The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (French: Notre-Dame de Paris, "Our Lady of Paris") is a novel by Victor Hugo published in 1831. The French title refers to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, around which the story is centered.
Hugo began to write Hunchback in 1829. The agreement with his original publisher, Gosselin, was that the book would be finished that same year. However, Hugo was constantly delayed due to the demands of other projects. By the summer of 1830, Gosselin demanded the book to be completed by February 1831. And so beginning in September 1830, Hugo worked non-stop on the project; he bought a new bottle of ink, a woollen cloak, [citation needed] and cloistered himself in his room refusing to leave his house (except for nightly visits to the cathedral). The book was finished six months later.
Synopsis
The story dates back to January 6, 1482 in Paris, France, the day of the 'Festival of Fools' in Paris. Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame, is introduced by his crowning as Pope of Fools.
Esmeralda, a beautiful Gypsy with a kind and generous heart, captures the hearts of many men but especially those of Quasimodo and his adopted father, Claude Frollo, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame. Frollo is torn between his lust and the rules of the church. He orders Quasimodo to kidnap her and then abandons him when he is caught and whipped and ordered to be tied down in the heat. Esmeralda, seeing his thirst, offers the hunchback water. It saves her, for she captures the heart of Quasimodo.
Esmeralda is later charged with the attempted murder of Phoebus, whom Frollo attempted to kill in jealousy, and is sentenced to death by hanging. Crazy with frustrated lust, Frollo has her condemned to death when she refuses to be his. As she is being led to the gallows, Quasimodo swings down by the bell rope of Notre Dame and carries her off to the cathedral under the law of sanctuary. Clopin rallies the Truands (criminals of Paris) to charge the cathedral and rescue Esmeralda. The King, seeing the chaos, vetoes the law of sanctuary and commands his troops to take Esmeralda out and kill her. When Quasimodo sees the Truands, he assumes they are there to hurt Esmeralda, so he drives them off. Frollo betrays Esmeralda by handing her to the troops and watches while she is hanged. Quasimodo pushes him from the heights of Notre Dame to his death. Quasimodo then goes to a mass grave, lies next to her corpse, crawls off to Esmeralda's tomb with his arms around her body and eventually dies of starvation. Two years later, excavationists find the skeletons of Esmeralda with a broken neck and Quasimodo locked in an embrace.
Characters
Major
* Quasimodo, the titular protagonist of the story. He is a barely verbal hunchback bell-ringer of Notre Dame. Ringing the church bells has made him deaf. When he was a hideous and abandoned baby, he was adopted by Claude Frollo. Quasimodo's life within the confines of the cathedral and his only two outlets—ringing the bells and his love and devotion for Frollo—are described. He ventures outside the Cathedral rarely, since people despise and shun him for his appearance. The notable occasions when he does leave are his taking part in the Festival of Fools—during which he is elected Fools'-Pope due to his perfect hideousness—and his subsequent attempt to kidnap Esmeralda, his rescue of Esmeralda from the gallows, his attempt to bring Phoebus to Esmeralda, and his final abandonment of the cathedral at the end of the novel. It is revealed in the story that the baby Quasimodo was left by the Gypsies in place of Esmeralda, whom they abducted.
* Esmeralda, the protagonist of the story. She is a beautiful young barefoot Gypsy dancer, innocent, close to nature, and naturally compassionate and kind. She is the center of the human drama within the story. A popular focus of the citizens' attentions, she experiences their changeable attitudes, being first adored as an entertainer, then hated as a witch, before being lauded again for her dramatic rescue by Quasimodo; when the King finally decides to put her to death, he does so in the belief that the Parisian mob want her dead. She is loved by both Quasimodo and Claude Frollo, but falls deeply in love with Captain Phoebus, a handsome military man who only has a passing infatuation with her and whom she believes will protect her. She is the only character to show the hunchback a moment of human kindness: as he is being whipped for punishment and jeered by a horrid rabble, she approaches the public stock and gives him a drink of water. Because of this, he falls fiercely in love with her, even though she is too disgusted by his ugliness even to let him kiss her hand.
* Claude Frollo is the Archdeacon of Notre Dame. Despite his celibacy vows as a priest, he finds himself madly in love with Esmeralda. He nearly murders Phoebus in a jealous rage from seeing Phoebus on top of Esmeralda. He is killed when Quasimodo pushes him off the cathedral. His dour attitude and his alchemical experiments scared and alienated him from the Parisians, who believed him a sorcerer, and so he lived without family, save for Quasimodo and his spoiled brother Jehan. He serves as the novel's main antagonist.
* Pierre Gringoire is a struggling poet. He mistakenly finds his way into the "Court of Miracles", the secret lair of the Gypsies. In order to preserve the secrecy, Gringoire must either be killed by hanging, or marry a Gypsy. Although Esmeralda does not love him, and in fact believes him a coward rather than a true man (he, unlike Phoebus, failed in his attempt to rescue her from Quasimodo), she takes pity on his plight and marries him—although, much to his disappointment, she refuses to let him touch her.
* Phoebus de Chateaupers is the Captain of the King's Archers. After he saves Esmeralda from abduction, she becomes infatuated with him, and he is intrigued by her. He is already betrothed, but just wants to lie with her. As he continues talking to and kissing her, Frollo comes from behind and stabs him. Esmeralda faints and upon waking up, finds that she has been framed with killing him. After the events of the novel, he suffers the 'tragedy' of marriage to the beautiful but spiteful Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier.
* Clopin Trouillefou is the King of Truands. He rallies the Court of Miracles to rescue Esmeralda from Notre Dame after the idea is suggested by Gringoire. He is eventually killed during the attack by the King's soldiers.
Minor
* Djali (pronounced like "Jolly") is Esmeralda's pet goat. She performs tricks such as writing the word "Phoebus" in moveable letter-blocks, and tapping the number of beats to indicate the month and hour of the day. These tricks delight the citizens at first, but later horrify them, causing them to believe Esmeralda is a witch.
* Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier is a beautiful and wealthy socialite engaged to Phoebus. Phoebus's attentions to Esmeralda make her insecure and jealous, and she and her friends respond by treating Esmeralda with contempt and spite. Fleur-de-Lys later neglects to inform Phoebus that Esmeralda has not been executed, which serves to deprive the pair of any further contact. Phoebus and Fleur-de-Lys marry at the end of the novel.
* Jehan Frollo is Claude Frollo's over-indulged, scallywag younger brother. He is a troublemaker and a student at the university. He is dependent on his brother for money, which he then proceeds to squander on alcohol. Quasimodo kills him during the attack on the cathedral.
* Sister Gudule, formerly named Paquette la Chantefleurie, is an anchorite, who lives in seclusion in an exposed cell in central Paris. She is tormented by the loss of her daughter Agnes, whom she believes to have been cannibalised by Gypsies as a baby, and devotes her life to mourning her. Her long-lost daughter turns out to be Esmeralda.
* Louis XI is the King of France. Appears briefly when he is brought the news of the rioting at Notre Dame.
* Tristan l'Hermite is a friend of King Louis XI. He leads the band that goes to capture Esmeralda.
* Henriet Cousin is the city executioner.
