''Hercules'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

based on the

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...

1997 film of the same name. The music and lyrics were written by

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for ''The Little Mermaid'' (1989), ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ''A ...

and David Zippel with a book by

Kristoffer Diaz Kristoffer Díaz is an American playwright, screenwriter, and educator. As a playwright, he has five full-length titles amongst other works which have been widely produced and developed. In 2010, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. ...

and Robert Horn. The production is also loosely based on the legendary hero of the same name, the son of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

, in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

. Produced by

Disney Theatrical Productions Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the flagship stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, a major business unit of The Walt ...

, the musical had a tryout at the

Delacorte Theater The Delacorte Theater is a 1,800-seat open-air theater in Central Park, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is home to the Public Theater's free Shakespeare in the Park productions. Over five million people have attended more than 15 ...

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

in August 2019 and was met with a mixed critical response.

Development

In July 2017,

announced that he was working on a stage adaptation of the 1997 film ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

''. On February 6, 2019, it was announced that the theatrical adaptation would premiere later that year.

Productions

Original Manhattan production (2019)

The world premiere occurred at the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, as part of its Public Works program from August 31 until September 8. Menken and David Zippel returned to compose and write the songs, while

wrote the book, Lear deBessonet directed, and Chase Brock choreographed. The cast included Jelani Alladin (

), Roger Bart (

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

Jeff Hiller Jeff Hiller is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his portrayal of Joel on '' Somebody Somewhere''. He is also known for his role as Mr. Whitely in '' American Horror Story: NYC''. Life and career Hiller graduated from Texas Lut ...

(

Panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reactio ...

), Joel Frost ( Nessus), Nelson Chimilio (

Pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, ...

), James Monroe Iglehart (

Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root te ...

), Ramona Keller (

Thalia Thalia, Thalía, Thaleia or Thalian may refer to: People * Thalia (given name), including a list of people with the name * Thalía (born 1971), Mexican singer and actress Mythological and fictional characters * Thalia (Grace), one of the three ...

Tamika Lawrence Tamika Sonja Lawrence is a two time Grammy winning American actress, singer, and writer. Early life and education Lawrence was born on January 11 in Columbus, Ohio. She received her BFA in musical theatre from the University of Arizona. Career ...

( Calliope), Krysta Rodriguez (

Meg Meg is a feminine given name, often a short form of Megatron, Megan, Megumi (Japanese), etc. It may refer to: People *Meg (singer), a Japanese singer *Meg Cabot (born 1967), American author of romantic and paranormal fiction *Meg Burton Cahill ( ...

), and Rema Webb ( Terpsichore). Menken wrote new songs for the musical, as well as reusing the film's original works.

Future

On March 22, 2020, Alan Menken appeared on Rosie O'Donnell's livestream benefit for the

Actors Fund The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports performers and behind-the-scenes workers in performing arts and entertainment, helping more than 17,000 people directly each year. Ser ...

, where he talked about his upcoming projects, saying "I'm working on '' Disenchanted'', the sequel to '' Enchanted'', and I have another Broadway show" and in a separate thought, he added "''Hercules'' is coming to the stage. Of course we did that in Central Park last summer." Disney Theatrical subsequently confirmed that they intend to make the product available for licensing. On May 16, 2020, it was reported that Robert Horn will write a new iteration for the musical, with Lear deBessonet returning as director. On August 18, 2020, Menken confirmed that the musical is indeed being adapted to Broadway. In April 2022, it was announced that a revised version of the musical would play at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey during the 2022-23 season, from February 16 to March 19, 2023. The revised book will be written by

Kwame Kwei-Armah Kwame Kwei-Armah (born Ian Roberts; 24 March 1967 in Hillingdon, London) is a British actor, playwright, director, singer and broadcaster. He is best known for playing paramedic Finlay Newton in the BBC medical drama ''Casualty'' from 1999 unti ...

and Robert Horn. Announced cast members include Bradley Gibson as Hercules, Shuler Hensley as Hades, Iglehart reprising his role as Phil, and

Isabelle McCalla Isabelle McCalla (born June 15, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Alyssa Greene in the Broadway musical '' The Prom'' and playing Jasmine in the Broadway musical version of Disney's '' Aladdin''. Early life ...

as Meg. Rounding out the cast will be Charity Angél Dawson (Clio), Tiffany Mann (Calliope), Anastascia McClesky (Thalia), Destinee Rea (Terpischore), and Rashidra Scott (Melpomene) as the Muses, Reggie De Leon and

Jeff Blumenkrantz Jeff Blumenkrantz (born June 3, 1965) is an American actor, composer and lyricist. Born in Long Branch, New Jersey, Blumenkrantz is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Communication. His stage credits include roles in the Broadway pro ...

as Pain and Panic,

Kathryn Allison Kathryn Allison is a Broadway actor and a singer. Allison won the New York Musical Theatre Festival's Next Big Broadway Sensation contest in 2014. Early life and education Allison was born in New York City. She graduated from Morristown–Beard ...

as Despina, Allyson Kaye Daniel as Aunt Tithesis/Lachesis, Lucia Giannetta as Atropos, Jesse Nager as Nessus, Dennis Stowe and Kristen Faith Oei as Zeus and Hera, and Anne Fraser Thomas as Clotho.

