Paris, 1482. A city of dark desires and intense passions, where men can be heartless, chickens can count and real beauty is anything but skin deep. Here Quasimodo, the simple bell-ringer and Esmerelda, the gypsy begin their fated, classic love story, as obsession and betrayal lead to a feverish finale outside Notre Dame.

From the spires and talking gargoyles of the gothic cathedral, to the colourful anarchy of the Court of Miracles, Ophaboom bring their unique blend of riotous comedy and heady emotion to medieval Paris. Magnificent music, daring deeds and deep secrets all featured in this exciting production from one of Europe's foremost half-masked companies.

Based on Victor Hugo's novel
Devised by the company
Directed by Howard Gayton
Masks by Ninian Kinnear-Wilson
Artistic Consultant John Broadbent

The Scotsman * * * *
"Ophaboom's production of Victor Hugo's classic love story is a rip-roaring success... a wonderfully wacky rendition of one of history's most famous novels, a sort of Dario Fo meets the Reduced Shakespeare Company... roaring along at a relentless pace with a mixture of riotous farce and a generous helping of genuinely moving drama. Brilliant. This is a high enrgy show in which timing is paramount, but not all of it is light-hearted. The ending would do justice to any Shakespeare tragedy." Andrew Warshaw

The Stage
"Ophaboom's reading of the tragic tale of unrequited love is a highly original, entertaining and energetic one... a very contemporary contemplation on human folly. Generally this is an extremely fast show, which never makes big deal of its seemingly incidental comedy. Talking gargoyles, slapstick humour and a passing reference to Euan Blair all find their way into the story in such an effortless way that you hardly notice how quickly your 90 minutes has gone." Duska Radosavljevic Heaney

Wisbech Times
"A half-masked spoof version, it was extremely entertaining and very humorous. The exaggerated and sinuous movements and gestures were excellently timed... There was a great deal of enjoyable slapstick comedy (normally an anthema to me) and they managed to incorporate singing, instrumentals, juggling, dancing and puppetry into the programme. All in all, it was extremely clever and comic stuff." Rex Mountain

Ouest-France
"The public were completely won over by the company." (Cherbourg, France)

La Presse de la Manche
"The four masked actors constantly surprised the audience with their comic timing and theatrical effects." (France)

Ouest-France
"A hilarious version of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, which enchanted the public … a real success." (Caen, France)