Disney’s HERCULES - Reviews & News Thread

I like "Indoor premiere" as a designation. You don't hear that one every day!

It's interesting that still have DeBessonet on the project, which suggests they probably aren't totally scrapping everything from PublicWorks - if that's the case, it will be interesting to see how they retool it outside of the hyper-specific PublicWorks infrastructure. Obviously they won't have the community ensemble, or maybe they're have a scaled down version of it.

I also wonder what the rewrites will look like. Personally, I appreciated the show's message about helping the community through service and need-fulfillment, rather than just brute strength. A tad on the nose, maybe, but it worked for PublicWorks, and I liked it as a re-interpretation of the Hercules story.

DrewJoseph said: "Really hope for a lavish production. The story just screams for big sets, costumes and puppets."

I feel like it will depend on what they ultimately plan for the property. If they want to bring it to Broadway, then it may very well have a major upgrade. But if they're trying to prep the show for licensing (as they've been doing with a lot of their B-tier and C-tier properties lately) then they might not, either because (a) it's not worth it, and (b) they want the conceive the show so that smaller companies can do it.

I know that we've heard terms like "broadway-bound" and "developed for Broadway" thrown around with this property in the past few years, but I'm still not convinced. I think it will go route of Hunchback, Freaky Friday, etc. People were excited for the PublicWorks production because it was long-anticipated from a cult fanbase of young millennials, and the run was so short, but I don't think the IP has enough box office power with families to sustain a full commercial run.

Hell, if FROZEN didn't turn out to be the mega-hit they thought it would, the Mouse will surely think twice about putting Hercules on Broadway.

Updated On: 4/12/22 at 01:11 PM

JBroadway said: "I know that we've heard terms like "broadway-bound" and "developed for Broadway" thrown around with this property in the past few years, but I'm still not convinced. I think it will go route of Hunchback, Freaky Friday, etc. People were excited for the PublicWorks production because it was long-anticipated from a cult fanbase of young millennials, and the run was so short, but I don't think the IP has enough box office power with families to sustain a full commercial run."

Then again, Disney originally developed Newsies as something that could be legally licensed to schools and community theatres. Though given how successful the world premiere run was at Paper Mill, it was decided that the show would be brought to Broadway, but only for a limited run. Yet as the main stem production was proving to be just as (if not, more) successful as its world premiere, Newsies then became an open-ended run.

With Hunchback, it made sense why it didn't come to Broadway. The stage adaptation was much darker and more mature then the animated film. It definitely would've been a tough sell in New York.

I just hope Robert Horn doesn’t sink it with bad sitcom jokes. Love the score.

^Or maybe it could reopen the Palace Theatre.

JBroadway said: " Are we sure that Hunchback was ever actually planning to go to Broadway? It seemed to me that people just assumed it would because of the circumstances, but I feel like it's more likely that they were planning to put it straight to licensing."



It was going to Broadway. Schwartz and Menken refused to downsize the giant choir, which was necessary because of NY labor laws, so it died. Frozen went to Broadway instead.

Updated On: 4/12/22 at 03:02 PM

They ruined Hunchback from the greatness and epicness of the original German production. Which is clearly the way to go for the story and score imo. That wouldve been Broadway quality, but this new version just did not do it for me and I’m glad it’s not what ended up on the great white way. It felt very low budget and for some reason they eliminated all the spark and beauty of the original music?

I’m sure hoping they’re not taking a similar approach to this show. I guess when we hear more about the creative team, especially the designers, we’ll have a clearer picture of the scale they’re aiming for.

Thanks for the info, MayAudraBlessYou!

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "Michael Arden has told me personally how disappointed he was that the show wouldn't continue on Broadway. It was explicit that Broadway was the goal when he was hired and he really felt strongly connected to the material and believed it would be big for him."

Yes, I remember he was very....vocal...about his disappointment. Some might even use some other choice adjectives.

Updated On: 4/12/22 at 04:27 PM

Would there really have been no way for the producers of Hunchback to negotiate a non union chorus on Broadway? That's never happened before? All those kids in the 90's Joseph revival chorus were union?

^I, too, am surprised it took this long for someone to bring up Encores, considering DeBessonet has become "punching bag of the year" on this and other forums.

The main issue people have with her Encores tenure is that she's deviating from the intended purpose of the company. This is not that - quite the opposite, in fact. She was attached to this production when it was part of PublicWorks, a company for which DeBessonet has been a foundational contributor. And in fact, as I heard it, she was the one who initially conceived doing Hercules at PublicWorks - she had PublicWorks approach Disney, not the other way around. So it makes sense that they'd want to continue the relationship.

Although I agree it's a little strange to keep her on the project since they will undoubtedly want to re-conceive her original vision for a commercial setting. But I guess if she's up for the challenge, good for her! And yes, as I said in my earlier post, we'll just have to wait and see how much they keep from PublicWorks - you're right that it might be more like the Funny Girl situation.

JBroadway said: "^I, too, am surprised it took this long for someone to bring up Encores, considering DeBessonet has become "punching bag of the year" on this and other forums.

The main issue people have with her Encores tenure is that she's deviating from the intended purpose of the company. This is not that - quite the opposite, in fact. She was attached to this production when it was part of PublicWorks, a company for which DeBessonet has been a foundational contributor. And in fact, as I heard it, she was the one who initially conceived doing Hercules at PublicWorks - she had PublicWorks approach Disney, not the other way around. So it makes sense that they'd want to continue the relationship.

Although I agree it's a little strange to keep her on the project since they will undoubtedly want to re-conceive her original vision for a commercial setting. But I guess if she's up for the challenge, good for her! And yes, as I said in my earlier post, we'll just have to wait and see how much they keep from PublicWorks - you're right that it might be more like the Funny Girl situation."

DeBessonet did Annie Live, so she is certainly not above commercial projects. No-one is calling that a great production by any means, but it got a decent amount of credit for being the only Annie adaptation to truly embrace the political elements of the original musical. Hercules is another "guilty pleasure" family musical with a resonant subtext, so should be a decent fit...

VintageSnarker said: "DramaTeach said: "They said they learned their lesson about Broadway wanting art after the cool response Beauty and the Beast received, but it doesn’t seem so. Throw a few bright colors on the stage, add a few notes to preexisting songs, so a girl can belt her face off, rinse, and repeat."

I would argue the bigger issue is budget and scale more than lack of artistry. I think it's perfectly fine to aim for Wicked. But except for the Aladdin costumes, they seem to fall short on production value and theatrical magic.

Resonant subtext? It's not Hadestown. It's a bland "hero's journey." The parts that work are grounded in character relationships, not broader messages."

"Resonant Subtext" is hyperbolic - there are no real political parallels - none of the Depression/Pandemic parallels deBessonet used in Annie Live, and none of the "Rainbow Nation" resonances (South African creatives helping to make an Africa-set musical about a wronged heir reclaiming his kingdom around the time Apartheid ended and Nelson Mandela became South African president) that added dramatic power to The Lion King in the mid 1990s. However, the pandemic has highlighted the value of community, enhancing one of the core messages of the 2019 version. Plus the rise of BLM highlights the demand for mainstream depictions of black heroism, hence the addition of Kwame Kwei-Armah to the writing team. Hercules is fairytale fantasy first and foremost, but its not devoid of relevance...