The Douglas Choral Union will return to the Gaiety Theatre stage next week to perform the ’The Hunchback of Notre Dame’.

Based on the 1831 Victor Hugo novel, and songs from the 1996 Disney animated feature - the spectacle will feature a stellar all-Manx cast, matched with Alan Menken’s most-favourable work.

For those unfamiliar with the classic tale, the story follows Quasimodo and the beautiful Esmeralda as they strive to find the meaning of love, acceptance and heroism in 15th century Paris.

It promises to be a show to remember, with impressive music throughout, and stellar acting to match.

The Douglas Choral Union (DCU) first took to the stage in 1896, and the society has been leading Manx theatre ever since.

Throughout those 126 years, they have delivered well over 100 shows to Manx audiences. Today’s productions are considered to be second only to the professional shows found in London’s famous West End.

They said: ’Whilst the island may be small, it is clear to see that it has a wealth of talent as evidenced by the standard of productions staged here.’

Over the years, the DCU has had the privilege of performing some of the industry’s top shows.

In 2009, the DCU obtained the first amateur licence to perform ’Les Miserables’ - a performance that was a massive success.

The society has also been privileged to stage a diverse range of shows from My Fair Lady, to Miss Saigon, and even Jesus Christ Superstar.

Then followed three years of island premieres with ’The Producers’ (2017), ’9 to 5’ (2018), ’Spamalot’ (2019) and ’The Sound of Music’ in 2020.

The DCU went on: ’These musical hits wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful Manx audiences, who are tirelessly dedicated to attending DCU productions.

’It is easy to forget that the DCU is an ’amateur’ society and its members (both on and offstage) work full time, are in education, or have families.

Despite these commitments, the members fully commit to the many hours of rehearsing to produce high calibre shows that can compete with professional productions.

’The DCU is grateful to its members for all their hard work and dedication and is proud to have a long history of casting great local talent in all its productions and - with the help of our bursary scheme - we are devoted in ensuring the legacy of the DCU and Manx Theatre lives on and thrives for another 126 years.’

Tickets for the DCU production start at £20, which you can get from www.villagaiety.com or you can call on 600555.