Theater

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an oft-told tale, but you've never seen a version like this. Vox Lumiere (Voice of Light) presents a rock musical stage version of the Victor Hugo classic to open the Prince Music Theater's season. The Disney organization is preparing a Broadway version of its 1996 animated musical, but what you'll see at the Prince is nothing like that.

Disney's take was a sentimental romance with songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. Vox Lumiere's is a gothic drama that pairs Lon Chaney's 1923 silent film with live actors, singers and dancers performing original music by Academy Award-nominated composer and conductor Kevin Saunders Hayes.

While the movie is projected on three screens, a live band accompanies the action and the cast adds its commentary. When an on-screen character shows his or her emotions, a singer will express those feelings in song.

Hayes, who's trained in classical music, has composed for dozens of mainstream TV shows and 35 feature films while also performing as a rock guitarist. "All the while I was looking for a more creative outlet to use my craft," he says. "At last I have a chance to express my passion and creativity and bring a contemporary relevance to great films."

Hayes composed a multimedia production of the silent film Metropolis, and is at work on future productions of Full Moon (retelling the vampire legend), The Mask of Zorro and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Hayes calls them "silents you can hear."

Vox Lumiere: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sept. 8-17, $25-$40, Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., 215-569-9700, www.princemusictheater.org.