Ah, Theatre Royal Drury Lane we meet again! You of the beautiful staircases and the name which makes for awkwardly long post titles? And where better to stage a Grecian epic than in somewhere with this carpet?
So it’s a suitably grand setting for a trip to Olympus and you certainly do feel like you’re climbing a mountain if your seats are in Row K of the balcony. But yknow, theatre is an expensive habit so we’ve gotta keep it affordable where we can. The view was decent, although we missed a few things that happened right at the back of the stage and we couldn’t see the backdrop at all:
I try not to read too many reviews of show before we see them but it was a bit unavoidable with such a high-profile opening and some surprisingly negative takes. I will say off the bat that I don’t agree with the negativity I’ve heard. It’s never going to be the most profound analysis of Greek mythology as it’s a Disney production – the aim is to be fun and entertaining and have songs that you go home humming.
And this play delivers on all fronts. It might help that I’m not overly familiar with the film, so some of the changes they made to the characters didn’t bother me too much. I know the soundtrack well, from the well-worn Disney compilations we used to play in the car, but my kids are the wrong generation to have watched this one obsessively. So yes, Pain and Panic are now inexplicably Bob and Charles and the old Satyr Phil is neither old nor a Satyr, despite the script repeatedly makes jokes about his age. We weren’t seeing Trevor Dion Nicholas but his role was ably filled by Ope Sowande. I feel like VK might make us revisit at some point because she does like to obsessively follow Hadestown alumni around London and it would be interesting to see if the bass vocals make the character seem older.
So a few bits there that might upset purists but I would challenge even the most sceptical reviewer to remain unthrilled by the booming prologue, the swirling cosmos effect and the glorious Mount Olympus staging. And that’s all before the Muses turn up who do, as many have noted, steal the show somewhat. I mean, they are incredible in visuals and vocals, with their nine different costumes and their complex harmonies. They cut right through the solemnity of Ancient Greece with attitude and energy and the audience loved them. If I had one criticism to make of this production, it would be that there are no gaps for applause. Every time the Muses appeared, there were people in the audience cheering and occasionally that meant we lost the first line of whatever was happening next. Now that the production has been running for a while, I’d imagine the director has a good sense of where these gaps need to be so maybe a few pauses would be helpful. The same thing happened at the start of some of the better-known songs but I realise it would be difficult to pause the show there.
I realise I didn’t tell you who the Muses are, so here you go – Candace Furbert as Thalia, Sharlene Hector as Clio, Brianna Ogunbawo as Melpomene, Malinda Parris as Calliope and Robyn Rose-Li as Terpischore. It would be hard to single one out for praise above the others as their power is as a group, in the way that they move and sing as one. But every Muse was fabulous and I hope they know that.
Of course I need to also talk about the title character, who was played by Luke Brady. We’ve seen him before in “The Prince of Egypt” so we knew he could carry a show. His Hercules is naïve, trusting and, as the song says, “the nicest guy”. He has a clear and powerful singing voice, which is best displayed in “Go the Distance”. It reached right to us in the back corner and his portrayal is very sympathetic. There’s not huge amounts of character development in the plot but he does the role very well. Mae Ann Jorolan as Meg has a lot more to work with and she portrays the light and shade in that character with finesse. You can see that she’s constantly conflicted, especially when she’s singing the iconic “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)”. The costume choices for both Hercules and Meg are interesting and I don’t need to retread the same ground as other reviewers re that string vest but Meg’s costume worked for her character, even if it wasn’t as Grecian as some of the others. Hera, for example, had a very classical look but Meg was a lot more contemporary. Did I mention that VK had chosen the classic Disney Meg look for her theatre outfit?
While we’re on Hercules and Meg, I should mention the almost-duet “Forget About It” which I believe is a song written for the stage show as opposed to the film. In this, Meg complains about heroes who rescue women even if they don’t want to be rescued…and Hercules cuts through her complaints and takes the spotlight with his own whimsical musings about love. It works well to illustrate the difference between their characters and is a great comedy moment.
Talking of comedy, we need to discuss Stephen Carlile’s Hades, who I think has been unfairly maligned by reviewers for not being as scary as the film version. In his own words “why am I being made the bad guy just because I’m the bad guy?”. It is hard to recreate the terror of Disney villains in real life so, rightly, this production doesn’t attempt that and instead goes for campy evil. Which we are totally here for. This Hades is iconic, with the most amazing red coat and a great line in banter. When it comes to the final showdown between Hades and Zeus, I was kinda rooting for Hades. Some of the one-liners hit better than others – there is a bit of a “Dad jokes” vibe sometimes – but I really enjoyed this interpretation. Again, it would have been interesting to see Trevor Dion Nicholas encountering Hades when he was a Hades himself but it’s only a fleeting moment that Phil and Hades share the stage anyway. It is a very different character to the versions in either Hadestown or Kaos but all are equally valid. That’s the great thing about mythology – it can be interpreted in many different ways. It’s not like anyone in the audience knew Hades personally and can confirm whether or not he enjoyed a Dad joke.
Bob and Charles (Craig Gallivan and Lee Zarrett) also loved a gag – VK’s favourite was “I sleep with one arm under the pillow….it’s not my arm”. They might be different to their film versions but they are reliable comic relief and have great delivery of their lines. The whole show is full of humour – I did tell you this wasn’t going to be overly profound, didn’t I? But there is also heart and a bit of drama, albeit in a not-too-scary-for-the-littlies way.
And the staging is amazing. There are so many bits that happen inexplicably, like the moving columns. We discussed it in the interval and figured that they must be controlled from above but it’s seamless from an audience point of view. The sets and props are beautifully detailed – amphora vases shatter and logs break without the joins ever being visible. The “souls” effect in the underworld is also impressive and there is good use of the trapdoors in the stage that allow the Muses to appear and disappear magically. It has the feel of a very expensive production, with the Disney millions on display, especially during the finale when everyone on the stage has a shiny gold version of their costume. Whether it’s style over substance? Well, a little bit. But this matters not when it’s such an enjoyable experience.
So my conclusion would be that you need to leave your nitpicks at the door and accept that this is an interpretation of an interpretation of a myth. People who obsessively love the film may find things to criticse but there is also so much to love. It’s big and brash and gets very loud in parts but if you’re looking for quiet, reflective theatre you probably would not have booked this. It’s recommended for ages 6+ and that feels about right. There’s nothing too scary for small kids and the occasional adult joke will go right over their heads.
No West End night feels properly complete without a bit of time hanging around the street afterwards and it was a pleasant night to do so. From where we were standing, we could see the “Operation Mincemeat” stage door, where VK and I spent a much rainier evening recently. But it was warm and dry and we got to meet most of the main cast, which was a real treat. VK got her picture with Meg:
And four of the five Muses (but we got the programme signed by all five, plus Hades, Phil and Despina):
VK’s old-man back was causing her jip so we gave up before Luke Brady came out but, as ever, the actors were incredibly lovely and it was a real pleasure to meet them and be able to tell them how much we enjoyed it. We are very lucky to be able to do this so often but it makes the kids very happy. Thank you, “Hercules” cast. You are, quite literally, legends.
No disclaimer needed as I paid for this one but all opinions remain honest and my own. For tickets and more info, click here
