Disney cruises are magical, and among all the things that I love onboard the ships, a big part of that magic starts with the performers. After a behind-the-scenes peek at Disney’s new Hercules musical for the Disney Destiny, I’ve also now seen where that magic starts.
On an unassuming street in the middle of downtown Toronto, in an average looking building, I stepped into Disney Cruise Lines’ Toronto studio rehearsal space. Like a campus for training performers, the space was filled with studios where these soon-to-be stars train before boarding the ships and wowing audiences.
From the Broadway-style musicals in the theatres, to the shows in the atriums, and dinner theatre events like Plaza de Coco on the Disney Treasure, this one space in Toronto is where every performer gets started.
The whole space is electric–everyone here is so excited for what they’re doing–and each performer will train for 10-12 weeks before they are go on board. Hundreds of performers train here every year, but not that many people get to visit.
It was entirely my pleasure getting the opportunity to visit for a media preview of Disney’s Hercules stage musical, the new show that will premiere when the Disney Destiny has its inaugural sailings in November.
The people behind the new stage musical
The creative team behind Hercules introduced us to the music, the choreography, a few of the core cast members, and even to the huge training puppets. The team had a lot to show off after the months that the show has been in development, from the ground up.
The new version of Hercules has the same roots, based on the classic movie that started it all back in 1997, but the people who have helped shape the look and sound of this musical also worked to make sure that it stood out.
Like the Tale of Moana on board the Disney Treasure, this Hercules musical has to fit the story into a shorter runtime, with stage-worthy effects, and a sound that’s they wanted to make sound fresh and new.
What I saw blew me away, and it’s obvious how much this team loves the story and the characters. From the co-directors and choreographers, brothers Kevin and Marcel Wilson, to Bradley Knight, the musical arranger for the show, they have the heart and passion to make something truly special. It’s amazing to see how months of work now comes down to weeks of rehearsal, with days counting down until the first performances for guests on board the ship.
And it takes a lot to get ready for a show of this scale.
Wow-worthy puppets
Putting on this big show is so much more complex when you’re talking about a musical at sea. The Disney Destiny features a larger stage than previous Disney ships, like the Disney Dream, and Hercules will take advantage of that space, and the technology in the Walt Disney Theatre.
Disney has developed a number of really big puppets for the show, and that includes two huge Titan puppets, plus five Hydra heads for the big battle between Hercules and the Hydra.
The final, performance-ready puppets will arrive on the Destiny in the next few weeks, so Disney uses training puppets in the rehearsal space, like the one pictured above, so performers can learn how to bring the characters to life on identical puppets that just don’t have the finished skin on them or effects. It’s an amazing process, especially when you see what it takes to bring a Titan to life, or make a Hydra head look menacing.
For all the energy and the magic that I saw in each of the performers, the instructors and the whole team keeping the rehearsal space running are passing on a bit of their magic, too.
James R. Duncan, the puppet specialist who teaches performers how to deliver a wow-worthy performance with the puppets, is a passionate teacher. We had a chance to see him training a few performers, and he’s so excited about what he does. He also knows though, as he said to us, that the performers will end up doing things that will bring new character and life to the puppets in ways that he could never teach, and that’s just another part of the real magic here.
There’s a lot of work going on in the studio every day, as performers learn all of the live entertainment routines, but the buzz is definitely focused on getting Hercules ready for November, not to mention preparations for Remember, the Wall-E-themed musical that will premiere on the Disney Adventure!
While we saw a few things for Remember, there’s not much that I can share now, so I’ll write up another story on that soon, but I can share a lot more about Hercules.
A new show, with the same heart and soul
A big part of our introduction to Hercules was seeing how Knight has worked with different styles of music for the new sound. Knight played clips of the classic film soundtrack, and then explained how he’s worked with a choir and a full studio of musicians to create this refreshed sound for the musical.
Knight called the sound a “modern twist” that would keep the heart of the film, and played a bit of his take on the opening “Gospel Truth” that they have recorded to sound even more live, like a concert. In another example the team had infused a 90s R&B sound into “Go The Distance.”
All of the music was jaw dropping in their own ways, and I absolutely adore the sound they captured with Eleni Kontos as Meg, singing “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love).” Knight also showed off how they worked with the theme for Hades, that now features a bigger sound and electric guitar. You can see and hear examples of this in my YouTube video.
After that, Kevin and Marcel Wilson taught us the choreography for a key scene with the Muses, and while I was not very good, it was so cool to learn from them, and then see the Muses perform the whole number.
Throughout the visit, we also had a chance to see a few performances from other work in the space, including “Step In Time” from Believe; “Remember Me” from Coco, which will be in Remember, and “Zero to Hero” from Hercules, featuring a team of about 20-some dancers.
And wait until you really see Corey Bradford as Hercules! He is absolutely amazing. At one point in his dance routine I thought he was floating in the air. He’s an incredible performer; effortless, and electric. I can’t imagine a better actor to play the part. Even the creative directors for the show said that they instantly knew he was the one for the role.
We also had a peek at Matthew Patrick Quinn as Hades, who made a small appearance in “Zero to Hero”. He’s so cool in this role, and I love the fire (sorry, not sorry) that he brings to the part. It’s also funny because he actually just came from another musical with a similar role… playing Hades in Hadestown!
And Megara is such a spot-on casting choice. “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)” was pure magic, from the moment she stepped out. She has the spark of the character, and I can’t wait to see what she brings to the show. I really can’t wait to get on board the Disney Destiny, the first chance that I get, so I can see this show, not to mention all the other things new to this ships.
It’s hard to think of a better musical for the Destiny, and that theme of heroes and villains, than Hercules.
Watch the full video from the peek at Hercules at the top of the story, with everything that I could capture. Watch the performance of “Zero To Hero” on Disney Parks’ channel below, as well as their peek at the Titans in action. Plus stay tuned to The GATE for more coverage from the Disney Destiny and Disney Adventure!
