Review Roundup: HERCULES Opens at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Bless my soul! Performances of Disney's Hercules are now underway at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which will run until 28 March 2026. Check out reviews of the show below!

With music by Alan Menken and lyrics by David Zippel, and a brand-new book by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah, Casey Nicholaw’s production of Hercules, co-choreographed with Tanisha Scott, is inspired by the 1997 animated film of the same name from Walt Disney Studios. The feature film, directed by The Little Mermaid filmmakers John Musker and Ron Clements, and written by Clements, Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw and Irene Mecchi, won Best Animation Feature at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Original Song for Go the Distance.

The cast is Luke Brady (Hercules), as the Muses, Candace Furbert (Thalia), Sharlene Hector (Clio), Brianna Ogunbawo (Melpomene), Malinda Parris (Calliope), Robyn Rose-Li (Terpsichore), and Kimmy Edwards and Kamilla Fernandes (Standby Muses); Mae Ann Jorolan (Meg), Trevor Dion Nicholas (Phil), Stephen Carlile (Hades), and Craig Gallivan and Lee Zarrett (in the roles of Bob and Charles), with Rhianne Alleyne, Lana Antoniou, Daisy Barnett, Felipe Bejarano, Sarah Benbelaid, Joel Benjamin, Jack Butcher, Nicole Carlisle, Francessca Daniella-Baker, Marie Finlayson, Ryesha Higgs, Cruz-Troy Hunter, Travis Kerry, Stefan Lagoulis, Jason Leigh Winter, Jordan Livesey, Harriet Millier, Ellie Mitchell, Saffi Needham, Ben Nicholas, Ingrid Olivia, Matt Overfield, Patrick John Robinson, Ope Sowande and Rhys West.

Ancient Greece. A time of gods, mortals… and Hercules, who isn't quite either. But if he's not a god, how can he possibly save the world from Hades? It's one thing flexing those pecs, but going from zero to hero requires a different kind of strength. 

Matt Wolf, New York Times: How could a show about such an outsize hero as Hercules be so lame? That’s the question hovering over a Disney-backed musical that arrived at the Theater Royal, Drury Lane, in London on Tuesday, just nine months after the playhouse waved goodbye to “Frozen,” another screen-to-stage cull from the Disney catalog.

David Benedict, Variety: A sound design with more clarity on the vocals than on the brassy 13-piece band band would have helped the quintet, but none of them is low on sass or killer melismas and their knowingness is the predominant attitude of director Casey Nicholaw’s (“Aladdin”) production. Laced throughout as commentators, their joyful energy kickstarts everything and they land every moment, striking poses and rising up through the floor of Dane Laffrey’s set to the audience’s delight. But the thought occurs that it takes more than hydraulics to lift a show.

Sarah Crompton, WhatsOnStage: Hercules is antiseptic fun, carefully manufactured. It isn’t a bad night out, but it’s like a fizzy drink, lively on the tongue but ultimately unsatisfying.

Andrzej Lukowski, TimeOut London: “It’s all absolutely fine, and accepting it’s not a screechingly ambitious piece of work then perhaps all it really lacks is a big showstopper moment... Hercules, though, is one unit of generic Disney stage entertainment. It has charm, because it’s adapted from a charming film and talented people have made it, but it’s definitely not going to go down in legend.”

Greg Stewart, Theatre Weekly: By the gods, Disney has done it again. With thunderous flair and lightning-fast wit, Hercules storms the stage at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in a heavenly display of theatrical might... this production proves that Disney Theatrical Group knows exactly how to flex its musical muscles.

Alice Saville, The Independent: The film’s standout song, “Go the Distance” is fantastic here, full of pep and yearning. The muses are gorgeous, too – the show is lit up by this charismatic quintet’s sinuous harmonies, fabulous Motown party-worthy outfits and general clowning around.

