For this reason, we have provided this study guide and have
recommended that this show is suitable for students in middle school and higher.
higher.
Teachers and parents – please, take the time to go through this guide with your
your students;
with a little background knowledge the ballet will be much more meaningful and
understandable.
Here’s a preview of what you will see:
“Composer Philip Feeney’s score is taut and luminous, exhibiting a diverse range of
influences and effect. The
The somber cadence of punishment and death that
that closes each act is
complemented by set designer Lez Brotherston’s imposing and intricate facades. The
production also contains some flamboyant visual moments:
moments a real bonfire is lit on stage, a
Cathedral rose window seems to symbolize the existence of beauty and hope, and
Quasimodo is costumed in latex and dental prosthetics that recall the hero-villains of silent
film. Yet this is no Disney production.
production It allows itself a fruitful ambiguity, and turns
tragedy into a means of artistic expression.” – Emma Jones, State of the Arts Magazine
“Forget Disney, this is the story that Hugo wrote,
and this is the story that packs the punch.
Hunchback grabs your attention, grabs your emotions
and puts you through the spin drier.”
– Michael Pink, Choreographer
3
Synopsis of the Ballet
Overture
The Cathedral of Notre Dame
Act I
Palais de Justice
Paris celebrates the Feast of Fools, but poet Gringoire’s play finds no favor with the crowd.
A competition for the most ugly face is more to their taste and Quasimodo, the grotesque
bellringer, is the clear winner. He is carried off in triumph, crowned as the Pope of Fools.
Place de Gréve
The beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda, dances joyously in the flickering light of the giant bonfire
but Archdeacon Frollo condemns her as depraved. As he is carried into the square,
Quasimodo is also harshly dismissed by Frollo, much to the resentment of the crowd.
Journey Through the Streets
Esmeralda makes her way home through the deserted streets, followed at a distance by
Gringoire.
Abduction and Rescue
Frollo incites Quasimodo to attempt an abduction of Esmeralda but she is rescued in the
nick of time by the dashing Phoebus, Captain of the Guard. The luckless Quasimodo is
dragged off to prison.
Esmeralda and Phoebus
The innocent young girl is captivated by the handsome soldier.
The Court of Miracles
Gringoire stumbles into the Court of Miracles, home of the cripples of Paris and after a
bizarre trial, is about to be hanged when Esmeralda saves his life by agreeing to marry him.
Esmeralda and Gringoire
Gringoire discovers it is to be a marriage in name only.
The Pillory
Quasimodo pays a fearful price for his attack on Esmeralda but it is the gypsy girl who
brings him water to ease his suffering. Her kindness is the first he has ever known.
4
Act II
Fleur de Lys
Fleur de Lys waits for a visit from her fiancé, Captain Phoebus. She and her friends work
on a tapestry and Fleur dances. The Captain’s arrival sends the girls into a fever of excited
dressing and a formal dance, which is followed by a duet for the betrothed pair.
Esmeralda’s Solo
From the street, the sound of a gypsy tambourine is heard and Esmeralda is invited to
entertain Fleur’s guests but her natural grace and beauty arouse the hostility of the
aristocratic girls and she is humiliated and dismissed.
La Pomme d’Eve
A tavern where the low life of Paris meet to drink and gamble. Captain Phoebus arrives
and is clearly very much at home. He sends Gringoire to find Esmeralda but when the girl
arrives, a mysterious cloaked figure is following her.
A Private Room
Phoebus begins his seduction of Esmeralda but, as the climax approaches, the dark figure,
Frollo, bursts from the shadows, stabs Phoebus and escapes into the shadows of the night.
When the guards arrive, it is Esmeralda who is arrested for the murder.
The Nightmare
Esmeralda’s mind floods with terrifying images as she lies alone and abandoned in the
darkness of a prison cell. As the terrified girl is led to the steps of Notre Dame for her final
penance, Quasimodo swings from the battlements of the Cathedral and carries her to
sanctuary.
