Alan Menken teases new song from Disney’s Hercules at London Palladium concert

Yesterday, multi-award-winning composer Alan Menken graced the stage of The London Palladium for his first-ever solo concert performances.

Entitled A Whole New World of Alan Menken, he shared biographical and behind-the-scenes anecdotes as well as insights into his creative process for a multitude of stage and screen projects. He also enlightened the audience about his collaborative relationships with lyricists such as the late Howard Ashman, Stephen Schwartz, Glenn Slater (also in attendance), David Zippel and Tim Rice.

During the show’s encore, Menken performed a teaser for a new song from Disney’s Hercules, written specifically for the stage musical version and not seen in the 1997 animated classic. Performed in the show by Hercules and Meg, you can watch the composer’s teaser of “Forget About It” below:

The West End premiere of Disney’s Hercules begins performances at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 6 June 2025.

The musical follows the titular Greek hero as he battles to claim his birthright and strength, while pitted against the villainous Hades. It features music by Menken (Beauty and the Beast), lyrics by Zippel (Mulan), and a new book by Robert Horn (Shucked) and Kwame Kwei-Armah (The Visitor). Numbers in the show include “Go the Distance”, “Zero to Hero” and “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)”.

The production is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (Disney’s Aladdin), who also helmed the European premiere in Hamburg, with Tanisha Scott as co-choreographer.

The cast is led by Grammy nominee Luke Brady in the title role, alongside the Muses: Candace Furbert (as Thalia), Sharlene Hector (as Clio), Brianna Ogunbawo (as Melpomene), Malinda Parris (as Calliope), and Robyn Rose-Li (as Terpsichore), with Kamilla Fernandes (as Standby Muse).

The principal cast also includes Mae Ann Jorolan (making her West End debut as Meg, after originating the role in Hamburg), Trevor Dion Nicholas (as Phil), Stephen Carlile (as Hades), Craig Gallivan (as Bob) and Lee Zarrett (as Charles).

The company is completed by Rhianne Alleyne, Lana Antoniou, Daisy Barnett, Felipe Bejarano, Sarah Benbelaid, Joel Benjamin, Jack Butcher, Nicole Carlisle, Francessca Daniella-Baker, Jemal Felix, Marie Finlayson, Ryesha Higgs, Cruz-Troy Hunter, Travis Kerry, Stefan Lagoulis, Jason Leigh Winter, Jordan Livesey, Harriet Millier, Ellie Mitchell, Saffi Needham, Ingrid Olivia, Matt Overfield, Patrick Robinson, Ope Sowande and Rhys West.

The London production also features scenic and additional video design by Dane Laffrey, costume design by Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, sound design by Adam Fisher, video design by George Reeve, special effects design by Jeremy Chernick, dance music arrangements by David Chase, hair and wig design by Mia M Neal, and make-up design by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche.

The music team is headed by music supervisor and arranger Michael Kosarin, with orchestrations by Danny Troob and Joseph Joubert, and dance arrangements by David Chase. Casting is by Natalie Gallacher for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting.

Tickets are on sale below.