Nick Curtis, The Standard: However, Brady’s Hercules is sweet but uncharismatic, his romance with Hades’ bored-seeming servant Meg (Mae Ann Jorolan) low-powered. Alan Menken and David Zippel’s score includes hits from the original film and some new numbers added for the 2019 off Broadway premiere: I enjoyed the Muses’ much-reprised Gospel Truth, Hercules’ Go the Distance, and Meg’s Forget About It in performance, but none lingered in the ear or the mind on the journey home.

Claire Allfree, The Telegraph: Several key characters, including the mighty Titans and Hercules’s dim but loyal equine friend Pegasus, have been excised. Panic and Pain, the demonic shapeshifters on team Hades, are now a couple of deadbeat blokes called Bob and Charles. The irritable satyr Philoctetes is now a world weary, very human waiter. Most unforgivably for the film’s fans, Hades struts about in a blingy frock coat rather than shimmering in a haze of icy blue fire.

Kat Mokrynski, BroadwayWorld: Ultimately, Disney’s Hercules is a fun, flashy, yet not-so-faithful adaptation of the original film that lacks the flair and (literal) fire that made the 1997 film so special. It’s an enjoyable theatrical production, but struggles to find the sweet spot between being a silly show for kids and a more adult musical about finding your place in the world.

Clive Davis, The Times: From where I was sitting in the stalls, to be honest, a fair portion of Zippel’s over-amplified lyrics were so difficult to decipher that they might as well have been written in a classical language. Thankfully, those mighty muses — played this evening by Kimmy Edwards, Kamilla Fernandes, Sharlene Hector, Robyn Rose-Li and Brianna Ogunbawo — can blow the roof off of any temple.

Arifa Akbar, The Guardian: There is a briskness to its drama, under the direction of Casey Nicholaw, and a pounding out of the material – Songs! Lights! Action! – that makes it seem like a conveyor-belt musical. The characters are not so much divine as 2D, although the sound and optics are always eye-popping, the swivelling set designs intent on moving heaven and earth. Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser’s costumes are heavenly, too, and camp as hell: gold dresses, white Spanx and Hercules in a mesh vest and miniskirt-style toga by the end.

Patrick Marmion, The Daily Mail: Music and lyrics by Alan Menken and David Zippel are audaciously bland. And with the five gospel-singing muses adding diva-ish decibels, I couldn't make out what they were singing. All these moments lack the power and pageantry of Disney's other theatrical hit, The Lion King. Simba's underpowered sibling needs to go back to the gym and bulk up.

Fiona Mountford, The Paper: It is very hard to care much about our bland and characterless hero, who has teeth of such dazzling whiteness that even the gods must be blinded. Anyway, he discovers the fact of his divine parentage and vows to return “home” to Olympus (another huge irritation is that almost all the characters have American accents, leading to excess, bizarre and culturally unfamiliar pronunciation. Zeus’s wife here, phonetically, is Hair-a).

Greg Stewart, Theatre Weekly: Luke Brady leads the cast with a commanding performance as Hercules, combining vocal prowess with emotional nuance. His rendition of “Go the Distance” is a clear highlight—soaring, heartfelt, and met with rapturous applause. He is ably supported by Mae Ann Jorolan as Meg, who brings a sharp wit and smoky vocal tone to the role, capturing the character’s complexity with ease. Disney’s wonder boy is wonderful.

Sian McBride, London Theatre Direct: Stars are born at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane! Yes, Disney’s newest (and oldest) musical has been MMDCXXII years in the making, but it’s more than worth the wait - and that’s the gospel truth.

Olivia Rook, London Theatre: While the sets and effects here are not as striking (though there is once again a bridge traversing the length of the stage, this time in set designer Dane Laffrey’s stalactite-encrusted Underworld), Casey Nicholaw’s production packs in big tunes, gorgeous costumes, and plenty of groan-worthy laughs.

Olivia Garrett, Radio Times: This lustre-dusted show-stopper of a musical is everything you could want. Spangled, joyous and gloriously camp, it meets the challenge of adapting a show that's both Greek myth and classic '90s cartoon with plenty of gusto.

Average Rating: 64.1%