“Hercules” at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Franco Milazzo in the West End
26 June 2025
At long last, Theatre Royal Drury Lane has let Frozen go. As we wave an icy farewell to the snowflakes and princess ballads, in crashes yet another Disney musical, the toga-clad, gospel-fuelled juggernaut Hercules. But does this Grecian romp feel like a thunderbolt from Mount Olympus or a thunderclap from the panto aisle? In true Disney fashion: a bit of both.
Luke Brady and Mae Ann Jorolan.
Photo credit: Johan Persson.
Directed and co-choreographed (with Tanisha Scott) with manic glee by Casey Nicholaw, Hercules is a Technicolor take on the 1997 animated film, minus the darker underworld tones and with the volume – and camp – turned up to eleven. After an initial runout off-Broadway in 2019, this updated version debuted in Hamburg last year with a new book and a new director at the helm.
There have been other changes too: Hades’ sidekicks Pain and Panic have been given the cuddlier names of Bob and Charles, and it’s goodbye to Hercules’ equine companion Pegasus and hello to seven new (but hardly blockbusting) songs. This is not subtle theatre. But, as musical theatre goes, it is slick, spectacular, and frequently riotous fun.
Alan Menken, the maestro who has brought to the stage more Disney earworms than most of us can name in one breath (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), returns with his original songs lovingly preserved and bolstered by new material that blends gospel, pop, and a sprinkling of Broadway belt. The score may not be Menken’s most memorable, but it’s buoyant enough to carry the show through its more narratively shallow waters.
David Zippel’s lyrics and the book by Robert Horn (Shucked) and Kwame Kwei-Armah (former artistic director of the Young Vic) crackle with irreverent humour. It’s all fast, fizzy, and riddled with corny puns – Hades moans he’s “lost everything but weight” while his henchmen play “rock, papyrus, chisel”. If that line makes you chuckle, you’re in the right seat.
At the heart of this muscle-flexing musical is Luke Brady as Hercules, a golden boy with a golden voice and the kind of innocent charm that falls somewhere between Disney prince and Joey from Friends. He’s strong in all the right places (vocals included), even if the role doesn’t demand much in the way of emotional heavy lifting.
Far more engaging is Stephen Carlile’s Hades, who struts and snarls like the veteran player of Disney villains that he is, having already strutted and snarled as The Lion King’s Scar in London and across Europe. Carlile’s performance is pure pantomime bliss – the kind where boos wouldn’t feel out of place and probably wouldn’t bother him in the slightest.
There’s scene-stealing support from Trevor Dion Nicholas as Phil, the loveably gruff trainer, and Craig Gallivan and Lee Zarrett as Bob and Charles, Hades’ bumbling goons who appear to have wandered in from a Muppets-meets-Clash of the Titans crossover. Their slapstick is silly and knowing, and frankly it works.
The original film wasn’t exactly overrun by strong female characters but, a generation later, the script has been flipped. If Hercules has a true superpower, it’s The Muses. A divine Motown quintet, these vocal dynamos – played with sassy, soulful brilliance by Candace Furbert, Sharlene Hector, Brianna Ogunbawe, Malinda Parris, and Robyn Rose-Li – elevate the show every time they appear, their harmonies tighter than Hades’ pants and their costumes increasingly fabulous with each number. Their presence injects the production with desperately needed feminine energy and enough sparkle to make a disco ball weep.
Opposite Brady’s sweet heroic Hercules, Mae Ann Jorolan (the only significant cast holdover from the Hamburg run) plays Meg as every bit the sultry cynic from the film, delivering zingers and soaring vocals in equal measure. Her duet with Hercules, “Forget About It”, is a charming, heartfelt standout, and her take-no-prisoners attitude gives the production a welcome edge.
Visually, the production does not skimp. Jeff Croiter’s lighting and George Reeve’s video design work hand-in-hand to create smooth transitions between mythic locations, while James Ortiz’s puppetry brings giants and gods to life with style, if not quite on the scale of The Lion King. And special mention must go to the costume and wig team of Gregg Barnes, Sky Switser, and Mia M. Neal – the latter clearly having a grand old time designing a parade of wigs for The Muses that wouldn’t look out of place in a Beyoncé world tour.
Is it perfect? Not quite. The emotional beats are often more suggested than truly felt, with character arcs that skim the surface rather than plunge into the darkest parts of the Greek tragedy’s deeper wells. Monster battles and chase scenes occasionally slide into full panto territory – though given the family-friendly remit, that feels more like a feature than a bug.
But ultimately this is Disney doing what Disney does best: big-hearted storytelling, big-budget visuals, and just enough solid moral messaging (friendship! teamwork! self-acceptance!) to give parents a reason to pat themselves on the back for choosing culture over Netflix. Hercules may not reach theatrical godhood, but it’s a solid demi-god of a show – charming, cheerful, and impossible to hate. You’ll leave the theatre with toes tapping, kids beaming, and possibly The Muses’ Great Bolts of Thunder stuck in your head for the Tube ride home.