Esmeralda, Milwaukee Ballet, Former Company Dancer Gemalia Garcia
5
Act III
The Belfry
High above the city of Paris, Quasimodo anxiously tends to Esmeralda. She finds him
physically repulsive, but she is grateful for his help and this is enough to send him into the
explosion of joy in the great belfry of Notre Dame.
Frollo Alone
The Archdeacon is tormented by his longing for Esmeralda and, unable to control his lust,
he makes his way through the darkened church to be with her.
The Confrontation
Frollo is shocked and incensed to discover that the misshapen bellringer will fight to the
death to protect Esmeralda from any danger.
The Rescue
The beggars of Paris mount an attack of the façade of Notre Dame and while Quasimodo
is distracted, Gringoire leads Esmeralda through the passages of the church to safety.
The Betrayal
Once outside the protection of the cathedral however, Gringoire gives the despairing girl
into the hands of her hated enemy, Frollo.
The Final Refusal
Frollo is abject as he begs Esmeralda to be his, but she swears she would rather die on the
gallows that submit to his embraces. He is outraged and summons the guards, who drag
Esmeralda to the scaffold.
The Execution
Quasimodo exerts his revenge on the Archdeacon with one mighty blow that leaves
Frollo’s body crushed, but he is too late to prevent the hanging of Esmeralda. Her lifeless
body swings from the gibbet until the heartbroken Quasimodo takes her in his arms. As
the light fades he mourns the only love of his life.
DID YOU KNOW that Hunchback is based on Victor Hugo’s novel Notre-Dame
de Paris (literally, Notre Dame of Paris)? Hugo’s title did not include the word
“hunchback” as in The Hunchback of Notre Dame – the way we know it in the Englishspeaking world. For Hugo, the main character of the novel was the cathedral Notre
Dame (which means “our lady”) - not Quasimodo the hunchback!
6
French Idol – Victor Hugo
“Victor
Victor Hugo defies classification.
classification Few authors have achieved his kind of fame or put such a personal
imprint on the century in which they lived.
Hugo was France’s most famous poet, playwright and essayist and also a prolific novelist… He was also a
pamphleteer, a compulsive letter-writer and diary-keeper, a politician, a prophet…
He became a celebrity when he was still a teenager – a hero to the workers while at the same time mingling
with kings and chiefs of state on equal terms – probably the first example of the modern media megastar.
megastar His
vision of the future was surprisingly accurate: he was, arguably, the first male feminist writer as well as the first
advocate of a democratic United States of Europe, also playing a leading role in shaping the checkered course
of his beloved France from dictatorship to democracy.
For all his cosmopolitanism, and influence on literary and political movements throughout the world he was
quintessentially French,
French in his outlook, his whimsy, his prickly individualism… In every way he was larger
than life, and in many ways
ways he was outrageous, a mass of contradictions. The feminist writer was also a rake,
the passionate humanist, in his youth and early middle age at least, a snob and arrant conservative, the lyrical,
romantic exponent of idealized love capable of crude, scatological outbursts and confessions. He was, as his
assiduous biographer, Huber Juin noted, ‘a kind of miracle, multiple, unique … a monster.’”
- Edward Behr, The Complete Book of Les Misérables
Reading Comprehension
What do the following words mean?
mean?
• Prolific
• Advocate
• Cosmopolitan
• Quintessential
• Arrant
• Scatological
• Assiduous
Answer these questions:
• What does it mean to “defy classification?”
• What would a “pamphleteer” do?
• What does it mean to be a “mass of contradictions?”
• What does the phrase “the feminist writer was also a rake” imply about Victor
Hugo?
7
“From the moment he started school, it was clear that young Victor Hugo was something
of a prodigy, excelling in physics, mathematics and philosophy as well as French literature,
mastering Latin and Greek with ease, translating Virgil, Horace and Luci
Lucian into elegant
French hexameters that far surpassed his teachers’ clumsy models. Writing poetry was as
natural to him as breathing, his inventiveness and mastery
mastery of language effortless.”
- Edward Behr, The Complete Book of Les Misérables
How about you?
•
•
•
•
•
•
What subjects are you best at?
What subjects are harder for you?
What is your favorite book?
What are you reading right now?
Who is your favorite author?