* Florian Barbedienne is the judge who sentences Quasimodo to be tortured. He is also deaf.
* Jacques Charmolue gets Esmeralda to falsely confess to killing Phoebus. He then has her executed.
Major themes
The original French title, Notre-Dame de Paris (the formal title of the Cathedral) indicates that the Cathedral itself is the most significant aspect of the novel, both the main setting and the focus of the story's themes. Nearly every event in the novel takes place in the cathedral, atop the cathedral or can be witnessed by a character standing within or atop the cathedral. The Cathedral had fallen into disrepair at the time of writing, which Hugo wanted to point out. The book portrays the Gothic era as one of extremes of architecture, passion, and religion. The theme of determinism (fate and destiny) is explored as well as revolution and social strife. The severe distinction of the social classes is shown by the relationships of Quasimodo and Esmeralda with higher-caste people in the book. Hugo is also very concerned with justice, and description of religious fanaticism.
The main theme as said in the Disney's adpatation is "Who is the Monster and who is the Man?????"
Architecture
Architecture is a major concern of Hugo's in Notre-Dame de Paris, not just as embodied in the cathedral itself, but as representing throughout Paris and the rest of Europe an artistic genre which, Hugo argued, was about to disappear with the arrival of the printing press. Claude Frollo's portentous phrase, ‘Ceci tuera cela’ ("This will kill that", as he looks from a printed book to the cathedral building), sums up this thesis, which is expounded on in Book V, chapter 2. Hugo writes that ‘quiconque naissait poète se faisait architecte’ ("whoever is born a poet becomes an architect"), arguing that while the written word was heavily censored and difficult to reproduce, architecture was extremely prominent and enjoyed considerable freedom.
Il existe à cette époque, pour la pensée écrite en pierre, un privilége tout-à-fait comparable à notre liberté actuelle de la presse. C'est la liberté de l'architecture.
There exists in this era, for thoughts written in stone, a privilege absolutely comparable to our current freedom of the press. It is the freedom of architecture.
—Book V, Chapter 2
With the recent introduction of the printing press, it became possible to reproduce one's ideas much more easily on paper, and Hugo considered this period to represent the last flowering of architecture as a great artistic form. As with many of his books, Hugo was interested in a time which seemed to him to be on the cusp between two types of society.
Literary significance and reception
The enormous popularity of the book in France spurred the nascent historical preservation movement in that country and strongly encouraged Gothic revival architecture. Ultimately it led to major renovations at Notre-Dame in the 19th century led by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Much of the cathedral's present appearance is a result of this renovation.
Allusions and references
Allusions to actual history, geography and current science
In The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo makes frequent reference to the architecture of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
He also mentions the invention of the printing press, when the bookmaker near the beginning of the work speaks of "the German pest."
Victor Hugo lived a few homes away from Victor of Aveyron, the first well-documented feral child, although the inspiration for Quasimodo's character is not directly linked to him.
Allusions in other works
The name Quasimodo has become synonymous with "a courageous heart beneath a grotesque exterior."
Film, TV, or theatrical adaptations
To date, all of the film and TV adaptations have strayed somewhat from the original plot, some going as far as to give it a happy ending. The 1956 film is one of the only ones to end exactly like the novel, although it changes other parts of the story. Unlike most adaptations, the Disney version has the ending that's inspired by an opera created by Hugo himself.
Film
* Esmeralda (1905 film)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1911 film)
* The Darling of Paris (1917 film)
* Esmeralda (1922 film)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923 film)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939 film)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956 film)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)
* The Hunchback (1997 film)
* Quasimodo d'El Paris (1999 film)
* Saeed Khan Rangeela a Pakistani comedian turned director made a movie named Kubra Aashiq in 1973 inspired from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, with himself in the lead role of Quasimodo. However it did not fulfill the expectations of the audience and literary circles also did not appreciate it.
Television
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1966 film)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1977 film)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982 film)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1986 film)
Theatre
* In 1977, an adaptation by Ken Hill was commissioned and staged by the National Theatre in London.
Music
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Alec R. Costandinos and the Syncophonic Orchestra from 1977, a lush orchestral disco 28 minute epic re-telling the tale of Quasimodo and Esmeralda.
Musical theatre
* Opera "La Esmeralda", by Louise Bertin (1836), libretto by Victor Hugo.
* Opera "Esmeralda", by Arthur Goring Thomas (1883) based on the Victor Hugo novel.
* Opera Esmeralda, by Dargomyzhsky (1847), also based on the same Victor Hugo novel.
* "Notre Dame", romantic Opera in two acts, text after Victor Hugo by Franz Schmidt and Leopold Wilk; composed: 1902-4, 1st perf.: Vienna 1914
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1993), an Off Broadway musical with music by Byron Janis, lyrics by Hal Hackady and book by Anthony Scully
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1993), a dramatic sung-through musical with book and lyrics by Gary Sullivan and music by John Trent Wallace. After a production at the Mermaid Theatre in London it was published by Samuel French Ltd in 1997 and has received several UK productions as well as productions in New Zealand and Australia. In 2010 it was re-written as a conventional musical, with the new title Notre Dame.
* In 1999, "Notre Dame de Paris (musical)" opened in Paris and became an instant success. It is considered the most successful adaptation of any novel except for "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Misérables." It was also adapted for the stage by Nicholas DeBaubien.
* From 1999 to 2002, the Disney film was adapted into a darker, more Gothic musical production called Der Glöckner von Notre Dame (translated in English as The Bellringer of Notre Dame), re-written and directed by James Lapine and produced by the Disney theatrical branch, in Berlin, Germany. A cast recording was also recorded in German. There has been discussion of an American revival of the musical.
* A rock musical version was released in Seattle, Washington in 1998 titled "Hunchback" with music and script by C. Rainey Lewis.
* A musical version, scored by Dennis DeYoung, will open in Chicago at the Bailiwick Reperatory in the summer of 2008
Ballet
* Notre-Dame de Paris A ballet choreographed by Roland Petit. First performed in 1965 at the Paris Opera.
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1998) – choreography and direction by Michael Pink and original music score by Philip Feeney. Currently in the repertoire of Milwaukee Ballet, Boston Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and Colorado Ballet.
* Ringaren i Notre Dame (Swedish for The Bellringer of Notre Dame; 2009) – choreography by Pär Isberg and original music score by Stefan Nilsson. Its first performance was on 3 April 2009, by the Royal Swedish Ballet at the Royal Swedish Opera, Stockholm.
Radio
The book was twice adapted and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 as its Classic Serial:
* in 5 parts from 6 January to 3 February 1989, with Jack Klaff as Quasimodo
* in 2 parts on 30 November and 7 December 2008, with deaf actor David Bower playing Quasimodo.
Translation history
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame has been translated into English many times. Translations are often reprinted by various publisher imprints. Some translations have been revised over time.
* 1833. Translated by Frederic Shoberl as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Later revisions.
* 1833. Translated by William Hazlitt as Notre Dame: A Tale of the Ancien Regime. Later revisions.
* 1888. Translated by Isabel F. Hapgood as Notre-Dame de Paris.
