The Quasimodo Casting Controversy: On Disability Representation and The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Podcast: MickeyJoTheatre
Host: Mickey Jo
Date: August 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the recent controversy surrounding the casting choices for Quasimodo in the much-anticipated London concert production of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Mickey Jo, a prominent theatre critic and content creator, explores broader issues of disability representation in the theatrical world, industry standards, and the intensity of discourse on social media following Equity's statement on the show’s casting practices.

The host seeks to create an informed, empathetic conversation, examining why this concert production became a flashpoint for long-standing, complex questions about disability inclusion—in casting, backstage access, and beyond.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Mickey Jo’s Position and Intentions

• Apprehension as an Outsider: As someone not involved in the production nor the disabled community, Mickey Jo acknowledges feeling unusually apprehensive in approaching this topic.
  • Quote:

    "I'm experiencing an emotion that I don't often feel when I do these, and that is apprehension. As someone who is external to this situation in every possible sense..." (01:34)

• Purpose: The goal is to foster "meaningful conversation, for empathy," not to assign blame but to shed light on wider systemic issues.
  • Quote:

    "My greatest desire here is to create space for meaningful conversation, for empathy, and as I do for all of these situations, for all of these controversies, whatever you want to call them." (02:19)

2. Background of the Controversy

The Show and Its Casting

• The London concert staging was highly anticipated and quickly sold out.
• Quasimodo (a disabled character) is portrayed simultaneously by two performers:
  • Ben Joyce (able-bodied, established West End talent)
  • Oliver Hewing (deaf performer, portraying Quasimodo through dance and sign)
• The exact staging and balance of the dual performance has not been reviewed by the host yet.

The Spark

• Announcement of casting led to substantial excitement, followed by disappointment and public debate—especially heated after Equity UK released a statement criticizing the lack of a physically disabled actor in the title role.
  • Quote:

    "There has been an entire conversation about the casting of Quasimodo, a disabled character, of course, whose disability is noted even in the title of the show..." (04:14)

3. Disability Representation in Theatre

The State of Inclusion

• Abysmal Representation and Access: Theatrical industry is described as "dreadful" regarding both onstage and audience accessibility for disabled people.
  • Quote:

    "Disability representation in theatre is so abysmally poor across the board." (07:17)

• Infrastructural Barriers: Many West End theatres remain inaccessible for performers, e.g., stage access, backstage areas, and facilities.
• Talent Pipeline Gaps: Tiny numbers of disabled actors, directors, or choreographers; this is attributed to lack of access, training, support, and especially visible inspiration for young disabled people.
• The Magnitude of the Problem: Representation needs to go beyond just "playing disabled characters":
  • Normalize casting disabled actors in non-disabled roles.
• Anecdote: References dancer/teacher Kate Stanforth as an example of inspiration for disabled youth facing reduced government support.

Why Representation Matters

• Training and Visibility: Drama school admissions reflect what's seen on stage; the industry needs to ignite young disabled people’s interest and provide training.
• Quote:

  "The dawning of shows like Hamilton did a lot for the diversification of drama school intakes. And it would seem as though there needs to be an increase in the provision of training for young disabled actors. But for that to even happen, we also have to light the spark in the first place." (15:15)

Broadening the Lens

• The conversation must include all disabilities (not just mobility-related), and recognize how industry “improvements” (like one BSL-interpreted performance per run) barely scratch the surface of inclusion.

4. Principles of Casting: Accuracy, Authenticity, Representation

(Broke down at 17:22)

• Accuracy: Some roles require casting to match key facets of identity (ethnicity in Hairspray, for example). Sometimes, subversion of this is deliberate.
• Authenticity: Recognizes the importance of lived experience for truthful performances, particularly for marginalized identities.
  • Quote:

    "Authenticity is the thing that gives us great performances, characters that feel real and that entire communities can connect to because they recognize the understanding that has gone into creating that person's story." (19:44)

• Representation: Visibility inspires participation, broadening industry access for marginalized groups. This is essential for long-term change and inspiration.