What talent do you have that is for you “as natural as breathing”?
Important Dates in Victor Hugo’s Life
1789
1802
1804-15
1804
1820
1825
1830
1831
1841
1851
1870
1875
1885
French Revolution begins.
Victor-Marie Hugo is born.
French Empire; rise and fall of the Napoleonic Empire, ending with the battle of
Waterloo.
Napoleon crowns himself at Notre Dame.
Victor Hugo’s poem Ode on the Death of the Duc de Berri attracts the attention of the
Court. King Louis XVIII sends him 500 francs.
Victor Hugo awarded the Légion d’honneur for services to literature.
Premiere of Victor Hugo’s play, Hernani, interrupted by fistfights between admirers and
detractors.
Victor Hugo publishes Notre-Dame de Paris.
Victor Hugo finally elected to the Académie Française after failing to win membership
twice.
Louis Napoleon dissolves Parliament, is proclaimed President with full powers for ten
years. Victor Hugo leaves hastily for Brussels.
Victor Hugo returns to Paris in October, is elected a member of Parliament by the
Parisians. In April and May the Paris ‘Commune’ uprising is soon crushed, leads to
appalling carnage and repression. In August, from Brussels, Hugo protests against the
Belgian Government’s refusal to give fleeing ‘Communards’ status of political exiles. His
Brussels house is stoned and he is declared persona non grata in Belgium.
Victor Hugo settles permanently in Paris, and is appointed Senator.
Victor Hugo dies on May 23 . On June 1 over three million people attend his funeral.
rd
st
8
Noh’-truh dahm duh pah-ree’
That’s how you correctly pronounce the French name of this novel – Notre Dame de Paris
- and the gorgeous, Gothic cathedral that rests off the River Seine in Paris, France. This
architectural beauty has a long and fascinating history and is also the
central focus of Victor Hugo’s novel.
“The subject [of this novel] required a vast knowledge of history. It is hard to conceive today how little the
Middle Ages were appreciated in Victor Hugo’s youth. Even medieval architecture was scorned. Few
cultivated people were alive to the beauty of the cathedrals… Victor Hugo adored the cathedral of NotreNotreDame in Paris, finding in it the contrasts he sought to express in his work. The sculptures of the immense
façade juxtaposed the sublime and the grotesque, saints and monstrous gargoyles… Most thorough of all was
his knowledge of the cathedral, its spiral staircases, its mysterious little stone rooms, its inscriptions, old and
new. On one wall he deciphered the Greek word Ananké (Fate) - this word provided the germ cell for his
book as he tried to imagine what lost soul had thus confessed its suffering. The true heroine of the novel is
‘the immense church of Notre-Dame, which seemed, with her two towers, her flanks of stone and her
monstrous haunches darkly silhouetted against a starry sky, an enormous, two-headed sphynx seated in the
midst of the city.’ …He
He endowed a cathedral, a city, a gallows, and a bell
bell with an indistinct but powerful life
of their own.”
own – André Maurois, Académie Française
DID YOU KNOW that the South Tower of Notre Dame houses the cathedral’s famous bell,
“Emmanuel” – it weighs 13 metric tons which is almost 28,000 pounds?! In reality, it took 8 monks to
ring this bell; Quasimodo would have had to be incredibly strong to do it alone! These monks used to
have to ring the bells of Notre Dame every 15 minutes. What a workout!!!
9
Springtime in Paris
Do a little research about traveling to Paris and Notre Dame online or by calling a local
travel agent and answer the following questions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is the capital of France?
Does France have a King, like it did when The Hunchback of Notre Dame was
written? If so, who is it? If not, who runs the government of France?
How much is a plane ticket to Paris?
Will you be able to fly direct? If not, where will you stop?
Name 5 popular tourist attractions in Paris – aside from Notre Dame:
What form of currency is used in France?
How much is an American dollar worth in France right now?
What is the weather like at this time of year in Paris?
What do they call they subway in Paris?
How much does it cost to travel by subway in Paris?
What kind of food will you be eating when you visit France? What delicacies or
specialties should you try if you go there?