* 1895. Translated by M.W. Artois et al., part of the 28-vol The Novels of Victor Hugo, re-printed in the 20th century under other titles.
* 1964. Translated by Walter J. Cobb. In multiple editions, see for example Signet Classics ISBN 0451527887, Pub date 10 April 2001, paperback.
* 1978. Translated by John Sturrock. In multiple editions, see for example Penguin Classics ISBN 0140443533, Pub date 26 October 1978, paperback.
* 1993. Translated by Alban J. Krailsheim as Notre-Dame de Paris. See Oxford World's Classics ISBN 978-0199555802
* 2002. Revised translation by Catherine Liu of an anonymous 19th century translation. See Modern Library Classics ISBN 0679642579, Pub date 8 October 2002.
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Quotations
* A description of Quasimodo upon his election as the fool's pope: "We shall not attempt to give the reader an idea of that tetrahedron nose- that horse-shoe mouth- that small left eye over-shadowed by a red bushy brow, while the right eye disappeared entirely under an enormous wart- of those straggling teeth with breaches here and there like the battlements of a fortress- of that horny lip, over which one of those teeth projected like the tusk of an elephant- of that forked chin- and, above all, of the expression spread over all this-that expression of mingled malice, amazement and sadness." (p. 62)
* On the connection between architecture and culture: "When a man understands the art of seeing, he can trace the spirit of an age and the features of a king even in the knocker on a door." (p. 184)
* Quasimodo's reaction to Esmeralda's gift of a drink of water while he is being heckled on the pillory: "Then from that eye, hitherto so dry and burning, was seen to roll a big tear, which fell slowly down that deformed visage so long contracted by despair. Perhaps it was the first that the unfortunate creature had ever shed." (p. 322)
* Quasimodo, explaining why he won't enter Esmeralda's cell: "The owl goes not into the nest of the lark." (p. 502)
* After Esmeralda's execution: "Quasimodo then lifted his eye to look upon the Gypsy girl, whose body, suspended from the gibbet, he beheld quivering afar, under its white robes, in the last struggles of death; then again he dropped it upon the archdeacon, stretched a shapeless mass at the foot of the tower, and he said with a sob that heaved his deep breast to the bottom, 'Oh-all that I've ever loved!'"
【中文名稱】巴黎聖母院 【英文名稱】Notre Dame de Paris
【外文片名】The Hunchback of Notre Dame
【影片類型】恐怖影片
【影片時長】115分鐘
【拍攝國傢】法國、意大利
【對白語言】法語
【色彩】彩色
【幅面】35毫米膠片變形寬銀幕
【混音】單聲道
【評級】Rated PG for violence and sensuality
【級別】Argentina
【版權所有】Paris Film Production（法國國際電影公司）
【拍攝時間】1956年4月16日~1956年8月11日
【攝製格式】35 毫米
【洗印格式】35毫米電影海報
【製作公司】Panitalia Paris Film Productions
【發行公司】Allied Artists Pictures Corporation [美國]
Cocinor [法國]
【製作人】Raymond Hakim .....producer
