A new musical stage production of Disney’s Hercules is scheduled to debut this summer in New York’s Central Park at the Public Theater’s Delacorte Theater. The official cast for the show was announced yesterday and there are a few names Disney fans will be very familiar with.
- Leading the show will be Jelani Alladin as Hercules. Aladdin originated the role of Kristoff in Disney’s stage musical “Frozen.”
- James Monroe Iglehart will play Hercules’ trainer Phil. Iglehart joined the Disney team when he originated the role of The Genie in Disney’s “Aladdin” musical. He has recently been seen on Broadway in “Hamilton” as Lafayette.
- Krysta Rodriquez, the original Wednesday Addams in Broadway’s “The Addams Family,” joins the production as Meg and Tamika Lawerence will play the lead muse, Calliope. Rema Webb is Terpsichore and Ramona Keller is Thalia, both muses. Jeff Hiller, longtime member of the Upright Citizens Brigade, plays Panic
- In a fun twist, Roger Bart, who performed the Young Hercules songs in the original Disney animated movie, will take on the role of Hades in the stage adaption.
Bart captured a bit of the irony about starting as a hero an becoming a villain in a tweet about the casting.
Not often you get to play the hero and then the villain years later .. #Hercules #hades #icangothedistance https://t.co/C3kVWpQgvT
— Roger Bart (@rogerbartoffic) June 20, 2019
The Hercules stage adaption will be directed by Lear deBessonet with choreography by Chase Beck. The musical features songs from the original film by Alan Menken and David Zippel. The adaption is being written by Kristoffer Diaz.
Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher, is working with the Public Theater for this production.