Hercules | |
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Music | Alan Menken |
Lyrics | David Zippel |
Book |
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Setting | Ancient Greece |
Basis | Hercules by Ron Clements John Musker Donald McEnery Bob Shaw Irene Mecchi |
Productions |
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Hercules is a musical based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1997 film of the same name, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and David Zippel, and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah. The production is also loosely based on the legendary hero of the same name, the son of Zeus, in Greek mythology.
Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, the musical had a tryout at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park in August 2019 and was met with a mixed critical response.
In July 2017, Alan Menken announced that he was working on a stage adaptation of the 1997 film Hercules . [1] [2] On February 6, 2019, it was announced that the theatrical adaptation would premiere later that year. [3]
The world premiere occurred at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, Manhattan, New York, as part of its Public Works program from August 31 until September 8. [4] Menken and David Zippel returned to compose and write the songs, while Kristoffer Diaz wrote the book, Lear deBessonet directed, and Chase Brock choreographed. [5] The cast included Jelani Alladin (Hercules), Roger Bart (Hades), Jeff Hiller (Panic), Joel Frost (Nessus), Nelson Chimilio (Pain), [6] James Monroe Iglehart (Phil), Ramona Keller (Thalia), Tamika Lawrence (Calliope), Krysta Rodriguez (Meg), and Rema Webb (Terpsichore). [7] Menken and Zippel wrote new songs for the musical, as well as reusing the film's original works. [8]
On March 22, 2020, Alan Menken appeared on Rosie O'Donnell's livestream benefit for the Actors Fund, where he talked about his upcoming projects, saying "I'm working on Disenchanted , the sequel to Enchanted , and I have another Broadway show" and in a separate thought, he added "Hercules is coming to the stage. Of course we did that in Central Park last summer." [9] Disney Theatrical subsequently confirmed that they intend to make the product available for licensing. [10] On May 16, 2020, it was reported that Robert Horn will write a new iteration for the musical, with Lear deBessonet returning as director. [11] On August 18, 2020, Menken confirmed that the musical is indeed being adapted to Broadway. [12]
In April 2022, it was announced that a revised version of the musical would play at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey during the 2022-23 season, from February 16 to March 19, 2023. The revised book would be written by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Robert Horn. [13] Announced cast members include Bradley Gibson as Hercules, Shuler Hensley as Hades, Iglehart reprising his role as Phil, and Isabelle McCalla as Meg. [14] Rounding out the cast is Charity Angél Dawson (Clio), Tiffany Mann (Calliope), Anastascia McClesky (Thalia), Destinee Rea (Terpischore), and Rashidra Scott (Melpomene) as the Muses, Reggie De Leon and Jeff Blumenkrantz as Pain and Panic, Kathryn Allison as Despina, Allyson Kaye Daniel as Aunt Tithesis/Lachesis, Lucia Giannetta as Atropos, Jesse Nager as Nessus, Dennis Stowe and Kristen Faith Oei as Zeus and Hera, and Anne Fraser Thomas as Clotho. [15]
The first international production of Hercules opened at the Neue Flora in Hamburg, Germany on March 24, 2024 and directed by Casey Nicholaw. It is the first Disney stage musical to be developed in Hamburg. [16] On October 25, 2023, it was announced that Benét Monteiro will be taking the lead role. [17] The rest of the cast was presented on December 5, 2023. [18]
Character | Delacorte Theater | Paper Mill Playhouse | Neue Flora |
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2019 | 2023 | 2024 | |
Hercules | Jelani Alladin | Bradley Gibson | Benét Monteiro alternate: Hope Maine |
Phil | James Monroe Iglehart | Kristofer Weinstein-Storey | |
Meg | Krysta Rodriguez | Isabelle McCalla | Mae Ann Jorolan |
Hades | Roger Bart | Shuler Hensley | Detlef Leistenschneider |
Pain (Karl) | Nelson Chimilio | Reggie De Leon | Mario Saccoccio |
Panic (Heinz) | Jeff Hiller | Jeff Blumenkrantz | André Haedicke |
Thalia | Ramona Keller | Anastacia McCleskey | Chasity Crisp |
Calliope | Tamika Lawrence | Tiffany Mann | Leslie Beehann |
Terpsichore | Rema Webb | Destinee Rea | Venolia Manale |
Clio | Charity Angél Dawson | Jamie-Lee Uzoh | |
Melpomene | Rashidra Scott | Shekinah McFarlane | |
Nessus | Joel Frost | Jesse Nager |
The music was composed by Alan Menken, with lyrics by David Zippel.
