Hercules on Stage

[Sotiris]

Menken is insisting Hercules is being eyed for Broadway. I'm still skeptical of that, but fingers crossed!

We have Hercules now which we did in Central Park just before the pandemic hit and we want to bring that to Broadway. [...] I have the stage musical of Hercules where we're now doing the Broadway version of that that we had done in Central Park. [...] Very excited about the Hercules musical.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuXErNCqaYY

[Disney's Divinity]

God, I hope so. If it does, it might only be because Disney is re-making the film and they think they may be able to cross-promote the two. So maybe what looks like a so far awful remake that's going to be nothing like the film it's supposedly remaking could end up having a use after all! I pray it gets a chance. Pleasepleasepleaseplease. I need that recording.

[Sotiris]

It's a good thing then the Public Works production was such a hit.

I had an opportunity to speak with someone closely involved with the PublicWorks production of Hercules, and I asked them what led to the production being approved. They said that Lear DeBessonet, the director, approached Disney with the idea, and Disney approved it because they had no plans to turn the movie into a musical on their own terms. It so happens that the Public Works production has inspired them to continue developing it, but that wasn't the case before.

Source: https://www.broadwayworld.com/board/rea ... 91#5266918

[Sotiris]

The show will be opening next summer. Where and in what form remains to be seen. Fingers crossed it's for Broadway.

Hercules was not that big a hit as an animated movie. But just before the pandemic, we did it in Central Park at the Delacorte Theater and all the papers went crazy. Now we're going to be opening it next summer.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZpiNEOh7_w

[Disney's Divinity]

Fingers crossed all goes well!

[rodrigo_ca]

I doubt he's talking about Broadway at this moment. Probably an out-of-town production (which they might use to lock the songs and libretto to a more conventional production for licensing or if it's really successful, then they might eye Broadway)

[Sotiris]

Q: What can you tell us about what's coming up?

Thomas Schumacher: I can tell you about some of what's on my desk. I just got a very exciting, new script for Hercules. If we would take the park version that we did with Oskar [Eustis]...when we had that conversation to do something in Central Park and the idea of a classical story, Hercules, but set in a contemporary way...working with Lear deBessonet was fantastic. And out of that, we've said 'What will happen next?'. So, there's a draft of that on my desk with no commitment to announce attached to it.

Source: https://variety.com/2021/legit/podcasts ... 235052207/

[Sotiris]

It's rumored the show will be coming to Paper Mill Playhouse next season.

• Is there a workshop happening for this show? Sasha Allen posted sheet music and Muses clip art recently.

• Being that they replaced the bookwriter from the Public production (Robert Horn is now writing it), it would make sense that they should do some kind of workshop.

• Paper Mill Playhouse announced from the stage during "A Jolly Holiday" that they were planning to present "Hercules" next season.

• Sasha posted “rehearsal” today. Definitely don’t think this is for the film, which hasn’t had any updates in the past year.

• There is a workshop happening over the next two weeks. Don't know the trajectory, but preparations for Paper Mill would make sense.

Source: https://www.broadwayworld.com/board/rea ... =2#5316463

• Earlier this spring there was a Hercules workshop at New 42 and Bryce Pinkham was involved, but idk the role. It may have been working sessions for the film or for a future stage life.

• Hercules is having its "Indoor premiere" at the Paper Mill early next year, so I assume they're making edits to the Central Park version for this. With Roger Bart stuck in the West End, Pinkham would probably make a good Hades...

Source: https://www.broadwayworld.com/board/rea ... 31#5341262

[Disney's Divinity]

Who is Sasha Allen? I know there was a contestant from The Voice by that name. She was one of the few people I liked on that show, and I could see her playing a Muse.

[Sotiris]

It's been confirmed Hercules will be coming to Paper Mill Playhouse next year.

New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse has set its 2022-2023 season, which will include the second-ever staging of Disney's Hercules, adapted from the 1997 animated film with songs by Alan Menken and David Zippel. Paper Mill's production, which will run February 9-March 12, 2023, follows the stage adaptation's 2019 world premiere via The Public Theater's free Shakespeare in the Park helmed by Lear deBessonet, who returns to direct the Paper Mill staging.

The upcoming production will newly feature a book by Kwame Kwei-Armah (The Visitor) and Robert Horn (Tootsie, 13), adapted from the screenplay by Ron Clements, John Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw, and Irene Mecchi. Kwei-Armah and Horn are new to the project, with The Public's production having featured a book by Kristoffer Diaz. Also returning from the world premiere creative team is Michael Kosarin as music supervisor, with Alvin Hough, Jr. (Once On This Island) joining as music director.

