He is half god, half man, his path is tragic and comical: Hercules embarks on an adventurous journey to find his true identity and take his place among the gods on Mount Olympus. Disney's Hercules - The Heroic Musical celebrates its world premiere on the Hamburg musical stage and has taken the hearts of audiences by storm.

The story of Disney's HERCULES begins with an introduction to Greek mythology and the world of the gods on Mount Olympus. We learn about the mighty father of the gods Zeus and his wife Hera, the parents of little Hercules. But not everything is sunshine and roses - we soon get to know the scheming Hades. He is the ruler of the underworld and is plotting a diabolical plan to seize power in Olympus. And this is where the adventure of the heroic demigod Hercules begins...

As a small child, Hercules is abducted by Hades and robbed of his divine powers and memories. He grows up as a mortal boy on earth, but feels an ever-increasing inner turmoil as he feels different from the people around him and also has superhuman powers.

To find out who he really is, Hercules embarks on an adventurous journey. Along the way, he meets many different characters such as the clever Philoctetes (Phil), the cynical satyr and the lovable Pegasus, his winged horse, who faithfully stands by his side from then on.

Hercules' thirst for discovery is a thorn in Hades' side, and he plans to destroy Hercules before he can unleash his full power. Hades sends various monsters and obstacles in his way, including Hydra - a monster that seems invincible as it grows heads faster than Hercules can strike with his sword.

On his journey, Hercules finds himself more and more and learns a lot about courage, self-confidence and true strength. He also falls in love with Megara (Meg), a young woman manipulated by Hades to betray him, but who eventually becomes his ally.

In the end, Hercules saves the world from destruction, unleashing his true powers and triumphing over Hades. He returns to Olympus as a true hero, is celebrated by the gods and recognized as the son of Zeus.

From 10 August 2024, Philipp Büttner will take on the role of Hercules, succeeding Benét Monteiro, who will embody the title role in MJ - The Michael Jackson Musical from December. This is a dream come true for the 33-year-old: ‘Singing songs by Oscar-winner Alan Menken is always a dream. For me, these are the most beautiful songs you can sing as a musical theatre performer.‘

Hercules' lover Meg is played by Mae Ann Jorolan, who the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper called "Hamburg's young answer to Whitney Houston" for good reason. With her powerful and expressive voice, she brings the beautiful Meg impressively to life.

The villain Hades is played by Detlef Leistenschneider, a well-known face on the Hamburg musical scene. At the Schmidt-Tivoli-Theater, he has appeared time and again in The Christmas Bakery and in the leading role of The Mindful Tiger. He is looking forward to returning to the Neue Flora after his engagement in MAMMA MIA!

The music for the Disney film Hercules has been part of the standard repertoire on every Disney sampler since 1997: "The Gospel Truth", "Zero to Hero" and "Go the Distance" are certainly the best-known hits. For the musical, the playlist was expanded for the musical stage in the style of Alan Menken's Oscar-nominated film score. The heroic soundtrack captivates the audience with powerful gospel choirs and soulful piano ballads and transports them straight to Olympus.

In March 2024, Hercules successfully entered Hamburg's musical Olympus. Hamburg has already seen many great productions of various Disney musicals, but this has never happened before - a Disney world premiere in the Hanseatic city! For the festive occasion, the orange carpet was rolled out to match the hero of the evening and the thunderous final applause from the audience already gave an idea of the outcome of the evening: A complete success for HERCULES.