What other cities are close enough to go to for small day-trips?
Are there other cathedrals worth visiting in Paris?
Do you have to pay to enter Notre Dame?
Do you have to pay to enter the Crypt of Notre Dame?
How many masses are celebrated at Notre Dame on Sundays?
Are the masses only performed in French at Notre Dame?
How did the stained glass windows of Notre Dame help the illiterate congregations
of the past?
•
10
Devilishly Decorated Drainpipes
A gargoyle is a grotesquely carved human or animal figure found on an architectural
structure, originally designed to serve as a spout to throw rainwater clear of a building.
Gutters ran along the spine and the water ran out through the mouth of the gargoyles and
fell to the streets below. Gargoyles later became strictly ornamental and assumed many
forms.
The term gargoyle comes from the Latin gurgulio, and the Old French gargouille, not only
meaning “throat” (also like garganta, “throat” in Spanish) but also describing the “gurgling”
gurgling”
sound made by water as it ran through the figure.
figure Superstition held that gargoyles
frightened away evil spirits while serving their practical function.
function After the lead drainpipe
was introduced in the sixteenth century, gargoyles primarily served as a decorative function.
This gargoyle is called a “chimera” – a mix between a human and an
animal.
After watching the ballet,
ballet, answer these
these questions
questions:
• Is this cathedral Notre Dame really a place of sanctuary like
it’s supposed to be?
• Does it protect Quasimodo?
• Does it protect Esmeralda?
11
Chimeras
Strictly speaking, a chimera has a head of a lion, a goat’s body and a serpent’s tail.
Make up your own chimera. Pick 3 animals and mesh their bodies into one strange, new
being. Give your creation a name. Perhaps you’ll create a “Dogaff
“Dogaffish
Dogaffish”
ish” (dog + giraffe +
fish) or a Catepilla
Catepillaphant
epillaphant (cat + caterpillar + elephant)!
elephant)!
The Incredible
Incredible ______________________________
____________ + ____________ + ____________
12
The Pope of Fools - Quasimodo
In the beginning of the novel, Quasimodo is
is crowned as the Pope of Fools
Fools;
ls;
the ugliest of the ugly in a festival called the Feast of Fools.
Fools.
Here’s a description of what won him this title:
“We shall not try to describe for the reader that tetrahedron nose, that horseshoe mouth, that small left eye
obscured by red bushy eyebrows; the right eye which disappeared completely under an enormous wart; those
jagged teeth, with gaps here and there, like the battlements of a fortress; that horny lip, over which one of
those teeth protruded like the tusk of an elephant; that forked chin, and above all, the expression on the
whole face, a mixture of malice, astonishment, and sadness. …Rather
Rather his whole person was a grimace. His
enormous head bristled with red hair; between his shoulders was an enormous hump, counterbalanced by a
protuberance in front; he had a framework of thighs and legs so strangely askew that they could touch only at
the knees, and, seen from the front, resembled two sickles joined together at the handles. The feet were
huge; the hands monstrous. Yet with all that deformity was a certain fearsome appearance of vigor, agility,
and courage; a strange exception to the eternal rule prescribing that strength, like beauty, shall result from
harmony. Such was the pope whom the fools had chosen.”
chosen – Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris
Based on that description, illustrate your own version of Quasimodo:
DID YOU KNOW that Quasimodo’s name literally means “half-made”?
DID YOU KNOW that Quasimodo’s make-up for the ballet takes over an hour
to put on and includes false teeth?
13
Beauty and the Beast
This novel was written, in Michael Pink’s words, “at a time when man’s
inhumanity toward man was extraordinary.” People were horribly afraid
of Quasimodo because of how he looked – just like in the story Beauty and the Beast.
Spend a moment thinking about this issue and answer the following questions:
•
How do we treat people who are different?
different
•
Do you think people still judge people by what they look like?
•
Has this ever happened to you?
you How did it make you feel?
feel
•
Have you ever judged someone unfairly?
unfairly Why? If you could go back and do
things differently,
differently, would you?
•
What is a fair way to judge people?
