Hercules - Theatre Royal Drury Lane - Review

Making a name for itself as the ideal London home for Disney musical spectaculars, the glistening winter of ‘Frozen’ has transformed into the blistering heat of ‘Hercules’ as the myth comes roaring to the stage complete with catchy tunes, powerhouse vocals and some wonderfully whimsical puppetry.

Hercules (played at this performance by Felipe Bejarano) is the son of Zues and Hera (Joel Benjamin and Ellie Mitchell), loved and celebrated as a mighty god. That is until his uncle, king of the underworld Hades (Stephen Carlile), upon hearing a prophecy that without Hercules he has a chance of claiming the throne, kidnaps the child and sentences him to a human life on Earth. But when he is grown and armed with a superhuman strength that survived the wrath of Hades, Hercules sets out to reclaim his rightful place alongside the Gods in a classic battle of good versus evil.

Felipe Bejarano makes for a charming and lovable hero, a glint in his eye and a childlike glee in every clumsy moment and athletic success, with his rendition of the famous ‘Go The Distance’ proving to be a standout moment. Mae Ann Jorolan plays Meg, less damsel in distress, more the embodiment of girl power in a dress. Whilst Meg may be under the control of Hades, Jorolan creates a leading lady who oozes confidence, bravery and sass, taking leadership of the situation as she delivers some simply iconic lines such as ‘dating is wondering why someone is single, and then finding out’. Together Bejarano and Jorolan are a couple fit for the realm of the Gods, with the giggly banter and playful back and forth between the pair proving smile inducing.

Disney has always thrived on creating villains that everyone just loves to hate, and Hades is a shining example of that. Subtle is not a word one would use to describe this lord of the underworld. No lurking in the shadows for Stephen Carlile, no scheming, no acting nice to turn nasty at the last minute. The badness is bold and brash, with those who wrong him instantly gotten rid of. The fourth wall? He’s never heard of it. Some may argue that the Hades who caused fear in the animated Hercules classic has here been reduced to pantomime baddie, and whilst I have to say that yes, there are elements of panto here with the looks to the audience and the talking to himself at times, this isn’t the first time Disney theatricals have taken this approach with the villain. Look at ‘Aladdin’ ‘s Jafar, for example, had he not had Iago to talk too, he probably would have talked to himself too. Some of the biggest laughs here go to Carlile’s turn as Hades, and it is clear that he is enjoying every moment of being the baddie.

Whilst the animated movie had Pain and Panic as the minions of Hades, those tasked to do his dirty work, the stage production has Bob and Charles played by Craig Gallivan and Lee Zarrett. Used to great comedic effect, and gifted a tap number, Gallivan and Zarrett prove to be a hit with audiences. Trevor Dion Nicholas, who gave a starring turn as the Genie in ‘Aladdin’, now plays Phil, the trainer of heroes. He has some great moments but could perhaps have been used more to showcase his vocals and natural comedic flair.

Of course, when we talk about Hercules, we simply have to talk about the Muses. The nearly ever-present narrators, the guiding lights and icons of glamour. Kimmy Edwards, Brianna Ogunbaro, Kamilla Fernandes, Malinda Parris and Robyn Rose-Li played the quintet at this performance and gave perhaps the best vocals of the show, singing the much-loved hits from the movie including ‘A Star is Born’ and ‘Zero to Hero’. With many a costume change, and perhaps even a nod to ‘Beauty School Dropout’ as they don pink wigs in ‘Won’t Say I’m In Love’, I believe the biggest applauses of the night went to these powerhouses.

Whilst ‘Frozen’ took the bigger is better approach when it came to set, ‘Hercules’ pairs some large pieces with the power of the imagination. There are pillars and statues aplenty, and an impressive portal to the underworld, but with the ensemble often tasked with moving set pieces in and out, it is quite easy to become distracted from the world they are trying to create. And whilst Hercules, Meg, Hades and Zues are given impressive costumes that look straight out of the movie, some outfits worn by the ensemble perhaps don’t have that effect, with Hades’ henchman a strange combo of mining and steampunk, and the human residents giving ancient Mamma Mia vibes.

One thing that did prove a shame with this production is the overall removal of one character that is much loved in the animated classic, and that is Pegasus, and whilst I’m no expert on the creation of animals on stage, I can’t help but wonder if it was possible, and perhaps should have been included. After all, Frozen proved what was possible with puppetry and costuming, and War Horse has been a critically acclaimed hit for many years now, so if Kristoff could have reindeer Sven, why couldn’t Hercules have his beloved Pegasus? Especially when this production does manage to bring a dino like creature and many a mythological beast to life.

Overall, whilst some may call it too pantomime in its style, Hercules is a crowd pleasing adventure of myth, heroes, villains and music, crammed to the rafters with tunes that will be buzzing around your head for hours afterwards, impressive vocals, big dance numbers and puppetry that will keep both adults and children entertained.