Review: Hercules, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Disney's stage adaptation of the 1997 demi-classic struggles to scale heroic heights
The majestic Theatre Royal Drury Lane resembles a temple or an antiquities society, so it’s certainly an appropriate venue in which to mount a show with a classical setting. However, you might expect something with a bit more gravitas than Casey Nicholaw’s stage production of Disney’s 1997 film Hercules. It isn’t the most famous of the Mouse House’s ‘90s offerings (and I haven’t seen it since it since school) but it is a noteworthy entry in the canon that succeeds in making Greek mythology fun, accessible and ‘relevant’ (if sanitised – the circumstances of Hercules’ conception aren’t exactly in line with traditional Disney family values).
Nicholaw’s production is enjoyable in a surface-level way and has plenty of bounce and brawn, but it’s dramatically earthbound in the way in which it goes from point to point on a ‘wham, bam, thank you ma’am’ conveyor belt of brassy numbers and gags with little sense of epic momentum. The story is held together by a lazily perfunctory book penned by Robert Horn (Shucked) and Kwame Kwei-Armah that clunkily tries to bring the classical and the contemporary together. Horn is clearly responsible for the one-liners, many of which belong in another show (‘He’s so strong he could be a single mother’ quips Hades when he meets baby Hercules) – a few lines are a bit risqué for Disney – while Kwei-Armah’s contribution is rather harder to detect (I wouldn’t be surprised if his involvement was nominal to boost the show’s theatrical credibility).
The sound design prioritises the brassy volume of the 13-piece band over vocal clarity. There are some great numbers in Alan Menken and David Zippel’s original score including ‘I want’ number ‘Go the Distance’, character song “One Last Hope” and the defiant ‘I Won’t Say I’m in Love’ (the new stuff, however, is largely undistinguished). However, there isn’t an all-company banger of the calibre of ‘Be Our Guest’ or ‘Under the Sea’. The Act One finale ‘Zero to Hero’ does offer a sly wink to the cult of celebrity but it’s treated as an all-American, baton-twirling, Fourth-of-July-style military parade that MAGA supporters would probably enjoy (Nicholaw’s choreography, with Tanisha Scott, isn’t the most inspiring throughout).
Designed by Dane Laffrey, it looks pretty good, with whirling doric columns that become part of the choreography and the projected scenery is more detailed than usual with its mosaic motifs. The giant monster puppets are more goofy than fearsome, the most effective being the hydra that keeps sporting more heads.
As with the film, it’s the fabulous Muses who hold the show together. A Motown-style girl group comprising the collective diva sass and lungpower of Malinda Parris, Candace Furbert, Brianna Ogunbawo, Robyn Rose-Li and Sharlene Hector, this formidable quintet could riff the roof off any temple.
Wicked uncle Hades is the villain instead of Zeus’ spurned wife Hera (who’s Hercules’ mum here) and he’s played by Stephen Carlile as pure camp (like the Wicked Witch of the West in Nikolai Foster’s production of The Wizard of Oz) who’s less the terrifying king of the dead than a cross between a petulant Draco Malfoy and a sleazy television host with a resemblance to Donald Trump that may or may not be purely coincidental. Furthermore, the gormless henchmen Bob (Craig Gallivan) and Charles (Lee Zarrett), who turn out to be secretly nice, are pure filler.
As for Herc himself, Luke Brady doesn’t quite dominate the stage but he has the likability factor and a pleasant voice; he’s a kind-hearted boy-next-door and the way in which his strength initially marks him out as a clumsy pariah rather than a hero among mortals is interesting but underdeveloped. As heroine, Meg, played by Mae Ann Jorolan, transferring from the Hamburg production, is a bit Lauren Bacall-esque with her sultry voice and world-weary air, though she does feel somewhat written as a caricature of an independent woman who isn’t like other Disney ladies (and her ‘sexy’ slave girl costume is terrible).
Trevor Dion Nicholas as trainer of heroes Phil (who loses his satyr form and is just a human) ought to be a scene stealer but somehow blends in for much of the action. He does, however, gets the best line in the show: if Hercules wants to do something no god has ever done before, he could become a waiter (that would be the sitcom version of the show, and it might actually be quite good). The show doesn’t want to dwell on anything too emotive – there’s no reunion between Hercules and his human foster mother, and Phil’s grief from his previous protégé’s untimely downfall and Meg’s decision to sell her soul to save her faithless fiancée who betrayed her anyway are dealt with in a line or two.
A boy of around seven sitting in front of me was clearly having a ball throughout the first act. He is the target audience and he wasn’t going to leave complaining that the book was dreadful (just perhaps that the romance was a bit boring as he seemed more fidgety during the second half). It’s pantomime for the summer with Disney production values, at least for families who can afford the tickets – and, to give credit where it’s due, at just over two hours long, it isn’t bloated in length as so many pantos often are. After his first trial, Phil tells Herc that he needs to learn precision – “You were trying to impress, not achieve”. It’s a shame this show doesn’t embrace that lesson in its execution.
★ ★ ⯪☆ ☆ (2.5 stars)
Hercules is booking at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London until 28 March 2026 – more information and tickets can be found here. My ticket was provided by Kate Morley PR in exchange for an honest review.