Hunchback shines brilliantly in its darkness

In a sweeping, ambitious effort, Cloquet High School’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” transports theater-goers back in time and place — and into a dark dimension — in its production of Victor Hugo’s enduring novel.

Indeed, the trappings are glorious, from Iris Keller’s breathtaking stained-glass window to the spectacular costumes, the set pieces’ clean and classy lines, and impressive props. With the angelic strains of the onstage choir enveloping and then transcending the physical confines of the theater, it’s a masterpiece in stagecraft.

And it is with this production that Cloquet’s theater program has raised the bar ever higher, with this cadre of young actors skillfully ensnaring the audience for the jagged journey into the human soul.

Leads and ensembles alike artfully flex their acting, vocal and dancing chops in bringing Hugo’s tale to life in both its light and dark moments. The “living” gargoyles are enchanting, and the choreography delightful (keep an eye out for the awesome and quickly fleeting acrobatics). Ryan Badger as Phoebus lends a slyness for humorous moments in “Rest and Recreation” as well as with the decidedly smart and sassy Esmeralda, played by remarkable vocalists Sophia Brenner and Patrice Eakman on alternate nights. In an arresting image, Nemo Johnson fairly floats onto the stage as an apparition of St. Aphrodisius. Lithe and limber Mackenzie Brummer as Clopin, the narrator and Festival of Fools mistress of ceremonies, is an alluring, striking figure with great stage presence. The impressively large groups effectively use the length and breadth of the stage in chronicling the story, providing a smooth step-down to a more somber plane.

Tall and lean, Evan Streblow is an imposing figure as Dom Claude Frollo and, despite his youthful looks, powerfully draws the audience into his conflicted soul, inviting the audience to despise him while managing to make it feel sorry for him — no small feat. One can only hang on for the ride in the explosive “Hellfire” — with its effectively stark setting and exquisite lighting— as Streblow’s Frollo, embattled by conflict between lust and piety, chooses a disastrous path to wresting himself from his inner turmoil.

In a crowning touch to the show’s casting coup, Jordan Allen turns in a larger-than-life performance as the humblest of characters, Quasimodo. Far from being a caricature, Allen’s Quasimodo is intelligent, endearing and flawed — human, as he is. From the moment of his seconds-long and nearly silent transformation from man to monster, Allen delivers on all counts with his convincing diction and physical portrayal of the deformed creature, on-point acting in moments both subtle and grand, and golden vocals, from his yearning to be “out there” and soaring exaltation in sharing the “top of the world” with fellow outcast Esmeralda, to the tragic resolution of his tortured relationship with caretaker Frollo.

In keeping with Hugo’s writing, the conclusion is dark, and moves swiftly with an imaginative and intense rendering of Frollo’s end at Quasimodo’s hands. In a poignant moment ripe for symbolism, Quasimodo cradles the lifeless Esmeralda in his arms, exiting the stage. The audience is left to ponder if he is free at last of affliction, if only for that moment; and the brilliance of the night yields to the perplexities of the human condition, still

smoldering.