Review Roundup: Disney's HERCULES Musical Opens at Paper Mill Playhouse

The reviews are rolling in for Paper Mill Playhouse's production of Disney's Hercules! Hercules features music by Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner Alan Menken (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Newsies) and lyrics by Tony Award winner David Zippel (City of Angels, Mulan) and a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn (Tootsie) and Kwame Kwei-Armah (Artistic Director of London's Young Vic), based on the Disney film written by Ron Clements, John Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw, and Irene Mecchi and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.

The cast features Bradley Gibson (The Lion King, A Bronx Tale: The Musical) as Hercules, Tony Award winner Shuler Hensley (Broadway's The Music Man 2022 revival, Oklahoma!) as Hades, Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin, Hamilton) as Phil, and Isabelle McCalla (PMP's Clue, Broadway's Aladdin, The Prom) as Meg, with Jeff Blumenkrantz (Bright Star) as Panic and Reggie De Leon (Aladdin) as Pain, alongside the Muses: Charity Angél Dawson (Waitress) as Clio, Tiffany Mann (Waitress) as Calliope, Anastacia McCleskey (Caroline, or Change) as Thalia, Destinee Rea (The Book of Mormon) as Terpsichore and Rashidra Scott (Company) as Melpomene.

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 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.

Tickets starting at $35 may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at papermill.org.

Let's see what the critics have to say!

Juan A. Ramírez, New York Times: Everything from plot points to character beats unfold with little significance or cohesion, and the whole production feels under-rehearsed, underwhelming, and unimportant. How far we've fallen from Olympus.

Rom Torre, NY Stage Review: The production's problems are most glaring when it comes to the conundrum of the fight sequences between Hercules and the monstrous Titans. I say "conundrum" because those key scenes in the movie are virtually impossible to recreate with any kind of verisimilitude on a live stage with clunky puppets. James Ortiz deserves credit for his clever puppet designs and direction but there's no way he could match the on-screen excitement of watching Hercules battle those marauding Titans.

Adam F. Cohen, New Jersey Stage: As in most Greek dramas, the heroics are rendered off stage. This distances the audience from Gibson's Hercules. We're told, not shown many of his feats of strength and heroism. While he's an agile dancer, and a serviceable actor and singer, his Hercules is rendered a nice enough guy. Some more personality (ego, sense of his body's appeal) would do the show a lot of good and allow Hercules to actually be heroic. The fight choreography by Chase Brock and Tanisha Scot is muddled and unconclusive - we never actually see Hercules defeat the monsters. And the rescue climax of Meg (cleverly done with a parachute shaken by cast versus fog) is all too quick.

Jacqueline Cutler, NJ.com: Hercules delivers what we've come to expect from these productions. Take a well-known story, and put the hero in a moral predicament. Make him learn that we are stronger united than alone and that by doing right, good prevails. Who could argue with such lessons? This, though, is so obvious, that it feels much more like a formula for minting money than an interpretation of a classical myth. It's commerce, not art.

Ben F. Silverio, Slash Film: In terms of the cast, they do a great job keeping things lively and energetic. Bradley Gibson captures the boyish charm and innocent naiveté of the titular hero. He also shines vocally in the show-stopping numbers "Go the Distance" and "To Be Human." Isabelle McCalla effortlessly conveys Meg's street smarts and guarded persona with a hint more of comedic flare than Susan Egan's animated version. And Iglehart proves yet again that his energy onstage is unmatched. Just like his previous roles of the Genie or Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, he delivers yet another kinetic performance, particularly during the top of the second act where he seamlessly goes from intricate number to intricate number while still possessing Phil's signature grit.

Lee Pfeiffer, Cinema Retro: Director Lear deBessonet keeps the action and laughs flowing smoothly and the pace never slackens. The choreography by Chase Brock and Tanisha Scott is especially impressive, as is the work of musical director and conductor Ted Arthur. As one might expect, the production values are first-rate and display evidence of the substantial budget that generally accompanies a production done in coordination with Disney. Kudos to Dane Laffrey, who oversaw the scenic design. As you might imagine, this Disney production features some dazzling set pieces. There are also giant puppets that feature prominently and amusingly, courtesy of James Ortiz and some terrific lighting effects by Jeff Croiter and special effects by Jeremy Chernick. Kudos also to Emilio Sosa for providing some suitably ornate costumes.

Kobi Kassal, Theatrely: Whether Disney has struck gold at the same level as when Newsies premiered over a decade ago at Paper Mill remains to be seen, however. This production can certainly go the distance (sorry I had to!!) as it heads to Germany next year, and I imagine we might see it back in the States sometime in the near future. You just let me know when I can see the Muses together again, and you can bet that Grecian urn I will be there.

Marina Kennedy, BroadwayWorld: Disney musical theatre productions are known to be exciting, entertaining, and spectacular featuring top talent. Hercules, now on stage at Paper Mill Playhouse, not only checks all these boxes but exceeds expectations. We attended opening night when the enthusiastic audience gave the show a rousing, well-deserved standing ovation.

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