Disney has brought the classic animated film, Hercules, to life on London‘s West End stage. The show premiered on Tuesday (June 24) at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, the reimagined musical features music by Alan Menken and co-choreography by Tanisha Scott.
“It’s a myth that reflects contemporary culture and still honours the DNA of (the) animated movie,” Robert Horn, co-author of the book the show’s based on, told Reuters following the premiere. “It’s its own new thing and yet fans of the movie will absolutely come and recognise it and love it.”
One essential element of the show are the Muses, who bellow out the tunes that really take the story from page to stage. Malinda Parris, who plays Calliope, told the outlet, “I think I speak for all of us— we have idolized these women. We have looked at these women and seen ourselves in times when we weren’t really represented. So, being able to be that representation for other young girls … who … want to be The Muses … it’s living the dream.”
This play varies from the movie in many ways, including how Hercules’ mentor, Phil, is portrayed. However, for actor Trevor Dion Nicholas, who’s tackling said role, “The main thing is that he still is there … to love and support Hercules on his journey. It really is about building this bond between the two of them that kind of builds this paternal relationship that I think we were able to deepen more so than the animated film was.”
The rest of the cast included Luke Brady in the titular role as well as Candace Furbert as Thalia, Sharlene Hector as Clio, Brianna Ogunbawo as Melpomene, Robyn Rose-Li as Terpsichore, Mae Ann Jorolan as Meg, Stephen Carlile as Hades, and Craig Gallivan and Lee Zarrett as Bob and Charles.
Previews began on June 6 and the show will run through March 28, 2026.
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