Newly arrived in the West End, Disney’s demigod is the latest mythological A-lister to knock out showtunes. Why are deities such as Hermes and the ‘half-blood’ Percy Jackson having a moment in musical theatre?
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ncient Greek dramas have long thrived on the West End stage. In recent times: Sophie Okonedo’s electrifying Medea, Brie Larson’s high-wire Elektra and Mark Strong’s smoothly political Oedipus. But the likes of Hades and Eurydice are less often found belting out big numbers alongside a dancing ensemble. Until now, it would seem. Mythological musicals are on the rise: Disney’s Hercules opens this month and Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown is in its second year at the Lyric while The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is going on tour this summer.
“Greek theatre has influenced every facet of our lives, from athletics to religion,” says Cedric Neal, who plays Hermes in Hadestown. “What better than for it to be translated to the stage with music, choreography and dance?” Neal has a good point: Greek tragedies, in their original incarnations, were traditionally performed with dance and music, so it is fitting for them to take the guise of full-blown modern musical theatre.
Hadestown revolves around two ancient tales: Persephone’s abduction by Hades and the doomed romance between Eurydice, who ventures into Hades’s underworld, and Orpheus, who tries to get her out. Hermes is the show’s narrator, delivering some of the plot through songs incorporating gospel, jazz, folk, bluegrass and soul.
