Behind the Curtain: Lead Roles in ‘Hunchback’
Photo by Berenice Sullivan
From left to right: Danila Burshteyn as Quasimodo, Matthew Liebowitz as Dom Claude Frollo, Solona Husband as Esmeralda.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting the three leads in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Castro Valley Arts Foundation and TMC Arts’ summer musical,— and my advice is “Purchase your tickets as soon as you can!”
Tenor Danila Burshteyn is cast in his “dream role” as Quasimodo. He shared with me that he has loved the music and the Disney movie version of the story since he was a child. Burshteyn was born in Uzbekistan in 1996 and immigrated with his family to the Bay Area in 2001. He has been performing in musicals since he was eight years old, shining in roles such as Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls and performing in West Side Story four times—twice as Riff, once as Action, and once as a member of the Jets. He said he couldn’t be more excited to work with Director Enrico Banson and that the artistic team is giving its all.
The talented and beautiful soprano, Solona Husband is cast as Esmeralda. Like Burshteyn, Husband has been performing in musicals since she was a child. This young star has an impressive resume listing seventeen roles to date. Her first lead role was as Belle in Beauty and the Beast when she was in middle school. More recently, she has played Joanne in RENT, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Sandy Cheeks in The Spongebob Musical, and Sally in Being Alive, a musical tribute to the late Stephen Sondheim. A TheatreStorm review of her performance noted that, “Solona Husband has a strong, sassy and playful energy as Sally.” The artist shared with me that the music in Hunchback is gorgeous, that every song has a sincerity, a rawness, a realness—but that what she loves most about the production is the story. Noteworthy here—and lucky for us! — Husband earned her Equity card after she accepted her role as Esmeralda.
Castro Valley native Matthew Liebowitz stars in the role of Dom Claude Frollo. Liebowitz loves this show because the music is so complex. He also likes playing characters that are nothing like him, and he certainly has nothing in common with Frollo, the evil, creepy, holier-than-thou archdeacon. Some of Liebowitz’s favorite past roles include Inspector Javert in Les Miserables, Billy Bigelow in Carousel, and Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar. He currently spends his time mentoring and coaching young performers at his studio, Matt Liebowitz Vocal Studio, but luckily for the team, he has “come out of retirement” to join the cast of Hunchback. One of the things he enjoys most is working with many current and former students, including Burshteyn. He often tells his students, “Teamwork makes the dream work” and this upcoming production promises to prove him right!
Tickets are available at cvartsfoundation.org or 510.889-8961. Castro Valley Center for the Arts 19501 Redwood Road, Castro Valley. Parking is free. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is appropriate for Middle School audiences and older.