By Mindy Pedlar
Audiences delight in the magnificent sets, divine music, amazingly talented cast, and the attention to detail seen in all aspects of Cabrillo Stage’s production of the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Juan Castro as Quasimodo
What does a costume for a gargoyle or a statue look like — especially when these characters have to magically turn into 15th century Parisians in 30 seconds or less? How do you change congregants into soldiers within four bars of music? These were some of the challenges facing Maria Crush, costume designer for Hunchback, now playing at the Crocker Theater at Cabrillo College.
As always, Crush — a theater veteran — was up to the challenge.
Throughout the show, the 11 ensemble members appear alternately as congregants, Parisians, soldiers, gypsies, gargoyles, statues and more. I couldn’t imagine how the actors were ever going to change in and out of costumes and be back onstage in time for the next scene.
I needn’t have worried. After my first costume fitting with Maria, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Her creativity and eye for color and style was evident in every costume piece I tried on, including a stunning head piece made by Lidia Hasenauer, wardrobe supervisor, who patiently took notes on Maria’s final choices for my varied characters and which costume pieces needed hemming (I’m short) tailoring or repairs. And speaking of headpieces, the gargoyles are creatively capped in pieces made by talented costume shop intern Nikki Unger.
Maria robed Cheryl Anderson’s magnificent 24-member choir.
Maria beautifully and appropriately bedecked each lead actor, villains, heroines and heroes including our own Hunchback, Juan Castro.
Kristi Garcia as Esmeralda
For Juan, getting to play one of his bucket list roles “is an honor. Quasimodo endures a lot of heartache yet remains a hero through and through. Despite the title, he is not defined by his disabilities and physical appearance, but by his character and heart, which is the beautiful message of this story.”
As an actor, Juan likes to delve deeply into a character’s psyche. He is intrigued by Quasimodo’s complexity and the intensity of some of the scenes and songs.
Like the character he plays, Juan tries to face life with a sense of optimism. He finds Quasimodo to be “one of the great tragic heroes of literature. We can all relate to him in his search for love and acceptance.”
The Hunchback of Notre Dame opened July 7 to rave reviews and spontaneous standing ovations!
David Murphy as Dom Claude Frollo and company
This epic production will entertain, inspire and tug at your heartstrings. Now playing through July 30. All performances are in the Cabrillo Crocker Theater on the Cabrillo College campus in Aptos.
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Tickets available online at cabrillostage.com. Box Office open for phone & walk-in sales, Thursday – Saturdays 12 pm-6 pm, 831-479-6154. $20 student rush tickets available at the box office 15 minutes before curtain (excludes Sunday matinees) Group discounts for 10 or more available on the website.
Juan Castro as Quasimodo and company