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The world premiere production has garnered mixed reviews from critics, with many praising the cast, music, story, and production value. Thom Geier, of TheWrap , praised the production, saying it "works better than bigger-budgeted recent efforts like Frozen ". [8] Jessica Derschowits, of Entertainment Weekly , welcomed the "lively but low-key production that feels in many ways like the polar opposite of Disney's string of megawatt Broadway hits — which is a big part of its charm". [19] Jesse Green, of The New York Times , gave a positive review by commenting on the "shrewd casting and amateur performers joining professionals onstage, a middling 1997 animated Disney musical becomes a pageant of civic engagement". [20] Matt Windman, of AM New York Metro , gave a mixed review by commenting on "the lighthearted tone of the film, Kristoffer Diaz's new book features countless zingers and inside jokes. Diaz also tries to deliver an underlying moral on the difference between being a hero and a celebrity. However, Diaz may have gone too far in changing around some of the original sequencing, which has made the second half of the show very messy". [21]
Hercules is a 1997 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. It is loosely based on the legendary hero Heracles, a son of Zeus in Greek mythology. The film was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, both of whom also produced the film with Alice Dewey Goldstone. The screenplay was written by Clements, Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw, and Irene Mecchi. Featuring the voices of Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, and Susan Egan, the film follows the titular Hercules, a demigod with super-strength raised among mortals, who must learn to become a true hero in order to earn back his godhood and place in Mount Olympus, while his evil uncle Hades plots his downfall.
Alan Irwin Menken is an American composer, pianist, music director, and record producer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Skydance Animation. Menken's music for The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and Pocahontas (1995) has each won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores and songs for Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Newsies (1992), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Enchanted (2007), Tangled (2010), and Disenchanted (2022), among others. His accolades include winning eight Academy Awards — becoming the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories after Alfred Newman, a Tony Award, eleven Grammy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Daytime Emmy Award. Menken is one of nineteen people to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.
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Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.
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David Joel Zippel is an American musical theatre lyricist, director, and producer.
"Go the Distance" is a song from Disney's 1997 animated feature film Hercules. It was written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist David Zippel, and originally recorded by American actor Roger Bart in his film role as the singing voice of Hercules. American singer-songwriter Michael Bolton recorded a pop version of the song for the film's end credits, which was also included on his eleventh studio album All That Matters (1997). Puerto Rican singer and actor Ricky Martin performed the Spanish version of the song, both in the movie and in the credits; this version is included on Martin's album Vuelve. Both the song and its reprise featured in a stage production of Hercules, performed upon the Disney Wonder during 2007/2008.
"I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist David Zippel for Disney's animated film Hercules (1997). Included on the film's soundtrack, the song is performed by American actress and singer Susan Egan in her role as Meg, Hercules' love interest, while singers Cheryl Freeman, Lillias White, Vaneese Thomas, LaChanze and Roz Ryan provide girl group-style backup vocals as the Muses.
The Little Mermaid is a stage musical produced by Disney Theatrical, based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1989 film The Little Mermaid and the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen about a mermaid who dreams of the world above the sea and gives up her voice to find true love. Its book is by Doug Wright, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, with additional lyrics by Glenn Slater. Its underwater setting and story about aquatic characters requires unusual technical designs and strategies to create gliding movements for the actors.
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The Disney Renaissance was a period from 1989 to 1999 during which Walt Disney Feature Animation returned to producing critically and commercially successful animated films. These were mostly musical adaptations of well-known stories, similar to the films produced during the era of Walt Disney from the 1930s to 1960s. The resurgence allowed Disney's animated films to become a powerhouse of successes at the domestic and foreign box office, earning much greater profits than most of the Disney films of previous eras.
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