This is Disney’s Hercules, based on the company’s 1997 animated movie, though I gather there are a number of new songs. It is a film I have never seen, so I come to it freshly. The titular hero is given his Roman name, but the gods on Olympus are the Greek ones, though they all seem to have American accents.
Hercules is no longer the child of human Alcmene fathered by Zeus during a long night of passion. Such extramarital goings-on are not right for the film’s target audience. Zeus' wife Hera is now his mother, not his enemy. Their son is now born a god, but the baby loses divine status through the machinations of Zeus’ brother, underworld ruler Hades. Grown up, there is a chance that he could regain it by performing feats no mortal could accomplish.
It is a simple story that traces Hercules' transition, as the show’s stirring anthem puts it, from “Zero to Hero”, picking up love interest Meg (Mae Ann Jorolan) on the way. The mood is set by a bevy of gospel-like singers providing commentary as the Muses: Candace Furbert (Thalia), Sharlene Hector (Clio), Brianna Ogunbawo (Melpomene), Malinda Parris (Calliope) and Rose-Li (Terpsichore) and Stephen Carlile’s sleazy Hades. Their energy and glitzy costume changes help drive the show, and his OTT baddie is straight out of panto, though we aren’t given the chance to boo. The giant puppet monsters Hercules battles with seem equally panto, their frightening appearances deliberately undermined by a jokey edge.
Hades orders the incompetent couple of Bob (Craig Gallivan) and Charles (Lee Zarrett) to poison the baby with Hydra blood, but out in the human world, he is fostered by Despina (who gets a brief lullaby but no programme credit). In no time, he has grown up and has superhuman strength. Luke Brady’s Hercules is friendly and full of well meaning. He tries to put that strength to good use, but the results are disastrous until he is put in the charge of personal trainer Phil(ostratus), who also teaches him life skills.
In a show that doesn’t really go in for character development or motivation, Trevor Dion Nicholas makes Phil feel real flesh and blood; he strongly connects with the audience, which Hercules and Meg don’t really do until they start duetting.
Quite a lot of the lyrics eluded me, but with over twenty numbers, the songs keep on coming, with the muses rising up from below or storming downstage. There is snazzy choreography, including a tap routine led by Hades, Phil at the head of a parade of drum majors, even a Zeus who looks like an aged Billy Connolly with gold grips in his hair is suddenly sprightly.
Zeus and Hera may rule on Olympus but don’t get a place in the programme, prophet Tiresias is identified by being told who he is, everything moves on very quickly. Rather than wonder what is going to happen (which is all pretty obvious), I found myself fascinated by the new configurations designer Dane Laffrey would find for the classical columns that so often dominate his set and what new style George Reeve’s video elements would present as 3D architecture was combined with mosaic imagery that at one point seems inspired by Van Gogh.
The golden glitter and bright colours in Greg Baines and Sky Switser’s costumes, luscious lighting (Jeff Croiter) and showers of party streamers to make you feel part of it all contribute to provide constantly changing images without overwhelming the actors. It is a show scaled to the venue, a show to be treated as fun—don’t take it seriously!