A theatrical phenomenon is opening its doors in Geneva. Notre Dame de Paris, the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel, took Paris by storm in 1998 and is now preparing to raise the roof at the Swiss city's Arena.

A theatrical phenomenon is opening its doors in Geneva. Notre Dame de Paris, the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel, took Paris by storm in 1998 and after two years on the road is preparing to raise the roof at the Swiss city's Arena.

Lyricist Luc Plamondon and composer Richard Cocciante have taken Hugo's gothic reworking of the myth of Beauty and the Beast and created a show with pace and energy which has so far been witnessed by an estimated 1.5 million people around Europe. It opens in Las Vegas in a few days, and its debut on the London stage is expected in June.

Notre Dame de Paris is expected to play to packed houses for 18 nights at the Arena. A spectacular set recreates the imposing clock tower of the French cathedral, which forms the backdrop to the story of Esmerelda and the hunchback Quasimodo (picture shows earlier adaptation performed in Berlin).

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