{"id":1962551,"date":"2025-08-15T17:47:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T17:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1962551"},"modified":"2025-08-15T17:47:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T17:47:01","slug":"disney-cant-get-hercules-right-musical-doesnt-go-distance-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/disney-cant-get-hercules-right-musical-doesnt-go-distance-in-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney can&#8217;t get &#8216;Hercules&#8217; right \u2014 musical doesn&#8217;t go distance in London"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F08%2F109625479.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--review alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n\t\t<span class=\"inline-module--review__eyebrow subsection-heading-semi__label\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tTheater review\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"inline-module--review__title subsection-heading-semi\">\n\t\t\tHERCULES\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"rating\">\n<div class=\"rating__stars\">\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--half\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--empty\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--empty\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Two hours and 20 minutes at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, England.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>LONDON \u2014 Disney has been hammering away at \u201cHercules\u201d for eons.<\/p>\n<p>And more often than not, the show has toppled over like the Colossus of Rhodes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Public <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2019\/09\/02\/central-park-hercules-is-a-heartfelt-wake-up-call-for-disney\/\">put on a nice enough production<\/a> of the 1997 Alan Menken and David Zippel cartoon musical back in 2019 in Central Park, but it was a one-off amusement that included hundreds of members of local community groups. Still, I saw promise in it.<\/p>\n<p>Then, two years ago, a more traditional staging at Paper Mill Playhouse left critics and ticket-buyers positively frozen.<\/p>\n<p>And now Herc\u2019s flexing and flailing once more in London at the Theatre Royal Mickey Lane. Well, technically it\u2019s the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, but the House of Mouse has annexed the West End venue of late.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default wp-block-gallery-91 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption>Luke Brady plays the zero to hero, Hercules. <span class=\"credit\">Matt Crockett<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The show, directed by Schtick King Casey Nicholaw, is rougher than ever. Frustratingly so, because the material is just as strong as that of \u201cNewsies,\u201d which turned into a scrappy hit for Disney at the Nederlander. There are better songs here than \u201cTarzan\u201d and, yes, \u201cFrozen.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But as sassy Meg sings in \u201cHercules,\u201d if there\u2019s a prize for rotten judgment, I guess Diz already won that.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are so many built-in virtues from the movie that needed only to be encouraged.<\/p>\n<p>Our hero is a young man with a secret divine past, struggling with identity and purpose. Easily gripping, you\u2019d think. He\u2019s in a will-they-won\u2019t-they love story with Meg, a refreshingly forward double-crossing associate of the villain. That baddie, Hades, is evil incarnate. And it\u2019s all set to a score that blends a \u201cLittle Shop of Horrors\u201d-style gospel choir with optimistic ballads.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The Muses tell the story of \u201cHercules\u201d at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. <span class=\"credit\">Johan Persson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s a should-be winning combo. Plus, there is an obvious theatricality to ancient Greece that makes perfect sense onstage.<\/p>\n<p>Too bad everything good has been shoved aside in favor of pricey spectacle, a dungheap of schlocky humor and \u2014 <em>plus \u00e7a change<\/em>! \u2014 terribly weak new music and book additions to pad out the runtime.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest offender, though, is the title character. <\/p>\n<p>Hercules doesn\u2019t really come of age in the musical. He pops out, amoeba-like, from Barry\u2019s Bootcamp. The statue is never a \u201czero.\u201d Luke Brady, the actor playing him, is clearly an adult. He\u2019s muscular, clothed in athleisure and mesh tank tops (every one of the costumes is an eyesore), and the script goes too far in making him a hunky moron. It\u2019s hard to give a fig about his ambivalent quest. Brady\u2019s big number \u201cGo The Distance\u201d has always been the highlight. Here, it barely flickers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Herc trains with Phil (Trevor Dion Nicholas), a retired Mr. Miyagi for heroes. Phil\u2019s a loudmouth schlub who wears a tracksuit and would be the comic relief were every character not jockeying for the same position. Their mentor-mentee relationship is an afterthought.<\/p>\n<p>So is the gym rat\u2019s connection to Meg (Rhianne Alleyne on the night I saw it). There is no spark, no flirty giggles, no care.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The love story between Hercules and Meg is meh. <span class=\"credit\">Matt Crockett<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hades (Stephen Carlile), with slick-backed white hair and punchline-packed dialogue, becomes a goofy side act in a kiddie show, much like what <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2014\/03\/20\/aladdin-musical-doesnt-quite-seem-like-a-disney-hit\/\">Nicholaw did to Jafar in \u201cAladdin\u201d<\/a> on Broadway. They go way over the top here. These villains must be fun, but not so full of helium and confetti that they lose all weight and threat. Hercules is batting a comedian\u2019s warm-up act?<\/p>\n<p>And then there are the Muses \u2014 the big-voiced women who belt out all the details of the tale. Fantastic tunes, \u201cThe Gospel Truth\u201d and \u201cZero to Hero.\u201d The actresses sound fabulous wailing them, but I couldn\u2019t make out most of the words.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Their words, of course, being <em>the plot<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The set is humongous, like something out of a David Lean film, though occasionally tacky. A maxi-golf course. Sturdy pillars slide and rotate (what\u2019s with the theater\u2019s obsession with spinning things around and around?), and there is a lot of reliance on somewhat clever mosaic projections to move things along.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>\u201cHercules\u201d is not of a high enough quality for Broadway. <span class=\"credit\">Johan Persson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It would not be Disney if there weren\u2019t any puppets. Several actors hold the heads of the hydra that Herc does battle with. There is a dinosaur-ish creature that could be shipped off to a theme park tomorrow, and a huge Hades for the climax.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re totally artless. Julie Taymor of \u201cThe Lion King\u201d would sleep soundly if she saw them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The West End, I imagine, is the end of the road for \u201cHercules\u201d as far as Broadway goes. The quality is much too low for New York, and the required changes are too daunting. The major one being: Make non-existent characters exist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHercules\u201d might go the distance \u2014 to cruise ships. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Theater review HERCULES Two hours and 20 minutes at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, England. LONDON \u2014 Disney has been hammering away at \u201cHercules\u201d for eons. And more often than not, the show has toppled over like the Colossus of Rhodes.\u00a0 The Public put on a nice enough production of the 1997 Alan [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1962552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[23301,21741,345885,24047,345886],"class_list":["post-1962551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-disney","tag-entertainment","tag-musicals","tag-theater","tag-theater-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Disney-cant-get-Hercules-right-\u2014-musical-doesnt-go-distance.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1962551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1962551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1962551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1962552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1962551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1962551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1962551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}