Possessed of a hook that will haunt you for day, Hercules: Myth and Murder is all sorts of comic musical fun at Camden Fringe 2024 at the Hen & Chickens Theatre
“Why not call someone who can do both”
What if Poirot had pecs? What if Hercules had a handlebar moustache? We’re Gonna Be A Dad!’s Hercules: Myth and Murder dares to dream that Frankenstein-ish dream and even if the moustache shape isn’t quite on point, the result is a hugely entertaining hour of sleuthing musical comedy, complete with superstar detective cameos, movie-style montages and a whole raft of cheese puns (the quickest way to my heart).
Written and directed by Xavier Newton Fawcett, the name of the game here is pure entertainment. You could pick holes in the plot if you were so minded but I’d wager you’ll be too busy admiring the capering about, multiple quick-changes, use of Connect4 and musing the concept of chessboxing – a crucial part of solving the case of who has set a bomb somewhere to do something (honestly, it’s not that important!).
Charlie Sharp’s Hercules is an amusing blend of the two – crushing anyone’s hand in a handshake and able to toss off a Belgian-accented rap to round up the key info for the case. Sophia Holmes’ PC Peggy Hastings is a sterling partner, even if everyone dismisses her as a sidekick, nailing her ballad moment well. And Edward Ramsey and Jack Dalton are phenomenal in covering what must be close to 20 characters between them, with often just a deerstalker, Batmask or cheap blonde wig to hand.
The quality of the songwriting is really something too. There’s not a huge number of songs in the hour but they’re all tightly conceived, lyrically sharp and supremely tuneful (honestly, the hook of ‘Last name Poirot, first name Hercules’ hasn’t left my brain all day), they lift the humour and feeling of the show so very well. It may be a challenge delivering something this warm-heartedly good fun on a sweltering July night but the sweat is worth it.