Source: https://playbill.com/article/disneys-he ... -playhouse

It’s a terrific twist of fates! The inspired Disney animated film is now a mythical new musical adventure. Hercules is the divinely funny story of an honest-to-Zeus hero on a quest to discover who he is and where he belongs. Is love a possibility too? Oh, Hades, yes! The roof-raising score by Alan Menken and David Zippel features all the hits you love from the film, including the Oscar®-nominated song “Go The Distance,” as well as “Zero to Hero” and “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love),” along with new songs written for the stage. The show features a new book by Kwame Kwei-Armah (artistic director of London’s Young Vic) and Tony Award® winner Robert Horn (Tootsie), and direction by Obie Award-winning Lear deBessonet. This cheeky, Greeky muse-ical earned a New York Times’ Critic’s Pick for its original Public Theater production in Central Park, with the New York Post cheering it’s “wise-cracking, heartfelt and emotionally rich.” And that’s the gospel truth!

Source: https://herculesthemusical.com/


Source: https://papermill.org/shows-tickets/subscriptions/


Source: https://herculesthemusical.com/

[D82]

James Monroe Iglehart, Bradley Gibson, Shuler Hensley, Isabelle McCalla Will Star in Disney's Hercules at Paper Mill
https://playbill.com/article/james-monr ... paper-mill

[Disney's Divinity]

It's funny to me all the strong talent Menken has been able to find, foster, or help get projects despite having been exiled from WDAS--Iglehart, Adam Jacobs, Jeremy Jordan, Eden Espinosa, Sierra Boggess, Tituss Burgess, Naomi Scott, Halle Bailey, etc. Iglehart has been in Aladdin, Tangled: The Series, and now this. Looking at WDAS in comparison, the best musical talent they've found during the Revival was mostly on Frozen. Looking at WDAS in comparison, the best musical talent they've found has mostly been on Frozen; if you take that franchise out of the equation, I'd really only point to Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, and Cravalho as being great (or good, in Cravalho's case). Well, I think Abuela in Encanto has a very talented voice actress, actually, but she doesn't sing anything (hopefully she'll have a song in the sequel....).

I wonder if the voice actors on TP&TF were already chosen before Menken was booted by Lasseter for his friend? They had been working on the story before that happened, I believe--that might actually explain why I love the voice talent on that film even though the songs are mostly a bust. I still can't believe WDAS has never used the Lopezes on anything else outside Frozen. That makes so little sense.

[blackcauldron85]

The Lopezes did the music for 2011's Winnie the Pooh; they were working on Gigantic, and maybe they're working on an unannounced project, fingers crossed? (And outside of WDAS, they did the music for Finding Nemo: The Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom.)

Still makes no sense on not hiring Alan Menken.

[DisneyFan09]

It`s nice to see this finally happening. And I really like the logo, it`s very appealing.

[singerguy04]

I'm really excited to see this actually happening! The Shakespeare in the park production looked really neat, and I can't wait to see how they adapt it to Paper Mill. This movie has always seemed like a given to put on stage given the ancient Greeks influence in creating theater as we know it.

I'm also selfishly thrilled that this means in a few years the rights will probably become available to smaller theaters and I can get my hand on it!

[Sotiris]

As you probably know, the stage musical of Hercules is coming and it goes into rehearsal in January.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HUNpn-oMBE

[blackcauldron85]

Cast Complete for Paper Mill Hercules, Starring James Monroe Iglehart, Bradley Gibson, Shuler Hensley, Isabelle McCalla
https://playbill.com/article/cast-compl ... le-mccalla

[Disney's Divinity]

Still makes no sense on not hiring Alan Menken.

I actually thought a week or two ago that if Menken had ever had a chance of being brought back for a new animated film, it actually would've made sense for Wish with it being the 100th anniversary, since they also brought villains back for that film and are having all these callbacks to older films. No offense to Julia Michaels, she may turn out to do a great job like Elton John, Phil Collins, etc. She has written a couple of pop songs I like and I enjoyed her "In This Place" end credits cover more than most of Disney's end credits songs these days.

[Sotiris]

Videos for the Papermill Playhouse production.

Cast Announcement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMtdxmATGzc

Inside Look
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6Ddip3GD1U

"The Roundtable #57" with Hercules Star Bradley Gibson & Authors Robert Horn & Kwame Kwei-Armah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VYnrLKQUMw

Live from Broadway! Curtains Up! 9/30/22. Coming to the Papermill Playhouse, Hercules!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amm8O1kmj84


Program.


Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Co5B2psuypx/


Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comme ... playhouse/

[Sotiris]

Thomas Schumacher announced that the show is opening up in Germany next and hinted at a Broadway transfer.

It's going to open at the Papermill Playhouse with a really great cast and then a year later it will open in German in Germany. [...] There is an expectation that such things could happen... We'll get in Germany first and then we'll see what happens. [...] It's a big party. There's a lot of puppetry in it, the music is fantastic, so my fingers are crossed.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayqJfdgILYg