The 1923 silent film classic "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" comes to Trinity Cathedral, downtown, with a live pipe organ accompaniment.
"Hunchback" stars Lon Chaney, Sr., as the misshapen Quasimodo, bell-ringer at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. Baltimore organist Michael Britt will provide the live soundtrack for a single showing Friday, October 29, at 7:30 p.m.
Trinity Cathedral is located downtown at 328 Sixth Avenue, bordering the Cultural District. Light refreshments will be available from Pittsburgh Popcorn Co. There will be optional docent-led tours of the historic, colonial-era burial ground after the performance. Suggested donation for the evening is $10/person, $5/student, and $20/family.
Michael Britt is a performer of theater organ music, much in demand throughout the country as a silent film accompanist. He was well-received last year at Trinity Cathedral when he accompanied "The Phantom of the Opera."
Based on last year's experience, this authentic way of experiencing an old "silent" has multigenerational appeal. Says David Schaap, Trinity Cathedral's Organist-Choirmaster, "Britt will amuse you, surprise you, whether a senior or grandchild or anyone in-between. You won't have had this much fun at the movies in a long time."
"This is just in time for Halloween," says the Rev. Paul Johnston, a priest at the Cathedral. "Some people have been surprised that we showed 'Phantom' last year and now 'Hunchback.' But as we approach All Saints Day, this is a time of year when the Church laughs at the finality of death and does not concede its victory. We can do so because of the transforming power of sacrificial love, which is also the theme of this movie."