Listen to a sample of the soundtrack to the short-lived Hunchback of Notre Dame musical

Perhaps it was the frightening themes or characters that made it up, but the Hunchback of Notre Dame musical that had its premiere in the United States last year will not be returning to theater houses. It’s a shame, though.

We had the opportunity to watch one of the few shows that played in San Diego last year and it was an amazing production that brought out even more of the adult-oriented themes to life. Apart from the iconic Notre Dame set, the music was by far the star of the show.

Audiences were treated to a live version of what was a live performance of the full orchestral score that Disney Legend Alan Menken wrote for the animated film. A full choir and orchestra heightened the slightly different story of Quasimodo, as seen from Frollo’s point-of-view.

Many of the melodies remained the same as Menken and award-winning lyricist Stephen Schwartz composed the music for the musical production. They also added a few new songs to give more story-filled moments to the characters of Notre Dame.

Though the musical production won’t be returning, you can hear all of that beautifully haunting music we heard thanks to the official musical album. It’ll feature the original cast including Michael Arden as Quasimodo and Patrick Page as archdeacon Claude Frollo. The album is now available for pre-order and will be released on January 22, 2016.

Sing those bells!

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