Leap into La Esmeralda!
- Cindy Case
- Apr 6
- 8 min read
Our company premiere of La Esmeralda is only a few short weeks away! Adapting Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame for the stage, La Esmeralda is full of adventure, romance, and daring. You may be wondering, how did the novel turn into a classical ballet? Is the story the same as the book? What should you expect to see onstage?
Corps de ballet dancer Karen Fleming is our resident expert on classic literature, and she had some interesting things to say about the differences between the novel Notre Dame du Paris and the ballet La Esmeralda. Keep reading to learn more about those differences, the story of the show, and a few things to look out for!
A Brief History
Though inspired by Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris, the ballet production makes big changes to the original novel's sweeping narrative and heavy themes. Karen says, "The novel is primarily concerned with the cathedral itself and what that symbolizes for French culture and identity. The story just happens to be taking place there. Hugo was greatly influenced by the Romantic era of literature as well as the emergence of Gothic literature."
"One of his goals with the novel was to bring attention to preserving the French cultural history that's embodied in the cathedral. He gets very specific at one point and describes the threat of the printing press to all these older forms of expression, including architecture. He was afraid that, as paper became so much easier to work with, the stories we told through architecture would get lost. He envisioned people putting their own stamp on things and destroying the essence of French identity preserved there. Thanks in large part to Hugo's novel, the French government was inspired to preserve Notre Dame."
If this sounds like an unusual foundation for a classical ballet, Hugo himself probably would have agreed with you. Although he didn't directly adapt his book for dance, he did rewrite it for an opera in 1836. As part of this adaptation, he centered the story on Esmeralda, made the character Phoebus more traditionally heroic, and crafted a new, uplifting resolution.
The opera itself was not successful, but Hugo's libretto proved perfect for Jules Perrot's 1844 ballet adaptation. Karen explains, "Whenever you translate a story from one medium to another, there's some degree of working within the conventions of that art form. In the 1830s and 1840s, Romantic ballet had elevated an idea of 'the ballerina' as a major thing. So it makes sense why they would have made Esmeralda the primary focus of the ballet adaptation."
Jules Perrot created the first ballet production of La Esmeralda in 1844 with famed ballerina Carlotta Grisi in the title role. This original, one-act version with music by Cesare Pugni was a critical and public success, though it eventually fell out of the repertoire in Europe.
Perrot restaged his Esmeralda in Russia in 1849, enlisting Pugni's help to expand it to three acts. With this initial foundation, the ballet as we know it stems from the French-born Marius Petipa. During his tenure as the ballet master and primary choreographer of the Imperial Ballet (now the Mariinsky), Petipa made additions to Perrot's production. Petipa's definitive revival opened in 1886.
La Esmeralda continued to be performed in Russia and occasionally elsewhere throughout the 20th century, but it has rarely been seen in the United States. This season, BTM is thrilled to premiere our new production!
The Story of La Esmeralda
Karen says that the ballet production greatly streamlines the plot of the book. "There are so many sideplots in the 500-page novel, but they're not all critical to the story." While the ballet still has plenty of exciting twists and turns, centering the plot around Esmeralda's experiences makes for a more straightforward tale.
Act 1
The Streets of Paris
When a poet named Pierre Gringoire unwittingly wanders into the Court of Miracles* with no money, the Romani King says they'll have to hang him unless one of their women agrees to marry him. The young street dancer, Esmeralda, takes pity on him. She and her friends dance to celebrate the union, but Esmeralda inadvertently draws the attention of the wicked Archdeacon Claude Frollo.
Frollo attempts to have Esmeralda kidnapped, but Captain Phoebus rescues her and captures Frollo's henchman, Quasimodo. Moved by compassion, Esmeralda begs Phoebus to spare Quasimodo. Phoebus agrees and gifts her with a scarf originally given to him by the beautiful Fleur de Lys.
Esmeralda's Room
When Esmeralda returns home, she daydreams about the handsome captain. She's interrupted from her reverie by Pierre Gringoire. He tries to embrace her, but Esmeralda pushes him away. Although she saved him, she refuses to truly be his wife.
After Gringoire leaves, Frollo arrives to confess his feelings for her. Esmeralda pulls out her knife to defend herself, but Quasimodo urges her to escape instead.
Act 2
Fleur de Lys's Castle
Fleur de Lys, a beautiful and wealthy young woman, prepares for a grand party. Though Captain Phoebus does not love Fleur de Lys, he dutifully proposes marriage to her. Things get complicated when Esmeralda and Pierre Gringoire arrive as the hired entertainment for the event.
Esmeralda is heartbroken to realize Phoebus is engaged to another woman. When she puts on her scarf to leave, Fleur de Lys recognizes it as the one she gave Phoebus. She breaks her engagement with Phoebus, who chases after Esmeralda.
Esmeralda's Room
Phoebus makes his way to Esmeralda to swear his love for her. She reciprocates his feelings, but neither of them realizes that Frollo has been lying in wait for her. Consumed by jealousy, Frollo stabs Phoebus with Esmeralda's knife.
