SRO Productions is opening a new staging of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, blending the familiar Disney film with the darker moral weight of Victor Hugo’s original novel. Two cast members, Scot Saggiomo and Richard Aton, say this version of the show asks audiences to look beyond easy distinctions between heroes and villains.
“If you’re familiar with the Disney animated film, this is more of a blend,” says Saggiomo, who plays Judge Claude Frollo. “It takes that animated film and combines it with the darker literary tone of Victor Hugo’s novel. It’s really a synthesis of all the versions that came before it.”
Saggiomo notes that Hugo’s novel famously helped save Notre Dame itself. “The cathedral was run down and facing demolition,” he explains. “The life that this book brought reinvigorated the cathedral—and that ultimately led to the animated film, two stage iterations, and now the version we’re doing.”
The musical’s path to the stage was unusually international. Cast member Richard Aton, who plays Clopin, says the show’s development took place far from Broadway. “Disney Theatrical was developing Hunchback at the same time as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast,” Aton says. “The out-of-town tryout was originally planned in England, then moved to Germany, where it premiered in Berlin.”
The show remains a staple there. “It was retitled Der Glöckner von Notre Dame,” Aton says. “It’s still performed almost every year in Berlin—and yes, the cast had to learn it in German.”
Aton describes Clopin as a character who moves fluidly through the story. “He shows up at the Feast of Fools, he leads the Court of Miracles, and then he disappears—until suddenly he’s back,” Aton says. “He’s playful, but he’s also protecting his people from persecution. He’s very much about survival.”
That moral complexity is especially true of Frollo. Though often portrayed as a straightforward villain, Saggiomo says he approaches the role differently. “I don’t play him as a villain,” he says. “I play him as someone who thinks he’s right—someone who believes he’s righteous.”
Saggiomo adds that the production highlights how dangerous that certainty can be. “He believes he knows what’s best for everyone,” he says. “And that’s where righteousness turns into cruelty when compassion disappears.”
The opening number provides crucial context for Frollo’s character. “You get a condensed backstory right away,” Saggiomo explains. “You see him as an orphan, raised by the cathedral, and you understand how Notre Dame became his home, his safety, his family.”
That emotional grounding shapes the entire production. “This isn’t hero versus villain,” Saggiomo says. “There’s a line in the show that asks, ‘What makes a monster and what makes a man?’ We leave that for the audience to decide.”
Director Scott Fisher has also reimagined the Shore Family Firehouse Stage to place audiences inside the story. “We’re using a thrust-style setup,” Aton says. “You’ll feel like you’re part of the congregation, part of the Feast of Fools, part of the Court of Miracles. Every seat gives you a different experience.”
Saggiomo also praises the cast and chorus. “We’ve got Brendan Gardner as Phoebus, Alondra Hughes as Esmeralda, and Johnny Zareski as Quasimodo,” he says. “And behind us is a full chorus that brings the cathedral to life. That choral sound—it’s overwhelming in the best way.”
SRO Productions presents The Hunchback of Notre Dame January 23, 24, 25, 30, and 31, and February 1. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., at the Shore Family Firehouse Stage, located at the corner of Corliss Avenue and Willow Street in Johnson City, across from the Binghamton University Pharmacy School. More information is available online at https://sroproductionsonline.com.