Robert Hakim .....producer
劇組人員
【導演】讓·德拉努瓦（Jean Delannoy）
【編劇】維剋多·雨果 Victor Hugo .....(novel)
【改編】Jean Aurenche .....&
Jacques Prévert
Ben Hecht .....uncredited
【演員】
Gina Lollobrigida（吉娜·勞洛勃麗吉達 ）.....Esmeralda
Anthony Quinn .....Quasimodo
Jean Danet .....Capitaine Phoebus de Chateaupers
Alain Cuny .....Claude Frollo
Robert Hirsch .....Gringoire
Danielle Dumont .....Fleur de Lys
Philippe Clay .....Clopin Trouillefou
Maurice Sarfati .....Jehan Frollo
Jean Tissier .....King Louis XI
Valentine Tessier .....Aloyse de Gondelaurier
Jacques Hilling .....Charmolue
Jacques Dufilho .....Guillaume Rousseau
Roger Blin .....Mathias Hungadi
Marianne Oswald .....Falourdel
Roland Bailly .....Torterue
Piéral .....Le nain
Camille Guérini .....Le président du tribunal
Damia .....La mendiante
Robert Lombard .....Jacques Coppenole
Albert Rémy .....Jupiter
Hubert de Lapparent .....Guillaume de Harancourt
Boris Vian .....Le cardinal
Madeleine Barbulée .....Madame Outarde
Albert Michel .....Le veilleur de nuit
Daniel Emilfork .....Le rouge
Michel Etcheverry .....L'archidiacre (as Etcheverry)
Dominique Davray .....La Charonne
Yvette Lucas .....Rongeoreille
Denise Carvenne .....La tapissière
Jacques Bertrand .....Bellevigne de l'Etoile
Paul Bonifas .....Maître Le Cornu (uncredited)
Christine Darvel .....(uncredited)
Jenny Doria .....(uncredited)
Georges Douking .....Un tire-laine (uncredited)
Pierre Fresnay .....Récitant/Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Christine Langart .....(uncredited)
Anne Laurent .....(uncredited)
Jean Martin .....Un tire-laine (uncredited)
Louisette Rousseau .....(uncredited)
Françoise Vallery .....(uncredited)
各地上映日期
【法國】1956年12月19日
【意大利】1956年12月19日
【西德】1957年2月22日
【瑞典】1957年7月29日
【美國】1957年11月3日
【芬蘭】1960年3月25日
【東德】1972年2月18日
【芬蘭】1974年2月22日
【俄羅斯】2003年6月21日
【中國】2008年1月5日
劇情介紹
版本一
美麗善良的吉普賽姑娘埃斯米拉達白天靠跳舞賣藝為生，晚上則和一群自稱“乞丐王國”的窮苦人居住在一起。埃斯特拉達的美貌傾國傾城，卻給她引來了殺身之禍。
國王衛隊的隊長菲比斯原本已有未婚妻，卻垂涎於埃斯米拉達的美色，騙取了她的芳心。就在菲比斯和埃斯米拉達在旅館幽會時，突然菲比斯被一個神秘的黑衣人刺傷。由於黑衣人沒有被找到，旅館老闆的供詞又對埃斯米拉達非常不利，在法庭上，埃斯米拉達受刑後被迫招供，承認是她想殺害菲比斯。埃斯米拉達因此被判絞刑。
其實那個隱藏在黑暗角落裏的黑衣人是巴黎聖母院的神父弗羅洛。他孤僻刻薄，表面上是個對女人厭惡的忠誠的教徒，內心卻一直燃燒着熊熊烈火，渴望得到美麗的埃斯米拉達，是他在看到埃斯米拉達和菲比斯約會時無法控製自己的嫉妒，刺傷了菲比斯。
在埃斯米拉達被送往絞刑架的路上，巴黎聖母院的敲鐘人卡西莫多將她救下帶入聖母院避難。卡西莫多外表醜陋無比，從小被弗羅拉神父收養。但他心地善良，並真心地愛着埃斯米拉達。在聖母院中，卡西莫多就是埃斯米拉達的守護神。
國王的衛隊開始進攻聖母院捉拿埃斯米拉達，卡斯莫多誓死保護。但他一個人的力量必定有限，埃斯米拉達被亂箭射死。卡西莫多看到她的屍體被拉走，悲痛欲絶，他把真正的兇手——弗羅拉神父從聖母院的頂層扔了下去。
卡西莫多找到放置埃斯米拉達屍體的地方，緊緊地抱着自己心愛的姑娘。多年後，人們發現了兩具纏繞在一起屍骨，當人們想要將他們分離時，這兩具屍骨頓時化作了灰塵消失得無影無蹤。
版本二
本片根據法國大文豪維剋多爾果名著《巴黎聖母院》改編。醜聾人卡利摩多被巴黎聖母院的神父羅德收養，做撞鐘人，外貌正經的剋羅德神父自從遇見美麗的吉普賽少女愛斯梅拉達後，被其美色所誘而神魂顛倒，指使卡利摩多強行擄走愛斯梅拉達，途中被非必斯騎兵上尉隊長所救，愛斯梅拉達因而愛上了非必斯。但非必斯生性風流，被懷恨在心的剋羅德刺殺。並嫁禍於愛斯梅拉達，令她被判死刑，行刑時，卡利摩多將愛斯梅拉達救走並藏身於聖母院中，乞丐群衆為救愛斯梅拉達而衝入教堂，誤與卡利摩多大戰，愛斯梅拉達被由剋羅德帶領的軍隊衝入聖母院所殺，最後卡利摩多憤然將剋羅德從教堂頂樓摔落地下，最後卡利摩多撫着愛斯梅拉達的屍體殉情。
版本三