Notable casts

Musical numbers

The music was composed by

, with lyrics by David Zippel.

Delacorte (2019)

* "To Be Human" (Prologue) * "

The Gospel Truth ''The Gospel Truth'' is an album by pianist Les McCann recorded in 1963 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.Freed., RLes McCann Discographyaccessed January 12, 2016 Reception Allmusic gives the album 3 stars. Track listing ''All compos ...

"± * "The Gospel Truth" (Reprise 1-"He Ran the Underworld")± * "The Prophecy" * "The Gospel Truth" (Reprise 2-"Hades Was Not Amused") * "The Gospel Truth" (Reprise 3-"Young Herc Was Mortal Now")± * "Uniquely Greek Town Square" * " Go the Distance"± * "One Last Hope"± * "The Gospel Truth" (Reprise 4-"Young Herc Was On His Way") * "Forget About It" * "A Cool Day In Hell" * "Uniquely Greek Tough Town" * "Zero to Hero"± * "A Cool Day In Hell" (Reprise) * " Shooting Star"± * "One Last Hope" (Reprise)/"Go the Distance" (Reprise) * "The Gospel Truth" (Reprise 5-"Herc Jumped the Garden Wall") * " I Won't Say (I'm in Love)"± * "Great Bolts of Thunder" * "To Be Human" * "A Star Is Born"± * "Go the Distance" (Finale)± ± Indicates a song from the original movie

Paper Mill (2023)

; Act I * "Prologue" - Company * " Gospel Truth I"± - Muses & Ensemble * "Gospel Truth II"± - Muses & Ensemble * "The Prophecy" - Fates * "Gospel Truth III" - Muses * "Despina's Lullaby (Part One)" - Despina * "Gospel Truth IV"± - Muses & Ensemble * "Uniquely Greek Town Square" - Ensemble * "Despina's Lullaby (Part Two)" - Despina * " Go the Distance" - Hercules * "Phil's Soul Spot" - Phil & Muses * "One Last Hope"± - Phil * "Gospel Truth V" - Muses * "Forget About It" - Meg & Hercules * "Cool Day in Hell" - Hades, Pain, Panic & Fates * "Uniquely Greek Tough Town" - Ensemble * "Zero to Hero"± - Muses, Hercules, Phil & Ensemble * "Act One Finale" - Hercules, Muses & Ensemble ; Act II * " Shooting Star" - Hercules * "A Muse Bouche" - Muses * "I'm Back!" - Phil * "One Last Hope/Go the Distance (reprises)" - Phil & Hercules * "Cool Reprise in Hell" - Hades, Pain & Panic * "Gospel Truth VI" - Muses * " I Won't Say (I'm in Love)"± - Meg & Muses * "Great Bolts of Thunder" - Company * "To Be Human" - Hercules * "A Star is Born"± - Company * "Go the Distance (finale)"± - Company ± Indicates a song from the original movie

Reception

The world premiere production has garnered mixed reviews from critics, with many praising the cast, music, story, and production value. Thom Geier, of ''

TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman Sharon I. Waxman (born c.1963) is an American author, journalist, ...

'', praised the production, saying it "works better than bigger-budgeted recent efforts like ''

Frozen Frozen may refer to: * the result of freezing * a paralysis response in extreme cases of fear Films * ''Frozen'' (1997 film), a film by Wang Xiaoshuai * ''Frozen'' (2005 film), a film by Juliet McKoen * ''Frozen'' (2007 film), a film by Sh ...

''". Jessica Derschowits, of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'', welcomed the "lively but low-key production that feels in many ways like the polar opposite of

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's string of megawatt Broadway hits — which is a big part of its charm". Jesse Green, of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', gave a positive review by commenting on the "shrewd casting and amateur performers joining professionals onstage, a middling 1997 animated Disney musical becomes a pageant of civic engagement". Matt Windman, of ''

AM New York Metro ''AM New York Metro'' is a free daily newspaper that is published in New York City by Schneps Media. According to the company, the average Friday circulation in September 2013 was 335,900. When launched on October 10, 2003, ''AM New York'' was the ...

'', gave a mixed review by commenting on "the lighthearted tone of the film,

's new book features countless zingers and inside jokes. Diaz also tries to deliver an underlying moral on the difference between being a hero and a celebrity. However, Diaz may have gone too far in changing around some of the original sequencing, which has made the second half of the show very messy".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hercules (musical) 2019 musicals Broadway musicals Classical mythology in popular culture Heracles in fiction Hercules (franchise) Musicals based on animated films Musicals by Alan Menken Musicals by David Zippel Plays set in ancient Greece Disney Theatrical Productions musicals