•
Why do you think that Quasimodo the hunchback has become the symbol of this
story even though we know that Victor Hugo never meant for him to be the main
character?
Later on in the story, Fleur de Lys and her friends treat Esmeralda as bad as
everyone treats Quasimodo throughout the ballet. In fact,
fact, in this scene in the ballet, Fleur
de Lys and her friends dance on a platform above Esmeralda – symbolizing their belief
that they are above her and better than her. Even though Esmeralda is beautiful, she still
isn’t treated nicely.
“It was a sight worth of a more intelligent onlooker than Phoebus, to watch these fair
damsels, with their envenomed and angry tongues, squirming, gliding, and writhing around
the street dancer. They were graciously cruel; they searched and pried maliciously into
every part of her poor, artless, tawdry finery of spangles and tinsel. They
They giggled cruelly
and heaped humiliation after humiliation upon her. Sarcasm, haughty condescension, and
spiteful glances rained down upon the gypsy from every side. One might have thought they
were young Roman ladies amusing themselves by pricking the breast of some pretty slave
girl with their golden pins; or you might have imagined they were graceful greyhounds
circling, with distended nostrils and flaming eyes, some poor hind of the forest which the
will of their master forbade them to devour.” – Victor Hugo, Notre Dame de Paris
•
Why do you think Fleur de Lys and her friends treat Esmeralda like this?
14
Best in Show
Read the description Victor Hugo gives below. No
No wonder these characters
work so well in a ballet – especially Esmeralda!
Esmeralda!
“She was not tall, but her slender lightsomeness made her appear so. Her complexion was
dark, but one guessed that by daylight it would have the beautiful golden tint of Andalusian
and Roman women. Her small feet, too, were Andalusian, for they seemed at once tight
yet comfortable in her dainty shoes. She pirouetted on an old Persian carpet, spread
carelessly under her feet. Each time she twirled, her radiant face and her large black eyes
seemed to glow for you alone.
alone In the circle all mouths were agape and all eyes staring. She
danced to a Basque tambourine which she tinkled above her head, thus displaying her
lovely arms. She wore a golden bodice tightly laced about her delicate body, exposing her
beautiful shoulders. Below her waist billowed a multicolored skirt, which in the whirling
dance, gave momentary glimpses of her finely shaped legs. With all this, and her black
hair and sparkling eyes, she seemed like something more than human.”
– Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris
DID YOU KNOW that in the novel, Esmeralda has a pet goat named Djali that
she has trained to dance and do tricks with her when she dances in the street? Djali
could count and do impressions of people in the French court! People actually thought
that Esmeralda was a witch because she had tamed a wild animal.
Today, we know it’s quite possible to train animals.
Do you have a pet? _____________________________________
What is its name? ______________________________________
How old is it? _________________________________________
What tricks can it do? _________________________________
How did you train it? __________________________________
What’s the worst thing your pet ever did? ______________
What’s the funniest thing your pet does? ________________
Paste a picture of you and your pet here!
15
Fire in His Eyes
Archdeacon Frollo represents the true evil of this story – he is the deepest and most
complicated of characters. Although he adopted Quasimodo as a baby, when no one else
would take him, he didn’t really do it as an act of kindness. As a man of the church, he
believed that this act would secure his salvation.
After reading this description of Frollo, draw your own version of him:
“And if, as he grew older, he had lost himself in scientific depths, still others opened in his
heart. So, at least, believed those who watched the priest’s face. His soul shone forth only
through a murky cloud. Why was his head always bowed? Why did he so often sigh?
What secret thought hid behind that bitter smile? Why did his lowering brows approach
each other like two angry bulls? Why was his scant hair gray? What caused the fire that
occasionally blazed in his eyes, making them look like holes in a burning furnace?”
– Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris
DID YOU KNOW that there is a chapter in the novel called The Dog and His
Master? Knowing what you know now about Quasimodo and Frollo, who do you think
Master
represents the dog and who is the master?
16
Man vs. Man
Read the following descriptions of the poet Gringoire and Captain Phoebus and then fill
out the chart comparing and contrasting these two men.