When the commotion draws others to the room, Frollo pretends to discover the knife. He promises Esmeralda he'll hide it if she will be his, but she refuses. Stony-faced, Frollo shows the knife to the judge. He orders Esmeralda's arrest.
The Streets of Paris
The yearly Festival of Fools falls on the day of Esmeralda's execution for Phoebus's murder. As the revelers depart and the mood grows somber, Esmeralda begs Pierre Gringoire to bury her with Phoebus's scarf.
Frollo offers again to save her, but Esmeralda rejects him. Before she's led to her execution, Phoebus appears on the square--alive! Frollo moves to attack them, but Quasimodo bravely fights him off. The two men struggle, but Quasimodo is triumphant.
What to Watch For
Maybe you know the story of La Esmeralda, but how does that translate to the dance and pantomime you'll see onstage? Here are a few things to look for throughout the show.
Act 1
Scene 1: Saving Pierre and Getting Kidnapped
Ballet pantomime: There is some repeated dialogue between the characters that audience members should look out for throughout the show. To explain that he is a poet, Pierre Gringoire touches his fingers to his temples ("I think") and mimes writing on a piece of paper ("and write"). Everyone in the Court of Miracles is unimpressed by how poor he is, and they all mime that he'll be hanged. Although this moment would have a lot of gravity in real life, in the show it's quite comedic!
Phoebus's scarf: After Phoebus rescues Esmeralda, she shows interest in the beautiful scarf he's wearing. Phoebus is already charmed by Esmeralda, so he offers it to her. Little does Esmeralda know that this scarf was a gift for Phoebus from Fleur de Lys. This makes the scarf an interesting symbol of Phoebus's conflicting motivations: his obligation toward Fleur de Lys and his blossoming interest in Esmeralda.
Scene 2: Esmeralda at Home
Phoebus's name: Like a teenaged girl taking her crush's name and scribbling "Mrs. ______" in her notebook, Esmeralda shows her own feelings for Phoebus by writing his name in charcoal on her wall.**
Karissa Kralik as Esmeralda Teaching Pierre to dance: Although Esmeralda has no real interest in being Pierre Gringoire's wife, she does try to turn him into a dancer so he can contribute to her upcoming performance. He proves to be a quick learner!
Act 2
Scene 1: The Engagement Party
The Grand Pas de Fleurs: This majestic scene celebrates the engagement of Phoebus and Fleur de Lys with a corps of 17 dancers as well as two demi-soloist couples. After the grounded, demi-character dancing in the first act, this section is distinctly classical. This helps demonstrate the formality of the relationship between Phoebus and his fiancée.
Jalousie pas de deux, or Esmeralda pas de six: On the heels of the Grand Pas de Fleurs, Esmeralda entertains at the party with Pierre Gringoire and her four friends. She's just found out about Fleur de Lys, and her choreography reflects both her jealousy and melancholy.
Scene 2: Romance and Attempted Murder
Esmeralda and Phoebus's pas de deux: In the last act, Phoebus and Fleur de Lys celebrated their engagement in a formal, classical pas de deux surrounded by many other dancers. When Phoebus comes to confess his love to Esmeralda, their private, romantic moment is in clear contrast to the previous scene.
Esmeralda's knife returns: Last seen when Frollo came to confess his feelings for her, Esmeralda's knife returns when Frollo uses it to stab Phoebus in the back. Although this circumstantial evidence wouldn't be enough to convict her in the modern day, it's sufficient for the 15th century!
Scene 3: A Festival and an Interrupted Execution
The Festival of Fools: Fans of the 1996 Disney film may remember this as the song "Topsy Turvy." This revelrous dance provides a short break from the drama of the act and is an important moment for Quasimodo's character: he's finally seen and appreciated for who he is. This moment contributes to his decision at the end of the ballet to protect Esmeralda, who has always been kind to him.
As you can probably tell, there's plenty more to discuss about La Esmeralda. Check back in for our next blog post, where I'll share an update on our rehearsal process!
Share all the drama and comedy of La Esmeralda with us when we take it to the stage on April 24 and 25! We'll premiere this adventurous romance at Maryland Hall, and we'd love to see you there. Tickets are available on our La Esmeralda page now.
If you'd like to see us a little sooner, join BTM for our Spring Celebration: Bubbles and Blooms. On April 12, meet and mingle with the dancers of BTM as you take in the historic William Paca House's beautiful gardens. The event includes brunch by Crave Catering, an espresso cart and bubbly mimosas, a silent auction, and more!
*The cour des miracles is an old term for the slums of Paris, France. The story goes that beggars would spend the day pretending to be disabled in order to tug on folks' heartstrings, and then miraculously be cured when they went home at night. Although we don't dwell on this aspect in our staging, it's an interesting legacy!
**Spelling out Phoebus's name goes back to the original novel, where it's one of the tricks performed by Esmeralda's pet goat, Djali. In the ballet, viewers will also see her spell out ФЕБ ("Feb"), which is the Russian name for Phoebus. This is a nod to Petipa's Russian productions of La Esmeralda.
Promotional photos by Joanne Salyer
Rehearsal photos by Lauren Martinez
