Hercules

Marketed as an ‘electrifying new musical’, Hercules has a lot to live up to given its Disney musical forefathers. Both the Lion King and Frozen were met with huge praise on both the West End and Broadway as they managed to capture the spirit of Disney and bring our favourite characters to life.

But sadly, Disney’s latest onstage venture has not quite found its way and still has to go quite the distance.

Hercules is a musical inspired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1997 film of the same name and based on the ancient myth. With music and lyrics by Alan Menken and David Zippel, we follow our hunky hero Hercules as he embarks on an adventure to become a God again. But what this production lacks is a decidedly Disney element.

With the Theatre Royal Drury Lane packed full of children and nostalgia-seeking adults, I heard disappointed ‘aws’ around me when Phil, the witty half-man half-goat once voiced by Danny DeVito in the film, turns out to be an average man who runs a tacky tavern called Medusa’s. Surely Phil could have been played by an Olaf-esque puppet? The only redeeming factor here is that Phil is played by the brilliant Trevor Dion Nicholas.

Similar sighs were heard when Hades is seen for the first time. Played as though he is a pantomime villain, Stephen Carlile wears many extravagant costumes designed by Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser but none of them are reminiscent of the Hades we know and love from the film. Often held up as one of Disney’s most popular antagonists, the film’s version of Hades wears a black robe with his flaming blue hair turning red when he is angry. Surely a LED headpiece to mimic this character’s most distinguishable feature is not out of the realms of Disney’s budget? Looking past his appearance, Carlile elicits the most laughs from the audience, even convincingly pulling off a groan-worthy comment about baby Hercules being ‘as strong as a single mother’.

Despite its clear variations from the original film (including the fact that Pegasus is scrubbed from the script entirely), this musical will have broad appeal, rather than deep appeal. Think groups of tourists who want to tick a West End musical off their London itinerary.

Luke Brady plays our hero Hercules with his well oiled skin and shining teeth - but I didn’t believe in his colossal strength. Luckily for Brady, his rendition of Go the Distance was always going to be a crowd favourite.

Dane Laffrey’s set design deserves a mention as Grecian columns shift around the stage against a mosaic skyline to create unforgettable moments such as the first entrance of our five sassy muses - and their cheeky narration in Meg’s I Won’t Say (I’m In Love).

With the perfect mix of cynicism and wit, Meg is wonderfully played by Mae Ann Jorolan. Her convincing performance is almost enough to cover up the limp catchphrases pinned to her character: ‘Stay safe, wonderboy’.

But it is not love interest Meg who gets second billing. Instead, it is the muses played by the wickedly talented Candace Furbert, Sharlene Hector, Brianna Ogunbawo, Malinda Parris and Robyn Rose-Li. As I was leaving the theatre, I looked at the back of the programme to find the silhouettes of the muses holding up a simplified version of the parthenon. In some ways this graphic sums up the musical perfectly. Although it tries to recreate something treasured by millions, it ultimately falls short and is carried by five gospel-singing muses.


Photo credit: Johan Persson