Bless our souls, Disney's Hercules is West End bound! The new stage musical, an adaptation of the 1997 animated film, will play London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Performances will begin in summer 2025.
Hercules has played several earlier runs, premiering in 2019 via the Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park Series and playing New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse last year. A new production, with Tony winner Casey Nicholaw taking over as director and choreographer, premiered in Hamburg this year, and it appears that staging will be the basis for the West End bow. Nicholaw is again directing and choreographing, joined by co-choreographer Tanisha Scott, also reprising her work from the German production.
The musical features music by Alan Menken and lyrics by David Zippel, including their songs from the original film and several new tunes written for the stage musical. The book is by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah, based on the Disney film written by Ron Clements, John Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw, and Irene Mecchi and directed by Clements and Musker.
Telling the story of the muscle-bound half-god Hercules of Greek mythology, Hercules features such Disney favorites as "Go the Distance," “Zero to Hero,” and “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)."
Dates, casting, and further creative team members for the London premiere are to be announced.
See photos of the Hamburg production below:
Mae Ann Jorolan in Hercules
Mae Ann Jorolan, Uzoh, Chasity Crisp, Shekinah Mcfarlane, Leslie Beehann, and Venolia Manale in Hercules
Chasity Crisp, Shekinah Mcfarlane, Leslie Beehann, Venolia Manale, Uzoh, and company in Hercules
Benet Monteiro in Hercules
Benet Monteiro and Mae Ann Jorolan in Hercules
Benét Monteiro in Hercules
Benét Monteiro, Uzoh, Venolia Manale, Shekinah Mcfarlane, Chasity Crisp and Leslie Beehann in Hercules
