Need a hero? The Public Works' staging of Disney's Herclues, starring Jelani Aladdin, Krysta Rodriguez, Rogert Bart, James Monroe Iglehart, and Tamika Lawrence, began performances at the Delacorte Theatre August 31.
The cast will also feature Jeff Hiller as Panic, Ramona Keller as Thalia, and Rema Webb as Terpsichore, along with a special featured performance by 2019 Tony Honor Award recipient Broadway Inspirational Voices as well as cameo group performances by 10 Hairy Legs and Passaic High School Marching Band. As with previous Public Works shows, performances will feature professional actors with over 200 New Yorkers from all five boroughs.
See what critics had to say about the show, which runs through September 8, below.
Entertainment Weekly (Jessica Derschowitz)
The Hollywood Reporter (Frank Scheck)
New York Magazine/Vulture (Sara Holdren)
New York Stage Review (David Finkle)
The New York Times (Jesse Green)
Public Works' Hercules is based on the Disney film written by Ron Clements, John Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw, and Irene Mecchi and directed by Clements. The production is presented by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher.
The production features scenic design by Dane Laffrey; costume design by Andrea Hood; lighting design by Tyler Micoleau; sound design by Kai Harada and Jessica Paz; wigs, hair, and makeup design by Cookie Jordan; puppet design by James Ortiz; music supervision and arrangements by Michael Kosarin; orchestrations by Danny Troob and Joseph Joubert; dance arrangements by Mark Hummel; and synthesizer programming by Randy Cohen.
The Public Works community partner organizations are Brownsville Recreation Center (Brooklyn), Center for Family Life in Sunset Park (Brooklyn), DreamYard (Bronx), The Fortune Society (Queens), and Military Resilience Foundation (all boroughs), along with alumni partners Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education (Bronx), Children's Aid (all boroughs), and Domestic Workers United (all boroughs).
Performances of Hercules are free and continue through September 8 (if you missed out on the digital lottery, there is a daily in-person standby lottery for each performance).