這部雨果名著曾被多次搬上銀幕，其中1939年的美國版被廣泛認為是最佳版本，其中的德國表現主義布景尤其值得稱道。純潔美麗的吉普賽女郎艾斯美拉達，和“乞丐王國”的人一起，到處賣藝行乞。一次，為了救流浪詩人甘果瓦，她被迫嫁給了他。國王的衛隊長菲比斯是個花花公子，他騙取了艾斯美拉達的愛情。就在他們約會時，一個黑衣人將菲比斯刺傷。艾斯美拉達作為嫌疑犯被送上法庭，並判處絞刑。奇醜無比的巴黎聖母院的撞鐘老人卡西莫多將她救了出來，並帶進教堂避難，卡西莫多一直深愛着她。在一次混亂中，艾斯美拉達被國王衛隊 的亂箭射死，悲痛欲絶的卡西莫多轉身將真正的殺人兇手也就是弗洛洛神父，從聖母院的頂樓扔了下去。之後與艾斯美拉達的屍體緊緊地抱在一起，一起化為了塵土。
內容詳介
1482年，法王路易十一統治下的巴黎城沉浸在“愚人節”的狂歡的氣氛中。巴黎聖母院前面的廣場上，來自埃及的吉卜賽少女愛斯梅拉達以動人的美貌和婀娜的舞姿博得了人們熱烈地喝彩。她把人們給她的賞錢，分給窮苦的孩子們，並對他們說：“把這些錢全部拿去，你們去過節吧！”孩子們問她：“那你怎麽辦？”她說：“別管我，我天天都在過節。”
在衆多的觀衆中，一個面色蒼白的中年人，穿着黑色的教袍，躲在玻璃窗後面，也在偷看愛斯梅拉達翩翩起舞。他就是巴黎聖母院的副主教、煉金術士剋洛德·弗羅洛。當他看到色藝雙全的吉卜賽女郎邊唱邊跳，她那輕快的舞步，絶妙的舞姿，把他埋藏在心底十多年的欲念突然喚醒了。他無法自控，無法把俘虜了他的靈魂的魔鬼趕走。為了排遣心中的煩悶，他到廣場上驅趕正在叫賣的攤販，聲言不準在教堂前面胡闹。這些小販哪裏把他放在眼裏，群起而攻之。正在這時，從教堂內衝出來一個相貌奇醜、身材高大、力大無比的男子，他推開衆人，救回了神甫。此人名叫卡西莫多。原來他是一個被父母遺棄在巴黎聖母院門前的畸形兒，弗羅洛出於憐憫把他撫養成人，因終日敲鐘而震聾了耳朵。狂歡的人們正在物色“愚人教皇”，愛斯梅拉達一眼看中了又聾又醜的鐘樓怪人卡西莫多。人們給他戴上王冠，披上袍子，還給了他一支口哨，讓他坐在高高的轎子上沿街遊行。卡西莫多正高興地吹着哨子，忽然看見臉色陰沉的弗羅洛站在轎前。神甫打掉他的王冠，把他拉回聖母院。
傍晚時分，愛斯梅拉達帶着她心愛的小山羊離開節日的廣場。好奇的甘果瓦一直跟着。行至廣場旁的一條小巷，忽然孚羅諾和加西莫多躥了出來，欲將愛斯梅哈爾達強行搶走。少女大呼救命，甘果瓦嚇得不敢動彈。正在危急時刻，路過的王傢侍衛長弗比斯救下了少女。孚羅諾趁衛隊與加西莫多爭打時溜走了，伽西莫多被衛隊擒獲。從此，愛斯梅拉達愛上了弗比斯。
在這“奇跡王朝”統治下的“黑話王國”裏，乞丐王剋勞班正在審理不懂切口而誤入“王國領地”的窮詩人甘果瓦。按照王朝的規矩，他衹有兩種選擇：要麽跟絞索配對，要麽跟王國中的女人攀親。可是幾個老女人都嫌他過於單薄，沒一個人肯要他。這樣，甘果瓦衹能被吊死。在這千鈞一發之際，愛斯梅拉達挺身而出，高喊“我要他”。這樣，兩人當場舉行婚禮。善良的少女同意與他結為夫妻，衹是為了救他一命，把他帶回傢中，供以食宿，但不與他同房。
犯了強搶民女罪的卡西莫多，在被草草審理後，被帶到廣場上當衆鞭笞。跪在烈日下代人受過的鐘樓怪人口渴難熬，他嚮士兵和圍觀的人群高喊要水，回答他的卻是一片戲弄和辱駡。這時，美麗的愛絲美拉達撥開衆人，把水送到伽西莫多的嘴邊。
廣場上，窮詩人幫助愛斯梅拉達上演小山羊認字的節目。小山羊在一堆拉丁字母中，叼出了太陽神弗比斯的名字。這時弗比斯正在廣場旁邊的王宮中嚮王後和她的女兒獻媚取寵。公主百合花讓法比到廣場上，趕走愛絲美拉達，以證實他對她的愛情。弗比斯騎馬來到廣場，大聲轟趕着正在演出的藝人，小聲和愛斯梅拉達訂下了今晚在老地方見面的幽會。
心神不寧的弗羅洛聽說甘果瓦和姑娘已結為夫婦，怒火中燒十分生氣，當得知他們衹是名義夫妻，又轉憂為喜。他在街上遇見喝得爛醉的侍衛隊長弗比斯，聽他說要去和姑娘幽會，立即正言勸阻，聲言姑娘已是有夫之婦，但弗比斯反駁說：“你何必把愛情和婚姻混為一談。”他徑直嚮那傢旅店走去，弗羅洛像影子一樣緊隨其後。
弗比斯來到旅店的小樓上，愛斯梅拉達正坐在床邊等着他。當他們熱烈地吻抱時，弗比斯把係在身上的匕首交給姑娘，姑娘順手把它拋出窗外。恰巧這把匕首落在正在窗外竊聽的弗羅洛的眼前。當這對情人再次熱烈擁抱時，弗羅洛拾起匕首，從窗外把它刺進了弗比斯的後背。
在審判愛絲美拉達的法庭上，旅店的侏儒老闆作證說，看見一個渾身硫磺味的黑衣人，像魔鬼一樣，把銀幣變成了幹樹葉。坐在審判席上的弗羅洛說：“是魔鬼，而不是這位姑娘刺殺了衛隊長。”無辜的愛斯梅拉達衹關心衛隊長的生死，因為弗比斯可以證明她把匕首扔出了窗外。可是法庭告訴她，衛隊長不僅活着，而且對被害經過一無所知。他絲毫不肯為姑娘開脫罪責，這使愛斯梅拉達十分失望。在酷刑之下，姑娘屈打成招，供認自己施用魔術驅使黑衣魔鬼刺殺了衛隊長。法庭判處姑娘絞刑，次日執行。
卡西莫多敲鐘之後，在塔樓上看到弗羅洛神色緊張地註視着聖母院門前的廣場。穿着白色死刑犯袍子的愛斯梅拉達站在夜間匆忙搭起的絞刑架下，絞索套在脖子上，平靜地等待着行刑的時刻。伽西莫多不顧一切地從門內衝出，把姑娘搶進了巴黎聖母院。行刑的士兵驚魂甫定，目瞪口呆地看着鐘樓怪人獨自一人劫持了法場。因為聖母院避難權的原因，士兵們不敢擅入。
伽西莫多把姑娘藏在自己的住房裏，他像守護神一樣睡在房門口。他把愚人節得到的哨子交給姑娘，告訴她遇到危難時，一吹哨子，他就能趕來救援。
弗羅洛到郊外像發了瘋一樣，亂跑了一陣之後，回到了聖母院。他發現愛斯梅拉達不但未被處死，而且就在身邊。他跟隨她走進了卡西莫多的房間，愛絲美拉達發現這個人就是刺殺弗比斯的黑衣人，十分怒火。當弗羅洛正要強姦她時，她吹起了哨子。卡西莫多聞聲而至，趕走了昔日的恩人，並告訴姑娘那次搶她的事，也是出於他的主意。
卡西莫多對愛斯梅拉達懷有無限的感激和純真的愛慕之情。他快活地看着熟睡的美人，突然醒來的姑娘被他的醜臉嚇壞了。卡西莫多急忙逃走，跑到鐘樓上用自己的頭拼命地撞擊着大鐘，低沉的鐘鳴如泣如訴。愛斯梅拉達來到他身邊，卡西莫多用手蒙住臉，喃喃地說：“我的臉很醜，總讓人害怕。”為了安慰他，姑娘為他跳起了節奏歡快的舞蹈。興奮異常的卡西莫多，像打鞦韆一樣，用身體的重量為姑娘敲響了聖母院的大鐘。他爽朗的笑聲充滿整個鐘樓。卡西莫多在鐘樓上牽着繩子飛來飛去，為愛斯梅拉達采摘盛開的鮮花。突然姑娘發現了在廣場上的衛隊長，她叫他的名字，但他頭也不擡看她一眼。她讓卡西莫多去找他，可是他為了得到公主豐厚的陪嫁和位於聖保羅的領地，對姑娘的請求不屑一聽，策馬而去。善良的卡西莫多覺得自己辱沒了姑娘的使命。
對姑娘強占未成的弗羅洛懷恨在心，跪到國王那裏，請示如何解决聖母院避難權問題。國王請教了一位尚在獄中的老學者，終於决定可以不顧避難權，強入聖母院捉拿女巫。伽西莫多趁弗羅洛外出時，把教堂的大門緊緊關住。