“ ‘You already know my name is Pierre Gringoire… When I was six years old, therefore, I was an orphan
who had nothing but the pavements of Paris for soles of his shoes. I do not know how I spent the interval
between six and sixteen… At sixteen I wanted to choose a profession. I tried everything.
everything I became a soldier,
but I wasn’t brave enough. I became a monk, but I wasn’t holy enough; besides I wasn’t a hardy drinker. In
despair, I became an apprentice in the carpenters; guild; but for that I wasn’t strong enough. I had wanted
most to be a schoolmaster. True, I didn’t know how to read, but that’s no obstacle. I perceived, at the end
of a certain time, that I was, for one reason or another, fit for nothing. So I decided to become a poet and
rhymester. It’s a profession one can always take up, if one’s a vagabond; and it’s better than stealing…’
stealing… ”
– Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris
“But the captain had by degrees become blasé; and he had become more and more cool to the prospect of
marriage. Besides, he was of a fickle disposition, and, if one may say so, of rather vulgar tastes.
tastes Although of
noble birth, he had contracted, with the help of his officer’s uniform, more than one habit of the common
soldier.
soldier He enjoyed frequenting the tavern and the life he found there. He was never at ease unless
surrounded by gross language,
language, military gallantries, easy beauties and easy conquests. Although he had
received from his family some education and polish, he had too early been allowed to run loose.”
– Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris
Compare & Contrast
What kind of background
does each man have?
GRINGOIRE
Was either man in the
military?
What kind of career does
each man have?
Are there any other
similarities between them?
Who do you like better?
Why?
17
PHOEBUS
Working as a Team
Michael Pink and Philip Feeney have worked as a team on many projects. Michael Pink is the
choreographer, which means he creates the dance; he literally invents the ballet from its movement to its look
on the stage! Philip Feeney is the composer, which means he writes the
the music, called the score. Together
the choreographer and the composer have to work together to decide how the story will happen, how long
the music should be and how to mesh the movement with the music so that together,
together, everything makes sense
to the audience
audience and allows them to follow the story.
With a friend, play the roles of choreographer and composer in the exercise below. Use the rest of the
guide and especially the descriptions from Victor Hugo’s novel to help you.
The Dancing
Based on what you have read about the characters, how do you expect the following
characters’ dancing will look? How will they move? (Think about levels, emotions, and
different uses of the body.) Use verbs (running, jumping, slithering, etc.) and adjectives
(slow, fat, choppy, languidly, etc.) to describe these characters:
Quasimodo
Esmeralda
Frollo
Phoebus
Fleur de Lys
Try some of these movements and see if they do fit with the character. Do they fit? Do
you need to change any of your descriptions?
The Music
Now that you know how you want each character to move, what kind of music should go
with each person? Are there particular instruments that seem to match the personality and
movement of the character? Is there a style of music (classical, hip-hop, jazz?) that goes
with each character?
Quasimodo
Esmeralda
Frollo
Phoebus
Fleur de Lys
Are you both in agreement about how the movement and music go together? Do you
have to compromise on anything? Do you both have the same vision of each character?
18
Hugo’s Musicals
“The poor poet [Gringoire] looked around him. Indeed, he was in that terrible Court of
Miracles, which no honest man had ever penetrated at such an hour; a magic circle where
Miracles
the officers of the Chatelet and the sergeants of the provosty who ventured there
disappeared like crumbs; the city of thieves, a hideous wart on the face of Paris
Paris; a sewer
from which there escaped every morning, and to which there returned every night to
stagnate that stream of vice, poverty, and vagrancy that that ever flows through the streets of
capitals; a monstrous hive, to which there came every night all the bees of society with their
evil spoils;
spoils a sham hospital, where the gypsy, the unfrocked monk, the discredited scholar,
the good-for-nothings of every nation – Spaniards, Italians, Germans – of every religion –
Jews, Christians, Mohammedans, idolaters – covered with painted sores, beggars in the
daytime, transformed themselves at night into robbers; in short, an immense dressing
room, where dressed and undressed at that time all the actors of this eternal comedy which
robbery, prostitution, and murder enact on the pavements of Paris.”
– Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris
Clopin, the King of Beggars,
Beggars, rules over this place, strangely called the Court of Miracles in
the
the novel and ballet. It becomes a visual spectacle in the ballet that literally comes to life
from the words of Hugo’s novel. One of Victor Hugo’s other masterpieces, Les
Miséérables has been turned into one of Broadway’s most well known and loved musicals.
Mis
musicals.
In this story, as in Hunchback, the characters range the gamut from Paris’ most affluent
people to the dregs of society living on the cold cobblestones
cobblestones of the Parisian
Parisian night. Here’s
a section of lyrics from “Les Mis”;
Mis”; this is from a song called “Master
“Master of the House”
– about the man who runs the local inn and cheats and steals
what he can from the guests who stay there.
Master of the house,
Keeper of the zoo,
Ready to relive ‘em
Of a sou, or two.
Watering the wine,
Making up the weight,
Pickin’ up their knick-knacks
When they can’t see straight.
Everybody loves a landlord,
Everybody’s bosom friend –
I do whatever pleases
Won’t I bleed them in the end!
…Food beyond compare,
Food beyond belief,
Mix it in a mincer
And pretend it’s beef.
Kidney of a horse,
19
Liver of a cat,
Filling up the sausages
With this and that!
…Charge ‘em for the lice,
Extra for the mice,
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice.
Here a little slice,
There a little cut,
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut.
When it comes to fixing prices
There are lots of tricks he knows –
How it all increases,
All those bits and pieces
It’s amazing how it grows!
Les Misérables – Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg
Hunchback has already been turned into a ballet and more than a few movies – why not a
musical? In this style, write a song about one of the main characters from Hunchback –
rhyming
ing scheme that either rhymes
choose from Quasimodo, Esmeralda or Frollo. Use a rhym
the words at the end of each sentence in pairs of two (AABB) or a scheme that rhymes
every other line (ABAB) so that your song flows rhythmically. You may want to write a
chorus that is repeated after each verse.
DID YOU KNOW that Victor Hugo left explicit instructions in his will that none
of his poems ever be set to music? He never said anything about his novels though,
hence the huge success of Les Misérables.
20
An Original Song by _________________ Inspired by The Hunchback of Notre Dame
21
Merci!
This guide was written by Alyson Chavez, Director of Education
This guide was originally written for Colorado Ballet
A special thanks to Tiffany Grady at Colorado Ballet for contributing to this guide
A very special MERCI for
Michael Pink, Choreographer, Esmeralda
& the Cast & Crew of Esmeralda
Resources:
Behr, Edward. The Complete Book of Les Misérables. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1989.
Hugo, Victor. The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Trans. Walter J. Cobb. New York: Penguin Group, 1965.
Maurois, André. Afterword. The Hunchback of Notre Dame. By Victor Hugo. New York: Penguin
Group, 1965. 501-511.
Hunchback of Notre Dame – Michael Pink’s press kit and reviews
http://en.wikipedia.org
www.discoverfrance.net
www.studyguide.org
Want to see more Hunchback?
Check out the following movies:
•
•
•
•
•
1923 Silent version starring Lon Chaney, Sr.
1939 LiveLive-action film starring Charles Laughton
1956 LiveLive-action film starring Anthony Quinn
1982 LiveLive-action film starring Anthony Hopkins and Derek Jacobi
1996 Disney animation by Walt Disney Studios
22
Appendix A: Wisconsin Model Academic Standards
Parents and Teachers: This
This study Guide utilizes Wisconsin Model Academic Standards.
Below are a few examples.
English Language Arts
Standard A. Read and discuss literary and nonliterary texts in order to
understand human experience.
