Hercules announces West End dates and details

Disney Theatrical Group has announced dates and details for Hercules at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by David Zippel, and a new book by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah, the production is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw with Tanisha Scott as co-choreographer.

Lead casting for the production was also revealed this morning.

Disney’s 1997 animated classic Hercules follows the titular Greek hero as he battles to claim his birthright and strength, while pitted against the villainous Hades. Numbers in the film include “Go The Distance”, “Zero to Hero” and “I Wont Say (I’m In Love)”.

The stage version will begin previews on 6 June 2025, with an opening night set for 24 June 2025. The show is currently booking through 10 January 2026.

Menken said today: “Hercules was thrilling when I was first working on it in the mid-90s and has only grown more exciting and amazing with each passing adaptation. The new songs David Zippel and I have added for our upcoming production in London, have deepened the emotional impact and further developed the stylistic panache.

“The humour and overall message of the script by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah have brought our story to wonderful new heights and supercharged the underlying message of this story. And, when it comes to bringing all of this to life on stage, there’s no one even close to Casey Nicholaw in creating theatrical magic. I can’t wait for audiences to experience our new Hercules!!”

Priority booking for pre-registered audiences is available now, with public booking opening on 7 November. Preview tickets start from £25, and family tickets are available for select performances.

In the first booking period, Hercules has scheduled a captioned performance on 15 September, a signed performance on 23 September, a relaxed performance on 15 November, and an audio described performance on 29 November.

Zippel added: “It’s an absolute joy to revisit Hercules which was a glorious collaboration with Alan back in the late ’90s. Adapting the film for the stage is the chance to build on the wit and action of the animation, then expand and deepen the characters via new songs, creating something new and exciting for the West End.”

The show has set and additional video design from Dane Laffrey, costume design by Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser, lighting design by Jeff Croiter and sound design by Adam Fisher. The production team also includes video designer George Reeve, hair by Mia M Neal, make-up by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche and special effects from Jeremy Chernick.

The music team is headed by music supervisor and arranger Michael Kosarin, with orchestrations from Danny Troob and Joseph Joubert, and dance arrangements by David Chase. Casting is by Natalie Gallacher for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting.

Horn commented: “What an honour it is to work with this amazing team on this new stage incarnation of the beloved and highly anticipated title Hercules. Kwame and I could not be more excited to bring our very different and unified styles of comedy and storytelling to this magical, mythical tale. And with this iconic score! We hope you’ll laugh and feel all the feels watching it as much as we did working together on it.

“We laughed so hard, we both got abs. We’re thrilled to present to you this gloriously heartwarming and hysterical story of heroism, community, cool togas and fabulous divas!”

Kwei-Armah concluded: “Robert and I have had such a joyous time learning about each other and laughing together as we have shaped the story for the musical and that gets right into the DNA of what this show is: laughter, love and a quest for self-discovery that offers so much for audiences of all ages.”