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Fans of New Forms Will Find Sanctuary in Vox Lumiere: Hunchback at Philly's
Prince Music Theater
By Kenneth Jones
05 Sep 2005


Vox Lumiere: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a unique multi-media theatre
experience by the group whose name translates as "Voice of Light," opens the
Prince Music Theater's 2005-06 season in Philadelphia Sept. 8-17.

This is the East Coast premiere of the group's new multi-media production,
inspired by the silent Lon Chaney motion picture version of the Victor Hugo
classic.

"Set against the backdrop of the great silent film that made Lon Chaney a
star, Vox Lumiere's production re-imagines the story with a new score and a
wholly modern company of 16 singers, dancers and musicians," according to
production notes. "The multi-level staging and evocative pop-rock score
serve to deepen the characters and intensify the film's narrative impact."

Vox Lumiere kicks off the "Prince's New Visions" series, and is presented as
part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Critics have compared the troupe
to Stomp and Blue Man Group.

"In Vox Lumiere: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Wallace Worsely's 1923 classic
silent film unfolds on three screens, while below, the singers and a band
perform a new rock opera created to complement and heighten the drama of the
film," according to the creators.

Music and lyrics are by Academy Award-nominated composer, songwriter and
conductor Kevin Saunders Hayes ("Mighty Times - The Legacy of Rosa Parks")
with direction by Gabriel Previtera.

The cast includes guitarist, songwriter and producer Christian Nesmith (son
of the Monkees' Michael Nesmith), Melissa Fahn (original Broadway cast of
Wicked), Suzi Carr George (lead roles in the original L.A. companies of
Beauty and the Beast and Cats) and Kyle Lowder ("Days of Our Lives").

Vox Lumiere has performed in both Europe and the United States. In
Hollywood, the group played an eight-week engagement to crowds of more than
2,000. It was also honored by the Cinematheque Francaise with a special
invitation to perform at the Paris Cinematheque. Other silent films
currently in the Vox Lumiere theatrical concept-concert repertoire include
Peter Pan, Intolerance, The Phantom of the Opera and Metropolis.

"I've been a film and TV composer, jingle writer, songwriter, and I love
theatre," composer Kevin Hayes explained in production notes. "I wanted to
use all of my skills at once. When I watched the first silent film,
'Metropolis,' I could hear the score in my head. And I realized that through
song, we could bring the characters to life and let them express their hope,
their joy."

He said his work with Vox Lumiere is a chance to pay homage to, and to work
with, great talents from 100 years ago. "I get to write beautiful music, to
express my passion and creativity and to bring a new contemporary relevance
to films that would normally sit on a shelf," he observed. "These are
beautiful movies and it's amazing that they were made just 10 years after
the invention of the motion picture."

Single tickets range from $ 25 to $40. Tickets are available at the Prince
Music Theater box office, (215) 569-9700, or online at
www.princemusictheater.org.


Shane