Going the Distance: Stage Hero Jelani Alladin On His 10-Word Hercules Bio That Says It All

Folks line up! With 1,800 seats in Central Park's picturesque Delacorte Theater, the power of Disney fandom and only seven performances, it’s no secret that Public Works’ forthcoming production of Hercules is a hotly anticipated one. The show will play from August 31 through September 8 with title star Jelani Alladin at the center of it all. “It’s surreal. It’s everything that I ever hoped for in a role,” he told Broadway.com. “I can’t stop thinking about it. Even at night, I’m tossing and turning thinking about how to make things better, how to get deeper into the story.”

Alladin, who originated the role of Kristoff in Broadway's Frozen, was asked to participate in a reading of Hercules during his time in the hit Disney production. “At that time, we didn’t know it was for Public Works. We just knew that The Public was behind it somehow,” Alladin said. “It was all very hush, hush, very secretive.” Keeping quiet had to be a challenge; since it premiered in 1997, fans have been hoping for a stage musical adaptation of the beloved animated film.

Bringing the strong man to the stage has pushed Alladin. “In the animation, we see Hercules kick butt all the time. He can do things that the human body can’t physically do,” he said. “We have been trying to be as physically adept as we can be. I am doing things that I have never, ever done onstage before physically. I’ve done massive prep to get my body ready to do this part. If I’m not at work, I’m at the gym or at tumbling class or at boxing class or at a voice lesson. It’s non-ending preparation, but it’s all worth it.” 



The company has had two weeks of rehearsal and one of tech—three weeks total to pull this all off. Between the Public and Disney Theatrical joining forces, this staging promises to be epic. The cast includes Tony winner Roger Bart—who voiced the songs of Hercules in the animated film—now graduating to the role of the evil Hades—along with Krysta Rodriguez and Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart. “There are about 220 people onstage at one point in the show. Just imagine that,” Alladin said. Directed by Lear deBessonet and choreographed by Chase Brock, Hercules will also feature scenic design by Dane Laffrey, who was Tony-nominated just last year for Once On This Island’s wildly immersive set.

The production also includes five new songs from Alan Menken and David Zippel. “The new songs go deeper into the values of each of the characters and what each of the characters want,” Alladin revealed. “The score is un-freaking-real. This might actually be the best score Menken has ever written. Each piece of music is necessary.”

To top it all off, as a Public Works production, Hercules will also feature members of the New York City community, including the Broadway Inspirational Voices. Alladin insists that this only makes the staging more powerful. “Our production celebrates community. There is a spiritual energy that can only be accomplished with 200 people. You will have people from ages five to 75 surrounding you at any given moment telling the story. That human spirit is so alive,” he voiced. “This story celebrates not just one hero, but the hero within every single person.”

Disney Theatrical has a long history of colorblind casting in prominent roles and the meaning isn't lost on Alladin, who gets to follow up Frozen with this second Disney star turn: “We have a 10-word bio in the program because there are so many people in the show. The 10 words I wrote are, ‘This is for all those whose shoulders I stand on.’ When I sing ‘Go the Distance,’ I think about all of the black men who have been enslaved, incarcerated, assassinated—I think about them. There is a hero inside of all of them. It’s the most empowering moment I’ve ever had onstage.”

Photos by Emilio Madrid-Kuser for Broadway.com