Brilliant Hunchback

Undoubtedly one of France's most gifted men of letters, the 19th century author Victor Hugo was also a humanist par excellence.

This he so prominently depicted in three of his most famous works: Les Miserables, the saga of the benighted convict Jean Valjean. Le Roi s'Amuse, immortalised by Verdi in his operatic gem Rigoletto, and, of course, the Gothic tale of Notre Dame's bell-ringer Quasimodo.

The Central Academy of Ballet (which has a number of other productions to its credit, such as Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, My Fair Lady, Aladdin) gained more laurels with their production, at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, of Hunchback of Notre Dame, their ballet version of the spectacular saga of pathos, unbridled lust, fury redeemed through eternal love and compassion shown by the main protagonist, the hunchback Quasimodo, living in a world surrounded by gargoyles.

But there are others who interact in this powerful drama. Frollo (Justin Roy Barker) is the Minister of Justice and ostensibly the Hunchback's friend and mentor. Enter Captain Phoebus (Daron Galea) the dashing knight back from the Crusades. The ravishing gypsy girl Esmeralda (Marisha Bonnici), who triggers off explosions of jealousy and lust, sharply contrasts Phoebus's pure love for her, transcended by Quasimodo's total absence of malice and innocence, all encapsulated through a series of set-pieces highlighted by a range of dance routines - street dances, a spirited alegrias, and the inevitable Spanish dance complete with the clicking of castanets and the foot-thumping zapateado.

Now to set design. Peter Howitt is no newcomer to this art form, having garnered a few Oscar nominations for top-notch movies like Braveheart and Elizabeth. In this ballet version of Hunchback he gives it added dimension running the whole spectrum from the static through sheer Gothic and the surreal.

Ultimately, it was Gino Camilleri as Quasimodo upon whom the action pivoted. Indeed he dominated throughout in body language and pace. He exuded both innocence and bonhomie, in contrast with the pathetic and heart-broken being that he actually is.

Svetlana Silina's choreography was polished inasmuch as it complemented the painstaking efforts and dedication shown throughout by Monique Pellegrini Petit and Mirielle Coleiro, together with their numerous cast's determination, thus making this Hunchback an undeniable triumph of the Central Academy of Ballet.