All your favourite 'Hercules' movie moments on stage

The 1997 Disney classic has been faithfully transferred to the stage in adaptation by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah, directed by Casey Nicholaw.

Bless my soul! Hercules is on a roll in the West End. Casey Nicholaw’s stage production of the 1997 Ancient Greece-set Disney favourite is delighting audiences of all ages at Theatre Royal Drury Lane with its brilliant songs by Alan Menken and David Zippel, epic staging, and heartwarming storytelling. LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer celebrated the “big tunes, gorgeous costumes, and groan-worthy laughs.”

The entertaining stage adaptation by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah features some fantastic new sequences for the stage but is also faithful to the original film in tone and incident. Read on to learn more about all your favourite moments the film re-created on stage.

Book Hercules tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

The Muses

The Motown-esque Muses who provide the sassy narration are a highlight of the film and they all but steal the show in the musical (there are five of them in the movie and six on stage). As well as raising the roof with their vocals, their gowns and hairstyles are absolutely fabulous.

Our reviewer was dazzled by the way in which “their frequent costume changes are a true celebration of style, with highlights being a lightning-fast quick change in the opening number and flamenco-style, mirrored dresses in 'A Muse Bouche', which shine beautifully under Jeff Croiter’s honeyed lights.” The Muses sing “The Gospel Truth”, “Zero to Hero”, and “A Star is Born” – all fan favourites – and they have a few new numbers too!

Mount Olympus

The gods live in a beautiful golden kingdom in the sky (Dane Laffrey provides the stunning set design) that’s ruled over by Zeus, the benevolent king of the gods, and his queen, Hera. They’re blessed with a wonderful baby boy who is the embodiment of everything they could have hoped for. All the gods gather together to feast on ambrosia and celebrate.

A villain from hell

However, things don’t stay idyllic for long... Zeus’s wicked brother Hades, ruler of the Underworld, has a nasty trick up his sleeve to knock young Hercules off his pedestal and separate him from his family. Our reviewer enjoyed the way in which “Stephen Carlile’s pantomimic, petulant Hades hams up his villain even more than in the film”. His bumbling henchman Pain and Panic are also present and correct, renamed Bob and Charles.

A power ballad of unmatched strength

Life on Earth isn’t easy for Hercules, who only wants to be helpful but finds his superhuman strength to be more of a hindrance. Hercules’s “I want” song “Go the Distance”, which takes the form of a prayer to gods, is one of the greatest moments in the show. Luke Brady, who plays our hero, delivers it brilliantly with his beautiful voice.

Hercules discovers his birth family

As much as he loves his human foster mother, Hercules has always felt that there’s something missing from his life. The scene in the temple in which the statues of Zeus and Hera come to life and reveal themselves as Hercules’s birth parents features both emotional impact and fantastic spectacle.

Finding a mentor

In order to return to Mount Olympus, Hercules has to achieve something that no hero has done before. But this aspiring hero needs a trainer to put him through his paces. Legendary trainer Philoctetes (“Phil”), played by Trevor Dion Nicholas, is grumpy and disillusioned from past failures yet has a a heart of gold deep down as he moulds his “One Last Hope”. Hercules emerges from Phil’s regime, which is filled with athletic choreography, physically transformed and brimming with confidence.

The Hydra

Of all of Hercules’s labours to prove himself worthy of a place in Mount Olympus, his encounter with the Hydra is among the most dramatic and offers the perfect opportunity to showcase the stage production’s vibrant puppetry design.

An epic romance

The romance between Hercules and Meg doesn’t get off to the most promising start. He is instantly smitten but doesn’t know how to talk to girls. She is not impressed with his abundance of brawn and lack of brains. Gradually, however, she starts to warm to her admirer, whom she nicknames “Wonder Boy”.

Mae Ann Jorolan, reprising her role from the Hamburg production, plays the heroine with great spirit and the ebullient “I Won’t Say I’m in Love”, performed in an enchanted garden with the Muses as back-up singers, is a real highlight of the stage show.

Heroics and a happy ending

The final battle is wonderfully staged and the Olympian gods emerge triumphant. Hercules has broken new ground and yet he makes the unprecedented decision to choose to remain a demigod and experience true love in the human world. What could be more heroic?

Book Hercules tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: Luke Brady in Hercules (Photo by Matt Crockett). Inset images by Johan Persson