Interview: 'It's Been A Long Ride": Actor Bradley Gibson On Returning to HERCULES in London's West End
'It really was a big learning lesson for me as an actor, to understand the journey that it takes to make a musical happen'
Having originated the role of Hercules at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey in 2023, Bradley Gibson is returning to Disney’s Hercules, this time in London's West End from 29 June! We recently had the chance to speak with Gibson about returning to the role, talking about what originally made him want to be a part of it, what it is like to come back to the role and his favourite songs from the show!
How did you first get started in the world of theatre?
I got started in theatre around six years old, doing community theatre and dance classes in my hometown, a really small town in North Carolina. I wouldn't know it at the time, but now I understand that I was one of those kids that figured out what I wanted to do with my life really early on. From six on, I knew that acting - the stage, the screen, whatever that was - was for me.
And what made you want to be a part of Hercules when it was originally at the Paper Mill Playhouse?
I'll never forget the day. I was in the original cast A Bronx Tale: The Musical, and I remember doing that show when the press announcement came out that Hercules was happening in the Park [Central Park], and that they were going to be doing it with a black actor as Hercules. And I had nothing to do with the show at the time, but I remember sitting in the dressing room with my dressing roommates, Gilbert Bailey and Bobby Conte Thornton, and I remember saying out loud “Oh, my God, I should do that.”
I think that the world sometimes gives you those little whispers, and it definitely was one of those things, where it came into my mind. It wasn't until I ended up auditioning quite a few times for the production in the Park, ended up not doing it, and then I ended up doing a lot of readings and labs workshops. When the show became a huge success in the Park, people wanted more. So when Disney started looking to develop it into a two-act, full-stage adaptation, I was so lucky and privileged to be in the room, years ago. So my journey with Hercules started in around 2021, and that was all in in the mission of Paper Mill, and capping it at that. But the journey keeps continuing because then they made the plan for the West End, and it was a huge gift in that regard.
Photo credit: Evan Zimmerman
What has it been like to see Hercules develop since you first got involved with it?
The biggest change is the Paper Mill production had a different director, the Tony-nominated Lear deBessonet. It was a continuation of the production that was in the Park. But then that went to new hands, to Casey Nicholaw and his team members. The show morphed and changed. I was present for different scripts, different songs, different iterations of the show. So it really was a big learning lesson for me as an actor, to understand the journey that it takes to make a musical happen. We hear these stories of how it takes years to develop musicals, and we don't really understand that until you're in the room and you're seeing how much work it takes to make these things happen. It's not an easy thing to make an animated movie a live-action, theatrical, musical theatre experience. It's been a long ride.
Had you been a fan of the original animated film before joining the show?
Huge fan! I am a 90s kid, so in the 90s, I was very much present in the Disney Renaissance. Everything from The Little Mermaid through to Tarzan was peak Disney time for me. So Hercules, I was in the movie theatre watching it, and it was one of my favourites, because it was one of those rare Disney movies that had the lead character be a guy. He's a young man, and you really feel his heart in the movie. And I think it's because of those amazing songs by Alan Menken and David Zippel, songs like “Go The Distance” that really pull at your heartstrings. We all can see ourselves in Hercules - I definitely did! As a child, I was a big fan. I had a Hercules birthday cake, I had different toys. I was very much a part of Hercules in ‘97.
Photo Credit: Deen Van Meer
You've also been in The Lion King as Simba. What is it like to be a part of the Disney Theatrical Group for these shows?
It's a huge gift for the little kid version of me, the young 90s Bradley. The Lion King was my very first movie in the movie theatre. So to have these experiences all lead up to me having a connection with Disney Theatrical, playing Simba on Broadway and being a part of the development of Hercules and now doing it in the West End . . . I never imagined that I would be a part of Disney! I've worked with so many people, whether it be Disney legends in concert like Jodi Benson or Susan Egan, that I consider friends and peers. I always say there's nothing like performing Disney material, whether it be a full show like Hercules or The Lion King, or whether it be doing a concert like The Lion King anniversary concert I did at the Hollywood Bowl. I love getting a chance to interact with Disney fans, because there's something so obviously nostalgic about it, but also there's something so empowering - there's a beautiful message there, always for everyone. Obviously, it's aimed at young people - at children, at families - but everyone feels it, no matter how old, how young you are. So to be a part of that, and the small fraction that I have been in regards to Lion King and Hercules, is a huge gift. It's something I don't take for granted.
It's going to be your West End debut with Hercules. How does it feel to be returning to the show, this time in London?
I'm wrapping my mind around that, because there are some dreams that you know you have in your back pocket, and you wait for them to happen, or you cross your fingers and hope they do happen. But there are also some dreams that end up happening along the way that you're like, “I never thought about doing that!” I'm an American and I have not really spent a lot of time in London. I've been there a few times, but the dream was never included the West End.
I have a quote I live by that I love, “God can dream bigger dreams for you than you could ever dream for yourself.” And I'm like, “Oh, this is one of those moments. I didn't even know I had a dream, but it is such a dream! It's such an exciting opportunity to revisit this show in its new form.” I was in the room as it was being created in this new form with Casey Nicholaw and his team in the confines of a rehearsal room, but I never got a chance to perform the show in the full production, nor did I think that I would. So now, getting a chance to make my West End debut, spend the summer in London and revisit this show that has grown within me over time - the depth of understanding and the nuance and the care that I have for the character, for the story, for the music, has only grown.
So I'm really excited to revisit it and jump back in and find some new stuff, but also sing songs. I always say I would sing “Go The Distance” on the moon, I love it so much! And more so, I love what it does to other people.
Photo credit: Evan Zimmerman
Would you say that's your favourite song in the show, or is there another one that you think would be your favourite to either perform or listen to?
I love “Go The Distance.” It's definitely one of my all-time favourites. But there's a lot of great new music in the show that I feel is just as iconic and memorable as the ones that we love. One of those songs is called “To Be Human,” and Hercules sings that at the end of the show. It's the moment where he gets to decide if he wants to go to Mount Olympus with the gods, or if he wants to stay on Earth as human, and his choice is obviously the latter. It's really a beautiful moment where a lot of the dazzle of the show goes away, and the dazzle becomes the lyrics, the music, the song. It's a moment of catharsis for the character.
I love that song so much. It touches my heart. That moment really comes after a lot of stage spectacle - everything calms down, and you can tell the audience is listening to this message of the importance of being human. Being a human is heroic, and that is just as important, just as beautiful. So that's the song I really love.
What do you hope audiences take away from Hercules?
I hope audiences take away the immense joy. That's something that has always lasted, no matter if it was in the Park, at Paper Mill, in Germany, on the West End, or just watching the film in your own home - there's a joy that radiates from that score, from that story. I hope the audience also takes away the understanding that you have to figure out how to be a hero on your own, without the flash, without the spectacle.
It's more than doing these heroic acts. Being a human is quite heroic. There's a lot of heroic things that can be accomplished just by being good, by being kind, by being yourself. The story really speaks to accepting people as they are for our differences - things that make us special and different are the things that make us stand out and make everyone individual. And the show is really about that as well. And not only Hercules, but a lot of these Disney stories are about authenticity, are about believing yourself. Are about following your dreams and attaining your dreams and being kind and loving throughout all of it.
And finally, how would you describe Hercules in one word?
Thrilling!
Hercules runs until 5 September 2026 at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Bradley Gibson joins the show as Hercules from 29 June.
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