Disney’s Hercules – Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Picture: Johan Persson © Disney

Disney’s Hercules is booking at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London until 28 March 2026.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

A couple of minutes into Disney’s Hercules, a sensational quintet of narrator Muses ascend from stage level on Doric columns. The lighting is spectacular, the vocal riffs reach the stratosphere, and we are hit with a quintuple dress transformation that makes the crowd go wild. It’s like Disney noticed Elsa’s magical ‘Let It Go’ quick-change impressed audiences for Frozen – this theatre’s previous Disney musical – and wanted their new show to go bigger from the very start.

The 1997 Hercules animated film departs quite drastically from the ancient myths, but it nevertheless inspired legions of today’s professional classicists and amateur ancient world enthusiasts. Ancient Greece’s ‘heroes’ were much more morally complicated than what would be acceptable in children’s entertainment today. First the Disneyfied movie drew us in, then we read in horrified fascination vivid ancient accounts of Heracles’ adventures, his murders (his teacher, his wife, his child, everyone really), and his voracious sexuality (unsurprisingly, his ‘thirteenth labour’ doesn’t appear in this Disney adaptation).

Decades later in 2025, London theatre is teeming with popular classical adaptations, from Hadestown to The Lightning Thief. Even I had a go a couple of years back with Sisyphus: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Musical. Where does this new stage musical of Hercules fit?

First, we must acknowledge that this show has Disney money and creative talent behind it. The company has set the bar high for stage musicals and with so many brilliant minds hard at work, it would be virtually impossible for them to put on an entirely meritless show. Those cynics for whom Disney can be a byword for sentimentality and mawkishness will be delighted to hear that this new show has taken a swing away from Frozen’s focus on emotional storytelling. Disney’s Hercules is all about the bombast.

Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah’s book retains the comedic feel of the 1997 film and leans heavily into its winking humour. No opportunity for a corny joke is wasted, and for most characters like the grinning dope Hercules or the sassy Hades, this feels perfectly natural. With every character getting in on the one-liner action, we lose some of the grit from the life-and-death, fate-of-the-universe-on-the-line adventure for a vibe bordering on panto.

All the songs you loved in the movie remain. They are supplemented by some brand-new numbers by Alan Menken and David Zippel and they all sound spectacular from musical director’s Daniel Whitby’s 12-piece orchestra amplified (and boy is it amplified…) by Theatre Royal Drury Lane’s bass-heavy sound system. Crucially, the raw musical energy of the film’s score has survived.

In a decisive departure from Ancient Greek theatre’s usual three actors, the enormous Drury Lane stage is most frequently jam-packed with talented performers. Fortunately, thanks to director Casey Nicholaw and his co-choreographer Tanisha Scott, the sensory overwhelm is at least somewhat ordered and visually satisfying. There is a lot for darting eyes to take in.

Luke Brady in Hercules at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London. Picture: Matt Crockett

In the titular role, Luke Brady’s winning smile and dedication to the silliness of it all is perfectly judged. Though moments of solitary character introspection are rare, he nails even these – especially during a fantastic ‘Go the Distance’ sequence. His broad vocal range especially shines in these tenor moments. As his enemy then love interest Meg, Mae Ann Jorolan shows off some incredible vocals and a confident command of the stage, even if the character itself feels a little underserved by the book comparatively.

Then, of course, we have our incredible Muses: Candace Furbert, Sharlene Hector, Brianna Ogunbawo, Malinda Parris and Robyn Rose-Li. From ‘The Gospel Truth’ to ’Zero to Hero’, this quintet were the undisputed musical highlight of the movie, and their role is amped up yet further here. Their costumes are spectacular, their vocals are stunning, and you can look at any one of them at any moment they are on stage and be taken on a journey of fierce fabulousness. This show could simply be a Muses concert and it would be worth the price of admission.

On a stage not short of entertaining elements, Stephen Carlile’s Hades is somehow still show-stealing in his scenes. His bitchy and petty evil makes him hilarious and every time he appears it is a joy. He is backed up by Craig Gallivan and Lee Zarrett, every bit as funny as tentatively loyal henchmen Bob and Charles – a recasting of fan favourites Pain and Panic from the film.

In another departure from the film – and from Disney properties more generally – we don’t get a cute animal sidekick here. A flying horse might have been one egg too far for this particularly extravagant and expensive to stage pudding. Pegasus is instead alluded to with a sweet hedge statue. Hercules’ trainer/mentor Phil is also changed from a grumpy satyr to a somewhat more proactive human, but fortunately the supernatural talent, charisma and stage presence of the always-fantastic Trevor Dion Nicholas distracts us from the comedy lost in this change.

So, this isn’t a perfect photocopy of the film. This is bigger, broader and somehow sillier. With its ripped physiques, skimpy costumes and panto-esque double entendres, Hercules is even sexier, in a family-friendly sort of way of course. Brady’s “do you want me to save you from being thirsty?” was met with whoops from many in the audience, who clearly felt the question was directed at them.

Dane Laffrey’s production design is a visual feast, but a feast at McDonald’s rather than the Hawksmoor. Everything is bright, everything is colourful, and though there are some interesting touches like mosaic clouds, there is nothing as innovative as Julie Taymor’s work on The Lion King, which elevated that show from children’s fare to a contemporary classic of musical theatre.

George Reeve’s video work alternates between the literal and the abstract as Jeff Croiter’s lighting design frenetically tries to keep pace, but oddly it all works. The creative team are trying to keep a social media-obsessed audience from glancing at their phones and they are wildly successful: we are riveted. This is just the attendees on press night too. Your young ones may well be mesmerised by something not on a screen for the first time in years, and how magical is that?

From the very back rows of this cavernous auditorium or in a less well attended performance where the frequent corny jokes are told to quiet smatterings of awkward laughter and coughs, you may risk this show losing some of its comedic charm. However, with the stage either dazzlingly beautiful or filled with action at any given moment, nobody is going to be bored.

There is a sense that some old school Disney executive felt the Drury Lane run of Frozen was one for the ‘girls’ – with its focus on emotions and sisterhood – and decided to make ‘one for the boys’ this time instead. We have monsters, swordfights, and so, so much volume. People who take their theatre very seriously indeed might have appreciated a bit more complexity and nuance, but a child of any gender in their six-week holiday from school won’t mind. This show knows its audience and – importantly – it knows exactly how to entertain them. Hercules is a dazzling flex of Disney’s mighty theatrical muscles: big, straightforward, undeniably powerful, and you can’t help but love him. I mean it.

Ian Bowkett