I love the original cartoon but Disney's Hercules musical fails to go the distance

In the lead role, Luke Brady shrugs off the tiresome misfire that was 2020's Prince Egypt. We knew he had the pipes, but this time he gets to unleash megawatt charm and certainly fits the iconic line "this perfect package packs a pair of perfect pecs." And guns and legs...

One of the greatest joys of the animated original was the sassy Muses. Their role has been wisely expanded, and these five swaggering powerhouse divas bring the entire auditorium alive time after time with slamming vocals and hair-tossing 'tude. Absolute Heaven, or, y'know, Olympus.

All the brilliant big numbers from the cartoon are there, packed around the basic story of the child stolen from the Greek gods who must earn and learn the right to reclaim his divinity. He's opposed by Stephen Carlile's camply captivating Hades who seems to be doing a combo of Donald Trump and Liberace. It's certainly a choice.

And, look, it's undeniably often hugely entertaining. Families will love it. But....

The 1997 original cartoon boldly brought in satirical illustrator Gerald Scarfe, giving it a subversive kick. It also played with the gaudy visual excesses of Vegas, after Herc becomes so nouveau riche and famous "he can tell you what's a Grecian urn."

Alan Menken's melodies, of course, were sublime and, like the blissful play on words above, David Zippel's lyrics were packed with sly wit.

However, the new stage production has ditched all the edge and rolled out the full cheese trolley. The costumes are certainly glitzy, the gods and Muses dazzle and Brady rocks a skimpy string vest and skimpier toga. But with the giant fake columns, oddly Medieval tavern scenes, cheap video backdrops and damned souls repeatedly portrayed by gauzy material swirling in a vertical wind tunnel, it all feels a bit B-list Vegas strip.

The mythological monsters Hercules battles are low-fi fun and a climactic battle between the gods is kitschly silly in the way of the 1960s Batman series, but it's underwhelming when the West End can offer everything from Harry Potter to Stranger Things and recent Studio Ghibli shows.

Where's the big budget and jaw-dropping spectacle of the staged Aladdin and recent Frozen, for example?

The musical arrangements, despite the best efforts of the brass section, sound flatly over-synthesized and have lost the cinematic grandeur, depth and emotional punch of a full orchestra score. The uneven sound mixing leaves some of the multiple vocal moments a tad shrill. Most disappointing, the anthemic Go The Distance should bring the house down but somehow limps to the finish line.

The only time it matches or exceeds the original is in a high octane reworked Zero to Hero which mixes in cheerleaders for a dizzying finale. There are also numerous new songs from Menken and Zippel, absolutely none of which are remotely memorable apart from the epicly overblown Great Bolts of Thunder which just needs better sound mixing.

If this were a touring show or temporary filler, I'd applaud what it achieves, but from an entertainment giant renowned for its excellence in one of the showcase theatres of the West End, it is just OK.

It may put "the glad in Gladiator", but not in my heart.

HERCULES IS BOOKING AT THE THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE UNTIL MARCH 28 2026