乞丐王剋勞班聽說聖母院避難權將要結束，率領成千上萬的巴黎流浪人和乞丐，前來攻打巴黎聖母院，營救大難臨頭的姐妹。不明真相的伽西莫多怎容這些人衝入教堂，他從樓頂上扔下巨大的石條石塊，翻倒灼熱的金屬液體，企圖驅散衆人。勇敢的乞丐終於攻破大門，救走了愛斯梅拉達。不料嚴陣以待的國王士兵已從後門進入教堂，雨點般的箭刺嚮愛斯梅拉達和流浪漢們。乞丐王也在混戰中被人殺死。伽西莫多站在樓頂上，看着心愛的姑娘又被吊在絞刑架上，痛不欲生。當他發現弗羅洛正在鐘樓上對着愛斯梅拉達獰笑，就把這個道貌岸然的野獸舉過頭頂扔了下去。
從絞刑架上解下來的愛斯梅拉達的屍體，被人們放在蒙孚貢大墳窟裏，伽西莫多找到她之後，靜靜地躺在她身旁。兩年之後，人們發現了兩具緊緊抱在一起的屍骨。當人們試圖分開他們時，屍骨便化為塵土。
人物形象
愛斯美拉達
愛斯美拉達純潔無邪，熱情天真，對愛情充滿憧憬和渴望。正因為她以為世人都像她一樣的真心實意地待人，所以當弗比斯在巡邏中偶然救了她後，她就把愛情獻給了他。正因為她純潔無邪地追求純真的愛情和幸福的生活。所以至死愛着弗比斯，絲毫沒有懷疑他會欺騙和背叛自己還幻想他還會再來搭救自己，其純真令人心痛欲裂。
愛斯美拉達不畏強暴，品格堅貞。當她被誣陷而關在死囚牢房裏時，當弗羅洛把她從聖母院鐘樓騙出來時，弗羅洛幾次讓她在死亡或屈服中選擇，面對弗羅洛的淫威，她寧死不屈。臨刑前，弗羅洛以生為條件引誘她就範，她望着絞架斷然回答“它還沒有你那樣使我害怕”、“討厭的骯髒的妖僧!”“我要扯下你那可惡的白頭髮，一把一把往你臉上扔去!”“滾你的吧!”她寧願選擇絞架， 不屈服於卑鄙的偽君子弗羅洛，再次維護了自己的尊嚴和人格。
卡西莫多
卡西莫多有着醜到極點的相貌：幾何形的臉，四面體的鼻子，馬蹄形的嘴，參差不齊的牙齒，獨眼，耳聾，駝背……似乎上帝將所有的不幸都降臨在了他的身上。雨果塑造的絶不僅是一個簡單的“醜八怪”，他賦予了卡西莫多一種“美麗”，一種隱含的內在美。卡西莫多的外貌醜陋，但是他的內心卻是高尚的。他勇敢地從封建教會的“虎口”中救出了愛斯梅拉達，用“聖殿避難”的方法保住了姑娘的性命。在聖母院中，卡西莫多無微不至地照顧愛斯美拉達。最後，卡西莫多在衆人的嘲笑聲中戴上了“醜人王”的花環；他誓死保護愛斯美拉達卻又是道貌岸然的剋洛德的幫兇；他剛在鐘樓上目視着自己心愛的姑娘嫁給了“絞架”，卻又不得不再將自己的“再生父母”摔成碎片……作為一部浪漫主義著作，戲劇性的場面即給我們以扣人心弦的震撼，又把人物之間和自身內心和的矛盾衝突表現得淋漓盡致。
音樂劇海報
音樂劇——巴黎聖母院
當代罕見的曠世巨作，法語版音樂劇《巴黎聖母院》，一出改編自法文學巨擘雨果的不朽名著，由歐美樂界頂尖才子Luc Plamondon譜詞，Richard Cocciante作麯，本劇率先於1998年1月的法國嘎納唱片大展中綻放異彩，同年9月16號正式在巴黎國會大廳推出首演，撼動人心佳評如潮。首演未及兩年，其魅力風潮迅速襲捲歐陸，此劇在法語係國傢連演130場，盛況空前，同時榮獲加拿大FELIX藝術奬項“年度劇作”、“年度最佳歌麯”與“年度最暢銷專輯”多項殊榮。
19世紀的法國大文豪維剋多·雨果偶然看到了巴黎聖母院墻上深深刻下的希臘字母“ΑΝΑΓΚΗ”，它代表了天數－命運之神“Destiny”，一部不朽的傳世之作——《巴黎聖母院》就這樣誕生了。本劇取材於這部世界名著，強烈而具有震撼力的現代音樂，極具視覺效果的舞臺布景，盡情投入的表演，生動的表達出了原著中對教會和封建制度的揭露和鞭撻、對教會人士邪惡行徑和貴族卑劣的精神道德的抨擊、對人道主義仁愛精神的頌揚。巴黎聖母院劇中角色與場面充滿對立及衝突：傾慕與狂戀，誓言與背叛，權利與占有，宿命與抗爭，原罪與救贖，沉淪與升華，跌宕起伏的戲劇張力，建構成一部波瀾壯闊血淚交織的悲劇史詩，跨越時代潮流與文化藩籬，開創當代音樂劇的新紀元。
基本資料
【作麯】Richard Cocciante
【法文作詞】Luc Plamondon
【英文作詞】Will Jennings
【原著】維剋多·雨果Victor Hugo
【導演】Gilles Maheu
【編舞】Martino Muller
【布景設計】Christian Ratz
【服裝設計】Fred Sathal
【燈光設計】Alain Lortie
【英文版首演】2000年元月24日美國拉斯維加斯
創作背景
當鮑伯利和勳伯格以《悲慘世界》(Les Miserables)與《西貢小姐》(Miss Saigon)造成轟動，來自法國的作品逐漸獲得世人的喜愛。近年一部來自法國的音樂劇新作品，改編自雨果名著的《巴黎聖母院》，又在國際上引領矚目的風潮。
雨果這位被譽為19世紀法國浪漫主義大文豪，除了《悲慘世界》之外，還創作了《巴黎聖母院》、《剋倫威爾》等文壇名著，他的一生經歷了漫長而動蕩的歷史時期，當時法國文壇正處於古典及浪漫主義衝突之際，他力主浪漫風格，以磅礴的氣魄、豐富的想象力、華麗的詞藻傲視文壇，更以麯折離奇的情節撼動讀者心弦。《巴黎聖母院》講述了這樣的一個故事：擔任全劇“主述”的遊唱詩人葛林果，是吉普賽女郎艾斯梅拉達(Esmeralda)有名無實的丈夫，艾斯梅拉達出於同情心，為了讓他免於被族人處死纔允諾和他結婚。天生畸形、被巴黎聖母院收容而擔任敲鐘人的加西莫多(Quasimodo)，以及聖母院的副主教弗侯洛(Frollo)與侍衛隊的隊長腓比斯(Phoebus)，都情不自禁地愛上了美麗的艾斯梅拉達。一生侍奉天主的弗侯洛，明知男女之愛是神職人員的禁忌，仍然難以自拔。而腓比斯雖然已有嬌美的未婚妻百合(Fleur-de-Lys)為伴，卻因為生性風流而意圖染指艾斯梅拉達。他們三個人共同合唱的“Belle”，在法國單麯市場創下了300萬張的傲人成績。加西莫多自慚形穢，衹敢把愛意深埋心中。艾斯梅拉達愛上了腓比斯，引起弗侯洛的妒恨，他趁着艾斯梅拉達與腓比斯幽會時，刺傷了腓比斯，然後嫁禍給艾斯梅拉達，要脅她以身相許，否則就要將她處死。她拒絶服從，被送上了絞刑臺。加西莫多奮不顧身到法場劫人，把她藏在聖母院中。不久，吉普賽人的領袖剋婁潘率衆攻打聖母院，意圖解救艾斯梅拉達。腓比斯率領衛隊擊潰了吉普賽群衆，剋數潘被殺，葛林果取代了領導人的地位。自知無力對抗軍隊的加西莫多，讓弗侯洛把艾斯梅拉達交給腓比斯，因為他以為腓比斯是來解救她的。未料及腓比斯由於不敢再觸怒未婚妻，而宣佈將艾斯梅拉達處死。悲憤之中，加西莫多把弗侯洛從鐘樓頂端推下，然後去解救艾斯梅拉達，衹可惜為時已晚。他哀求劊子手的同意，抱走了艾斯梅拉達的遺體，躲藏在巴黎公墓的地窖裏，為艾斯梅拉達以死殉情。
這一故事永遠是值得音樂劇作傢們深入挖掘的好題材。以它為基本架構所改編的音樂劇有安德魯洛伊韋伯的《歌劇魅影》、迪斯尼的《美女與野獸》和《巴黎聖母院》等等。和迪斯尼的大團圓結局版本不同，這出劇以悲劇收場，沒有作大幅的刪改，比較忠實於原著。