4.3 Identify and summarize main ideas and key points from
literature, informational texts, and other print and nonprint
sources
8.3 Identify common historical, social, and cultural themes and
issues in literary works and selected passages
Social Studies
Standard B: History
4.3 Examine biographies, stories, narratives, and folk tales to
understand the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people, place
them in time and context, and explain their relationship to
important historical events
12.7 Identify major works of art and literature produced in the
United States and elsewhere in the world and explain how they
reflect the era in which they were created
Dance
Standard A: Motor Learning
4.7 Create shapes through movement and move at low, medium,
and high levels
Standard C: Improvisation
4.1 Use improvisation to explore, discover, and invent
movement
4.2 Improvise spontaneous dances using poetry, stories, and
props
Standard D: Choreography
4.2 Create a dance phrase, repeat it, and vary it (making changes
in the space, time, and/or force or energy)
8.6 Use scientific and/or mathematical concepts to create
movement studies
Standard E: Critical Thinking
8.2 Demonstrate appropriate audience behavior while watching
dance performances, and discuss their opinions about the dances
with their peers in a supportive and constructive way
Standard F: Communication and Expression
8.2 Research influential dancers, choreographers, and styles (such
as modern, ballet, square, Ghanaian, Middle Eastern)
23
Appendix B: How to Be a Good Theatre Audience
Unlike actors on your television, performers on the stage are aware of their audience and
want very much to communicate their art to you, and feel your appreciation in turn. In
fact, by the time you arrive at a theatre for a scheduled performance, many people
(choreographers, composers, dancers, technicians, costume and lighting designers, etc.)
have worked very hard to bring you their best efforts. In order to show respect for those
efforts, every audience member must give the performance their full attention and avoid
any behavior that interferes with anyone else doing the same. We have rules that help us
accomplish this goal, and you should do your best to understand and follow them:
1. Always arrive at the theatre with plenty of time to find your seats and settle down into
them. Late arrivals mean disruption for everyone else, including the performers.
2. No shoving or running in the lobby.
3. No cameras or video recorders. Flashes are dangerous for dancers and unapproved
photos and videos violate copyright laws.
4. No hooting, whistling or yelling during the performance. The performance has begun
when anyone on stage starts talking or dancing, or when the orchestra starts playing. You
are welcome to show your appreciation for the performance with applause at the end of the
ballet or sometimes at the end of a section or solo. You are also welcome to laugh is
someone on stage is being intentionally funny.
5. No talking or whispering during the performance. You will have plenty of time to
discuss your impressions at intermission of after the show.
6. No gum, candy or food in the theatre (it makes noise and sticky messes).
7. Use the bathroom before the show begins or at intermission, not during the
performance.
24
Appendix C: Balletomania!
There are many ways to become a balletomane (a ballet fan or enthusiast) besides taking
dance classes or wanting to be a ballerina or premier danseur yourself. Here are some
suggestions for enjoying ballet:
Watching ballet on film – check with your local library to see what videos they offer.
Regular video stores also offer musicals, which sometimes have some great dancing in them
(although not usually ballet).
Read the stories the ballets are based on and listen to the music before you go to see the
show – you will understand the whole ballet a lot more if you are not struggling to keep up
with what the characters are doing. If the ballet does not have a plot, being familiar with
the music will help you focus on the dancing more.
Keep a ballet scrapbook – clip and save articles, reviews and promotional ads from the
newspaper. Collect and save all of your programs, ticket stubs and even autographs from
your favorite dancers to add to your book. (Sometimes, if you wait at the Stage Door after
a performance, you can meet the dancers as they leave the theatre.)
Write a review of the ballets you see – read the professional reviews in the papers first. Do
you agree with them? Do you like things they forgot to mention? If you don’t agree with
them, or you think there is more to say, write your own review and try to describe what you
saw and why you liked it.
Check out books in the library about ballet – there are a number of fictional and nonfictional books about ballet, being a dancer, the art of ballet and its stars.
Workshops – attend special workshops at your school or local theaters.
Look for ballet in art – several painters, sculptors and photographers use dance and
dancers as their inspiration. For example, Edward Degas painted dancers on stage and in
the studio. Local artist, Jason Fricke does beautiful drawings of Milwaukee Ballet’s
dancers.
AND OF COURSE . . .
Going to the theatre – attend as many performances of Milwaukee Ballet and other local
dance companies as you can. Did you know that almost all companies offer at least one
free performance a year? Check the entertainment section of your newspaper for listings
of upcoming shows and events.
25
26