5. The Hunchback of Notre Dame Casting — The Event

The Equity Statement ([21:21])

• Equity UK released a pointed statement against the casting of a non-disabled performer (Ben Joyce) as Quasimodo while acknowledging the show includes a deaf performer (Oliver Hewing), BSL interpretation, and a deaf choreographer.
  • Quote (Equity Statement - paraphrased):

    "The decision not to cast a physically disabled actor in the role goes against these principles. These artists face structural discrimination and lack equal access to many roles." (21:45)

• Natalie Amber (Chair, Equity’s Deaf and Disabled Committee):
  • Quote:

    "To highlight one facet while overlooking another erases the lived experience of people with physical impairments and is an example of ableism." (23:10)

  • Also, calls out "diversity is not a trade off."

Mickey Jo’s Reflections

• Highlights the erasure of Oliver Hewing’s contribution amid the broader argument.

• Explains the technical challenge: Quasimodo, as written, possesses a cluster of disabilities (kyphosis, deafness, visual impairment), making strict "accuracy" nearly impossible.

  • This makes authenticity and representation even more paramount.

• Limits of Representation:

  • If a disability isn’t visible/known to the audience, does representation ‘count’? Raises issue of designers, choreographers, or performers whose disability isn’t immediately perceivable.
    • Quote:

      "Unless a performer's disability is...perceived by an audience, then you know it's not actually offering representation if nobody knows about it." (24:51)

6. The Dilemma and Limits of the Industry

The Ideal vs. Reality

• Expresses that the role, in an ideal world, "ought always to be played by a disabled performer...preferably with visible difference".

  • Quote:

    "When it comes to authenticity, the role of Quasimodo ought always to be played by a disabled performer. And I think specifically in an ideal world, one with visible difference." (26:19)

• However, acknowledges the extreme difficulty: limited pool of high-profile disabled actors (especially who can handle the role’s vocal demands), systemic industry failings, and producer/creative team constraints.

  • Points out Disney’s potential sway over casting choices.
  • Suggests the dual casting is an example of the kind of “innovative solution” sometimes required, though possibly still unsatisfying.
  • Quote:

    "And yet, having said that, and having seen an awful lot of theater within the industry, I don't know who that actor is. Which is not to say that they don't exist..." (26:46)

Does Telling the Story Help or Hurt?

• Raises a provocative question:
  • If a role cannot be cast authentically, is it better not to produce it at all?
  • Suggests the production is at least sparking conversation—possibly more productive than a complete boycott.
  • Quote:

    "I question...whether it is not more beneficial to tell the story and to emotionally articulate Quasimodo's experience via the dual portrayal of an able bodied and a disabled performer simultaneously..." (28:46)

Sector-Wide Problems

• The controversy is symptomatic of a decades-long failure of access, opportunity, and inclusive thinking in the performing arts.
  • Bringing attention to these issues is valuable, but ongoing condemnation of a single concert may not be as productive now as broader activism.

7. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the Need for Change:

  "Change within the industry is deeply necessary and overdue. And the conversation that has arisen because of Hunchback...is all beneficial." (30:43)

• Final Reflection & Call to Listeners:

  "Having wished for positive conversation, I am now going to stop talking and hopefully let that happen. Please do share your your thoughts in the comments section down below. What do you think of this particular piece of casting and also the bigger issues faced by the disabled community in the theatre industry." (31:46)

Notable Timestamps

• [01:34] – Mickey Jo introduces the topic and his emotional stake
• [07:17] – Discussion of abysmal state of disability representation in theatre
• [13:18] – Principles of casting: accuracy, authenticity, representation
• [21:21] – Summary and reading of Equity UK’s official statement
• [23:10] – Equity representative Natalie Amber’s remarks on erasure
• [26:19] – Mickey Jo’s position on authentic casting for Quasimodo
• [30:43] – Call for systemic change in the industry
• [31:46] – Invitation for continued, respectful listener feedback

Tone and Takeaways

Mickey Jo is thoughtful, candid, and outwardly empathetic—confessing his limitations as an outsider while insisting the conversation must continue, and that structural change is long overdue. He refuses to endorse the venom of social media pile-ons, yet he’s unequivocal about the need for authenticity and greater access for disabled artists.

Rather than reducing the debate to absolutes, he illustrates the complexity of the situation, the reality of practical and institutional obstacles, and the critical but imperfect efforts at inclusion. His call to listeners is for empathy, nuance, and forward-thinking action.

For those who haven’t listened:
This episode is a comprehensive, honest look at both the Quasimodo controversy and the broader context of disability in theatre, rich with real-world examples and industry reflections. Mickey Jo’s insights will help listeners understand not just the events themselves, but the structures and attitudes that make such casting debates so intractable—and so essential to address.