法國人搶先推出了法文版的音樂劇《巴黎聖母院》，據說是因為看見迪斯尼版本的首演居然是在柏林，心中頗為不平。這出劇由加拿大詞麯傢Luc Palmondon和法裔混血兒、歐洲原創歌手Richard Cocciante合作，於1998年在巴黎國會大廳首演。在倫敦上演之前，它的法語版本在1999年9月起進行了歐洲的巡回公演，其中包括法國、瑞士及比利時等法語係國傢。公演十分成功，好評如潮，CD更是賣的如火如荼，一度脫銷。10月起，此劇橫跨大西洋，在加拿大法語區魁北剋省開始巡回演出，又一次引起轟動。這出音樂劇的英語版從2000年元月起在美國拉斯維加斯演出半年，場場爆滿。5月份，劇團正式移師倫敦西區，準備常駐此地，以期創造另一個奇跡。
特色
與衆不同的音樂劇：
當今著名的音樂劇大多是由紐約百老匯和倫敦西區的演藝公司包裝而成的，因此這些劇目也帶有了百老匯和西區特有的風格特徵和運作方式。而《巴黎聖母院》卻是一個例外，它是少數幾部聞名世界卻沒有受到百老匯和西區影響的著名音樂劇。
《巴黎聖母院》誕生於法國巴黎，遠離紐約和倫敦，先天就沒有受到百老匯和西區的影響。而作品誕生後，從包裝到製作推銷的整個過程，也全部是由法國公司全權包辦的，而不像《悲慘世界》和《西貢小姐》那樣在法國誕生，卻由倫敦西區的公司來包裝和運作。因而，《巴黎聖母院》中幾乎沒有百老匯和倫敦西區的印記，觀看過該劇的人也往往會有與衆不同的感受。
舞蹈角色與歌唱角色分離：
《巴黎聖母院》的一大特色是采用了舞蹈和歌唱相分離的形式，也就是跳舞的演員不唱歌，而歌唱的演員不跳舞。這與當今大多數音樂劇處理歌唱和舞蹈的做法不太相符。在音樂劇中，舞蹈和歌唱演員的角色分配會有側重，但基本上沒有絶對分開的情況，歌唱演員也會和舞蹈演員一起舞蹈，而舞蹈演員也會參與歌唱（更多是合唱），從而體現出歌舞一體的樣式。而《巴黎聖母院》則是將兩者完全的分離，整個劇目的歌麯全部由7位主要演員演唱，他們歌唱的時候不參與任何舞蹈，個個全情投入，就像聚光燈下的超級明星。舞蹈演員則完全不參與歌麯的演唱，在, , ，等幾個大場面的段落中，舞蹈幾乎就是演出的全部。
將舞蹈與歌唱完全分離，可以讓兩者更加投入於自己的演出，將各自的表演發揮到極緻。而不需要因為歌唱演員的緣故而降低舞蹈的難度，也不需要因為舞蹈演員的緣故而影響聲音的質量。當歌唱演員用聲音表達情感時，一旁的舞者就全情投入地用肢體表達復雜的感情糾葛。以愛斯米拉達一出場為例，當她演唱起的時候，在她身旁的舞者就跳起狂熱歡快的舞蹈，這樣的舞蹈比演唱更能表現她內心奔放的思想。而當菲比斯演唱一麯時，在他身旁的四位男性舞者衹露着背影跳舞，讓人感受到他黑暗的內心和痛苦的抉擇。
在《巴黎聖母院》中，歌唱者用具象的歌詞來表達情感，舞者用抽象的動作來表達情感，歌者和舞者在同一舞臺上同時表達了內在和外在、具象和抽象。
在舞蹈動作上，編舞還給予舞者很大的自由度，有些段落明顯帶有自由發揮的成份。同時舞者在舞蹈時還運用了欄桿、棍棒等道具，體現出了寫實和寫意的雙重效果。
流行化的演繹：
在演唱方法上，《巴黎聖母院》完全運用了流行唱法，沒有融入一點美聲唱法。而在演奏樂器上，《巴黎聖母院》也全部采用電聲樂器，沒有一件管弦樂器。這兩者都表明了《巴黎聖母院》追求純粹流行風格的姿態。而在其他大多數音樂劇中，多多少少都會融入美聲唱法，在伴奏樂器上，也大多以管弦樂器為主，或者在其中加入一些搖滾電聲樂器，很少見到純流行樂器伴奏的情況。
獨特的演唱安排：
在《巴黎聖母院》中特別偏重獨唱，整場50段音樂中，絶大部分都是獨唱，你方唱罷我登場，一首接一首，而較少有重唱。合唱衹有結尾等少數幾個地方纔出現過，而且采用的是事先錄製好的背景式合唱。由於沒有現場演員的參與，因此即便聽到合唱，也缺少了合唱的真實感。在大多數音樂劇中，為了更好地表現起伏的劇情和豐富的聲音層次，一般會將獨唱，重唱和合唱進行合理的安排，不會過份偏重於獨唱，也不可能過份偏重於重唱或合唱。《巴黎聖母院》對獨唱的偏好，會讓人感到聲音層次不夠豐富，在形式上略顯得單調了。
造成這一狀況的主要原因還是在於舞蹈角色和演唱角色的完全分離。 由於舞蹈角色不參與演唱，因此全劇的歌唱段落就全部落在了7位主要角色身上，這7個人在劇中全部聚在一起的時候就已經很少了，要一起重唱和合唱就更難了。好在劇中的每一首歌麯都非常好聽，這也多少彌補了歌唱形式上的簡單。
與衆不同的音樂創作手法：
《巴黎聖母院》中的音樂共有50段。作麯者對於每一首歌麯都是獨立成篇的，很少追求歌麯與歌麯之間共同的音樂材料。除了幾首是完全反復之外，幾乎首首都是全新的創作。因而你在音樂上很難找到歌麯與歌麯之間的聯繫，在欣賞時會有現場音樂會的感覺。如果在觀賞時沒有歌詞提示，你閉上眼睛很容易感覺這是一張法國流行音樂的精選輯，而不是一部音樂劇。說的專業一點就是，《巴黎聖母院》沒有采用大多數音樂劇采用的主題音樂素材變化發展的手法。
《巴黎聖母院》的這一做法與大多數音樂劇的創作手法不同。如今，絶大多數的音樂劇還是采用主題素材變化的手法：作麯者將幾個主題音樂素材，在不同的人物和故事情節中進行變化，使其貫穿在整個劇目中，讓人感覺到有些音樂片段會時時縈繞在耳邊。這一手法在音樂劇《悲慘世界》中就非常明顯，在《悲》劇中真正全新的音樂衹占到了全劇音樂的三分之一，而全劇音樂就是根據這三分之一的音樂素材，將其進行變化和延伸而形成的。當耳邊不時地聽到自己熟悉的音樂主題，既感到親切又加深了人物和故事情節的印象。
在音樂劇的創作中，對立統一的原則是極為重要的，也就是既要有音樂的不斷變化，又要有音樂的統一呼應。如果變化太多，會給人捉摸不定的感覺，如果統一太多，不免會讓人有厭煩情緒。《巴黎聖母院》這樣的創作手法，給人的感覺是變化有餘，而相對缺乏統一。 當然也有這種可能：作麯者對自己的旋律寫作非常有信心，可以保證每一首歌麯都優美動聽，但如果讓他運用主題素材變化的手法，反而影響了他對歌麯的自由創作，寫得不自 由也不優美了。
不用伴奏用錄音：
《巴黎聖母院》中沒有使用現場伴奏，這也是很少見的。在百老匯和倫敦西區的音樂劇中，基本上都是樂隊現場伴奏。《巴黎聖母院》則是播放預先錄製好的配樂。這一做法一開始就引起了很多人的爭議，因為人們感到錄音會顯得死板而沒有生氣，類似於現在明星假唱的感覺。但事實證明，這並不影響實際的效果，最重要的原因在於《巴黎聖母院》的音樂全部是電聲樂器演奏的，對於電聲樂器而言，錄音與現場演奏的差別並不大。而且在劇中也沒有哪個地方需要音樂節奏上的鬆動，因此完全可以事先錄製好，用一樣的節奏數以萬次的演奏。當然，最重要恐怕還是省錢，本來需要許多人的現場演奏，現在衹要一盤錄音帶就解决了，作為一個長期演出的劇目，這樣的方式可以省下一大筆費用。
還有一個特別之處是采用了耳挂式麥剋風，演員把麥剋風挂在嘴邊，暴露在觀衆面前，這種耳挂式麥剋風常常用在勁歌狂舞的歌星身上。在絶大多數的音樂劇中，往往把麥剋風藏在頭髮鬍子等看不見的地方，俗稱隱藏式麥剋風，因為這樣可以感覺更象演員，而不是歌星。《巴黎聖母院》的這一做法確實讓許多人很吃驚。當演唱者每人一個耳挂式麥剋風站在舞臺上高聲歌唱，配合着舞者的舞蹈和燈光，讓人感覺就像是一場歌舞巨星的演唱會，很有視覺上的現場感，但相對而言，就缺少了一些戲劇的感覺。
