Three questions with Hunchback's Rachel DalBianco

Rachel, you have a hauntingly beautiful solo near the end of the musical, when Florika returns to Quasimodo. Some versions of this musical do not have Florika return. Do you feel that Quasimodo needs her to return? Does she need to return? Does the audience?

I think Florika returning helps tie the story together very well for the audience. It brings everything back full circle, by taking lessons she learned and passing them on to Quasimodo. Many other versions to not give Florika the ending solo, but I believe the fact that she sings it gives it so much more meaning and depth, both to the words and her character. It's gorgeously written and the impact still hits me every time I get to sing it.

We are referring to near the end of the show, when Florika sings to Quasimodo:

Olim deus accelere

Hoc saeculum splendidum

What does this mean? Is it dark that Florika sings this to Quasi, or do you find this a message of hope ?

The phrase Florika sings translates to "Once, long ago, God arrived in this age of brightness. He will come again." I've always seen this as such a powerful symbol of hope in the show. Since my first time listening through the soundtrack, that line stuck with me. My character as well as nearly every other character in this musical has a life full of hardships and struggles but somehow they still manage to find hope and believe that light and good will win out in the end, whether in their lifetimes or another. That is such an important universal message. It was important back in the period that this musical was set in, and it continues to be in such tumultuous times like these, where things can sometimes look very bleak.

Florika appears twice in the this musical: at the very beginning she is young and bold , and at the very end, when she almost transcends space and time. How has this character’s role changed during the musical ? What will you do to convey this difference?

I think the difference between Florika in the beginning and end is very important. In the first scene of the show she is very young and naiive about the world. She does what she needs to get by and doesn't think beyond that. Her appearance at the end of the show is full of so much more wisdom and grace. After seeing how unfair the world can be but also how goodness still exists, she is able to have more levels as a character and really transform into a more mature deeper character. The difference in attitudes have to be apparent in body language and demeanor. The change is so drastic, because it shows how loss of innocence and youth affects a person.

Sounds like we have a lot to look forward to in your performance, Rachel. What's next for you after the musical closes April 29th?

After the musical I will be performing in the Lincoln Way East Jazz Showcase, on May 4th and 5th! I will be working during the summer but I really hope to also do a musical before starting my senior year!

Tickets for Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame, which runs April 27 and 28 at 7pm April 28 at 1pm and April 29 at 3pm, can be purchased for $10 at the door one hour before showtime, or online at lwemusic.org