Review: Hercules (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)

Review by Daz Gale

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It's been a while since Disney has opened a new musical in the West End. While The Lion King is still going from strength to strength, their other big-hitters, Mary Poppins and Frozen, have now concluded their acclaimed runs. Moving into the home of the latter is the long-awaited UK premiere of Hercules. It may have some big shoes to fill, especially with the recently released filmed version of Frozen on stage reminding everyone just what a special production that was. The question is, would this musical be more of a zero or a hero?

Inspired by Disney’s 1997 animated movie and based on the ancient myth, Hercules tells the story of the titular son of Zeus who is taken by Hades as a baby and stripped of his immortality. Learning that he was born a God, Hercules goes on a quest to prove himself a true hero to finally claim his place alongside his parents on Mount Olympus, falling in love along the journey and discovering what true strength really means.

The stage adaptation of Hercules is a strange one - it has its strengths, but they prove inconsistent, and the wheels do fall off slightly along the way. Just as Hercules himself is somewhere in between, not quite fitting in to the category of either God or human, this musical also seems to go on a bit of an identity crisis, with some strong moments and overarching elements battling other areas that fail to match these strengths and end up bringing the overall quality down.

The biggest contributor to that inconsistent quality is in the book. If you’ve seen The Lion King or Aladdin on stage, you will be familiar with Disney’s tendency to cram in a few good puns as they update the story for a live audience. This has been attempted with Hercules, but sadly doesn’t work. The puns and punchlines just don’t work, not getting a response from the audience, and often feeling like lines that should have been scrapped in the workshopping stage of the musical. While this is a fantasy, there needs to be a sense of authenticity in the dialogue - something Hercules lacks as every conversation feels stilted or generic, even at times feeling like the musical has been put through AI in an attempt to craft a new favourite - forgetting the humanity is key to connecting with an audience, something Hercules unfortunately struggles to do.

The other difficulty with the writing is its struggle to decide on its tone. While other Disney shows may put one foot in when it comes to pantomime, with Aladdin the most obvious case, Hercules dives in headfirst. There is, of course, nothing wrong with pantomime - the problem here is I’m unsure if the show realises it is more panto than musical. As it attempts to follow the steps of a standard Disney musical, it constantly gets pulled back into panto territory, giving me the sense that two different creatives had wildly differing ideas of what they wanted this production to be, and this rather strange hybrid was born instead. Disney shows on stage usually have no shortage of magic, but the magic is disappointinly lacking on this occasion.

Far more successful is Alan Menken’s timeless music with lyrics by David Zippel. Classics from the film ‘Go The Distance’, ‘Zero To Hero’, and ‘I Won’t Say I’m In Love’ have become well-loved in the decades since, so to see them back in their original story proves highly satisfying. Though nothing quite reaches the heights of ’Let It Go’, these three songs are still the highest quality Disney numbers, and are matched with some great new additions for the stage version, with 11 o clock number ‘To Be Human’ a particular standout.

The differing tones in the writing give Casey Nicholaw’s direction a challenge to overcome. In some respects, he does this with ease, lifting the inconsistency of the material. At others, the material is beyond saving, and all the pieces don’t gel together as you would like. His choreography never faces that problem; however, always joyous to watch in what was one of the best elements of the musical.

Dane Laffrey’s scenic design impresses initially with a glorious opening that sets the bar and overall quality remarkably high. The quality doesn’t quite manage to remain throughout, with big sequences failing to wow. Big set pieces involving snakes and a giant Hades heighten the pantomime feel and are not the big set pieces you would expect from a Disney show at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. In some respects, it feels like this has been designed to be lifted straight onto a touring production, but it is a shame that such an anticipated musical in one of the West End’s biggest and most prestigious theatres struggles to match the grandeur you would expect.

Luke Brady leads the cast as Hercules in a confident and fittingly strong performance. There is a warmth to his characterisation that lights up the stage, and his rendition of ‘Go The Distance’ is every bit as satisfying as you would hope. No stranger to Disney musicals after wowing audiences in Aladdin, Trevor Dion Nicholas is as scene-stealing as ever with a fantastic take on Phil, demonstrating his comedic timing and incredible vocals on multiple occasions. Mae Ann Jorolan is another highlight as Meg, bringing the house down with a stunning ‘I Won’t Say I’m In Love’ while Stephen Carlile has moments where he seemingly channels Donald Trump as Hades, whether that is intentional or not, though I guess there is an obvious comparison to be made there.

The undoubted stars of Hercules, however, are the five powerhouse performers taking on the Muses Malinda Parris, Candace Furbert, Brianna Ogunbawo, Robyn Rose-Li and Sharlene Hector are such a force to be reckoned with, they don’t just steal the show -  they completely dominate it. Through exceptional vocals and a stage presence that electrifies the stage, they wow at every turn and are the single best aspect of the musical. The downside to this is that their presence is so big, they are hugely missed whenever they are not on stage, which may be one of the reasons some of the inadequacies of the production show up. It’s safe to say these shortcomings are never felt whenever these five incredible talents grace the stage.

Sometimes, I wish I was able to switch off the critical side of my brain, as I would have enjoyed Hercules far more as a theatre lover. There is plenty here to love for those who love the original film, love Disney, or just love musicals, and it will be a great introduction for children who may be having their first visit to a theatre. The issues for me are the inconsistency of the writing and the identity crisis the musical seems to have, never knowing exactly what it wants to be and how it wants to tell the story. There are several great moments to be found in Hercules, and several that are slightly subpar. In some respects, the musical feels unfinished, which is not what I would expect with a huge Disney musical in a West End theatre such as this. It’s safe to say that this musical takes you on a journey to Hell and back, and while it did manage to bless my soul on several occasions, sadly, its strengths proved too inconsistent, meaning it struggled to go the distance. Though the musical is certainly not as strong as Hercules himself, it is also far from a zero.

Hercules is playing at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/musical/hercules-tickets

Photos by Johan Persson & Matt Crockett