高空特技盡顯魅力：
劇中的高空特技也非常令人驚異。比如卡西莫多對着自己心愛的大鐘傾吐內心愛慕之情的時候，三個大鐘頓時從天而降，在每一個鐘裏面都有一個特技演員，他們扮演鐘擺奮力地搖擺，撞擊着大鐘，發出震人心魄的聲音。看着特技演員挂在大鐘裏面，作着各種各樣的動作，配合着巨大的鐘聲，再加上卡西莫多熱烈而近乎嘶吼的聲音，絶對是一段感人至深的場面。還有愛斯米拉達被吊死的一幕，以及卡西莫多在臨終前的四位舞者吊在鋼絲上的演出，都給人留下了深刻的印象。可以說這多少歸功於高空特技帶來的震撼。這些動作的表演者可不是一般人可以胜任的，他們中有許多是從運動員或雜技演員轉行過來的，其中就有以舞蹈特技表演而名聲大噪的七人團，著名電影導演魯貝鬆曾經根據他們7人的高超特技表演拍成了電影《企業戰士》，在歐洲青少年中産生了很大反響。
抽象的布景：
《巴黎聖母院》的布景是簡單而有衝擊力的。劇目一開場，呈現在觀衆面前是一堵由幾十塊泡沫拼板拼成的大墻，再加上幾根大柱，就組成了巴黎聖母院，在燈光的映襯下，呈現出神秘幽暗的氣氛。這樣的設計顯然衹露出了巴黎聖母院一個很小的部分，讓人不能馬上看明白，卻能給人更多的想象。像百老匯和倫敦西區的大多數音樂劇，在道具上則更多強調仿真，讓人一看就明白，與他們相比，《巴黎聖母院》在布景的設計上要顯得抽象得多。
在長達3小時的演出裏，這堵高大威武的大墻始終屹立在舞臺上，由於舞臺的高度和寬度完全被大墻占滿，已經不便於在縱嚮的平面上佈置太多的布景和道具，因而在整個劇目中，大墻的前面始終保留了一大片空地，以便演唱者和舞蹈者有充足的舞臺來表演。這樣的設計使得舞臺上大多數的時候衹有演員，而沒有其他的布景和道具，給人以現場音樂會的效果。
與衆不同的好劇目：
像這樣一部與衆不同的劇目，自然比較容易受到各方面的關註。同絶大多數著名的音樂劇一樣，《巴黎聖母院》在誕生後遭受的指責也不少。比如《倫敦快報》評論說：幾根醜陋的水泥柱子和一堵墻來代表美麗的巴黎聖母院，實在有失水準。《電訊日報》評論說音樂聲音過於喧鬧，而演員衹註重嗓音而不註重表演，《泰姆士報》評論說歌麯的安排顯得雜亂而沒有層次等等。當然，贊揚和褒奬的評論要遠遠比批評的多得多。
《巴黎聖母院》在各個方面都體現了它追新求異的姿態，似乎也在嚮世人表明，這不是一部百老匯和倫敦西區的音樂劇，而是一部完全由法國人自己製造的音樂劇。
許多劇評傢認為， 《巴黎聖母院》將引領當代音樂劇跨越80年代韋伯式音樂劇的影響，進而邁嚮表演藝術的新紀元。這個口氣似乎太大了，不過，《巴黎聖母院》確實是一部值得觀看的好劇目，這話絶對不假，口氣也一點不大。
音樂劇《巴黎聖母院》專輯麯目
ACT I 第一幕
1 Ouverture （序麯）
2 Le Temps Des Cathedrales （大教堂時代）
3 Les Sans - Papiers (Clopin) （非法移民）
4 Intervention De Frollo （弗侯洛的介入）
5 Bohemienne (Esmeralda) （波希. 米亞女郎）
6 Esmйralda Tu Sais (Clopin) （愛絲梅拉達你明了）
7 Ces Diamants-lа （鑽石般的眼眸）
8 La Fate Des Fous （愚人慶典）
9 Le Pape Des Fous (Quasimodo) （愚人教皇）
10 La Sorciиre (Frolo - Quasimodo) （女巫）
11 L`enfant Trouve (Quasimodo) （孤兒）
12 Les Portes De Paris (Gringoire) （巴黎城門）
13 Tentative D`enlиvement （誘拐）
14 La cour des miracles （奇跡之殿）
15 Le Mot Phoebus （腓比斯的意義）
16 Beau Comme Le Soleil （君似驕陽）
17 Dechire (Phoebus) （心痛欲裂）
18 Anarkia (Frollo - Gringoire) （宿命）
19 A Boire （渴求甘霖）
20 Belle 一 （美麗佳人）
21 Ma Maison C`est Ta Maison （以我居處為傢）
22 Ave Maria Paпen (Esmeralda) （異教徒的聖母頌）
23 Je Sens Ma Vie Qui Bascule （生命擺蕩）
24 Tu Vas Me Dйtruire (Frollo) （致命狂戀）
25 L`ombre (Phoebus - Frollo) （陰影）
26 Le Val D`amour （愛之𠔌）
27 La Volupte （享樂）
28 Fatalite （命運）
ACT II 第二幕
29 Florence （佛羅倫斯）
30 Les Cloches （鐘）
31 Ou Est-elle （伊人何在）
32 Les Oiseaux Qu`on Met En Cage （囚籠之鳥）
33 Condamnes （判决）
34 Le Proces （訟審）
35 La Torture （刑求）
36 Phaebus （腓比斯）
37 Etre Pretre Et Aimer Une Femme （身為神父戀紅顔）
38 La Monture （坐騎）
39 Je Reviens Vers Toi （迷途知返）
40 Visite De Frollo A Esmeralda （探獄）
41 Un Matin Tu Dansais （清晨舞踏）
42 Liberes （解放）
43 Lune （月亮）
44 Je Te Lassie Un Sifflet （贈哨予你）
45 Dieu Que Le Munde Est Injuste （人世何其不公）
46 Vivre （求存）
47 L`attaque De Notre-dame （襲擊聖母院）
48 Deportes （遣送出境）
49 Mon Maitre Mon Sauveur （我的救主）
50 Donnez-la Moi （把她交給我）
51 Danse Mon Esmeralda （舞吧! 艾畢梅拉達吾愛）
52 Danse Mon Esmeralda (Saluts)
53 Le Temps Des Cathedrales （終麯）
54 Belle 二 （美麗佳人）
艾絲美拉達——Hélene Ségara飾卡西莫多——Garou飾格林果(甘果瓦)——Bruno Pelletier飾