The boundary between human and monster existed even outside the stage — Watching Shiki Theatre Company's 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'

I watched Shiki Theatre Company's 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'.
I saw a Shiki Theatre Company production for the first time last year and was deeply moved,
and since one of my favorite stories,
'The Hunchback of Notre Dame',
was being performed in Osaka this year, I immediately bought tickets and went.

I love the Disney version, especially the music, so
I went to see it with a light heart, looking forward to that, but
due to the 'staging that can only be done on stage'my feelings were pierced time and time again,
and I ended up going home exhausted, so
I would like to leave my thoughts on that here.

※This article contains spoilers, including the ending,
of Shiki Theatre Company's 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'.

What is the difference between a human and a monster?

This is a major theme of the story 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'.
Since the thoughts on the story have already been fully discussed,
I will briefly introduce the synopsis here.

The way 'human and monster' is depicted in this synopsis
was quite unique in the Shiki Theatre Company version,
so I will talk about that.

“May something resonate in your heart”

In the final lyrics of the finale, this stage
asked us this question.
And the actor playing Quasimodo
took off Quasimodo's characteristic hump on his back 'on stage'
and showed the process of becoming a so-called 'human'
without hiding it.

Showing the putting on and taking off of the costume as it is
seems to blur the boundary between human and monster,
and thanks to the lyrics that ask us a question,
it is structured to also blur the boundary of the fourth wall.
It is a device that allows you to receive the story's message more deeply,
and I truly got goosebumps here.

By the way, I hadn't paid attention to it until this moment, but
it starts with Quasimodo putting on the hump on his back
in the opening as well,
so it is a mechanism that has the reverse structure in the finale.

However, at this point, I
could not end with just the thought,
'There is no difference between a human and a monster'.

Who creates the monster?

This is a scene that symbolizes the story, but
the actor taking off the costume, in addition to showing Quasimodo becoming human,

can also be interpreted as taking off the role itself.

At that moment,
I felt,
'Oh, they are the same as me'.

And I realized.
'They are a monster because they have a hump',
'They became human by taking off the hump',
that I myself was unconsciously drawing lines
while watching this story.

Even though the story is structured that way,
I realized that the line between human and monster
was also something that "I" had created.
It was scary. That I could create a monster at any time.
And also, that through that accumulation,
I could become a monster myself.

The boundary that does not disappear

Also, regarding things that caught my attention in the story,
the fact that there was no hesitation in depicting Quasimodo
with a discriminatory gaze, calling him "ugly" or "disgusting,"
left a very strong impression on me.
Of course, there is the historical setting to consider,
but thinking back on it now, it was also scary that I accepted it
thinking, "Ah, so he is ugly," just because that's the story.
Honestly, if I see someone with distinctive features in town,
there are times when I might be surprised.
While thinking that it might be wrong,
there is also a part of me that accepts it
to some extent, thinking "that's just how it is."

By doing that, I end up facing the feeling of Frollo,
who creates many boundaries against "people different from me"
to try and keep himself human.

Curtain call

I was stabbed and felt pained by all of this,
and I couldn't stop crying after the finale,
but for the customary curtain call,
I think they came out twice as many times as when I saw it last time, haha.
Thank you. It was a story without salvation,
but as I watched the stage thinking,
"They are trying to lighten the mood..."
I saw Frollo waving his hand more energetically than anyone else.

I'm glad, you were also firmly human after all.