Booked & Scene

For this edition of Off Book & On the Record, I sat down with Salvatore Garcia, who’s currently ringing the bells and stealing hearts as Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame at The Company Theatre. We talked about everything from his seventh-grade crush that led him to the stage, to conquering his fear of heights in the bell tower, to why this production hits like a “wall of sound” the moment the music starts.

Could you tell me a little about what first drew you to theater and made you want to perform professionally?

This is actually a hilarious story. In seventh grade, my school announced we were doing The Little Mermaid. I was hanging out with a group of friends—most of them said they wanted to do the musical, but all the guys said they didn’t. There was this one girl I had a massive crush on, and I thought, “Classic. I’m gonna do the musical.”

But once I got in, I completely forgot about that girl. I just fell in love with performing. She doesn’t even do theater anymore, and we don’t talk—but theater stuck. I love the act of service I can give to an audience, that feeling at the end of the rehearsal process when you finally get to share the story with people. It’s absolutely unbelievable and the most rewarding thing for me.

Quasimodo is such a physically and emotionally demanding role, and he’s an outsider for most of the story. How do you prepare for that challenge?

Quasimodo has never seen the outside world. He doesn’t know what life in Paris is like, just 300 feet below him. The only person he interacts with is his master, his uncle, who abuses him and treats him like a monster.

To get into that headspace, I keep a playlist. It’s mostly music I listened to at 12 or 13 because I like to maintain a childlike essence in him. He has no social skills and is so pure at the start of the story. I start the show almost bouncing with excitement, then in the “King of Fools” scene, when someone throws a tomato at him, that innocence shatters.

For me, it’s less about feeling “hated” and more about channeling how people treat someone completely different: as an outsider first, a human second.

“Quasimodo is pure at the start—he’s never seen the world. That innocence is what makes his heartbreak hit so hard.”

-Salvatore Guillermo Garcia

What’s it like working in the bell tower scenes? Any behind-the-scenes challenges we wouldn’t expect?

The gargoyles are my lifesavers: Mel, Gilbert, and Anne. If anything ever went wrong up there, I know I could count on them 1000%.

Fun tip: don’t pull the bell ropes too hard or… you might pull the bells down. (Not that I’ve tested this!)

Originally, the bell tower had railings, but we removed them for the blocking. Now, it feels like a trust exercise every night. The gargoyles are like extensions of me; by the end of the show, it feels like we’re one unit moving together.

If you could step into any other character’s shoes in Hunchback, who would it be and why?

There’s a role only in the stage version: the owner of the whorehouse. She has some of the best lines in the entire show, Madame. I’d love to play her for a night.

If Quasimodo could spend a day with you in Boston, where would you take him?

Easiest question ever. I’d take him to the Boston Common to see the swan boats, then to my favorite bar, Versus, and we’d end the night at a Red Sox game. Fenway Park is something everyone should see at least once. Can you imagine Quasimodo singing “Sweet Caroline”?

Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions before stepping onstage?

I have an unbearable fear of heights, which is… convenient, since this show has me climbing and running around on 8-to-10-foot platforms.

So, I go onstage about an hour and a half before the show. I sit, give myself affirmations, and talk to my mom, she passed away last July, so that’s something I’ve added to my ritual. Then I walk around the stage and even sit on the edge of the main platform with my legs dangling, just to get comfortable. By the time the show starts, I feel ready.

If you had to give an elevator pitch for The Hunchback of Notre Dame to someone who has never walked into a theater before what do you say?

This show is epic. The first wall of sound that hits you is like nothing else—you feel it in your chest.

The direction from Sally and Zoe, the work from the stage managers, and the cast: everyone is locked in. I’ve never been in a production where the entire company is this focused and connected. People need to experience this show.

“I love the act of service I can give to an audience, that feeling at the end of the rehearsal process when you finally get to share the story with people.”

-Salvatore Guillermo Garcia

If you could change break and leg and have it universally adopted what would you change it to and why?

“Ring your sock.”

Jordie Saucerman, who founded this theater, used to say that to us before we went onstage. It meant “go to the bathroom” and “good luck” all at once. She passed, but I think it’s perfect. So, ring your sock and places!

You can catch Salvatore Garcia as Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame at The Company Theatre through August 17. With its soaring score, powerhouse performances, and a story that blends heart and spectacle, this is a show that deserves to be experienced in person. Grab your tickets now!