Heracles: Of Men and Beasts ★★★★

The Barden Party, the New Zealand company that made a splash at last year’s Fringe with their wondrous Macbeth: Blood and Bluegrass, has returned once again, this time with Heracles: Of Men and Beasts, a cheeky folk musical that takes on a legend of Greek mythology rather than one of Shakespeare’s doomed kings.

Has lightning struck twice for this fantastic troupe?

Mostly. But not completely, and for good reason: The show is only halfway done.

Not that what was presented felt insufficient. Ollie Howlett’s score is superb. Really, truly superb. (Check out the music, which is available on all the major streaming services; you’ll be glad you did.) Songs like “Crossroads”, “The Lion”, and “Flames” (among others) deserve to have larger audiences, and likely will.

The story is told cleanly and cleverly. Heracles (better known by his Roman name, Hercules) falls in love with Megara, one of Hera’s most ardent disciples. Despite not being a fan of Heracles, who is one of her husband’s many illegitimate sons, Hera gives the couple her blessing.

Alas, marital bliss is short-lived, as Heracles isn’t the stay-at-home type and finds his satisfaction in the glory of the battlefield. Lonely Megara, stuck at home with their newborn, begs him to change his ways, but he can’t, and won’t.

As is usually the case in Greek mythology, tragedy strikes the arrogant. To pay penance, Heracles is given a well-known challenge for which he’s famous, and which The Barden Party is treating as Act II.

The cast of four casts a spell. Laura Irish is appropriately grand and regal as Hera, Isabella Aarons exudes sweetness as Megara, Howlett plays Rhapsode as he expertly plays all the instruments needed for his score on stage, and Caleb James, the show’s standout, wows as Heracles. This Heracles may be weighed down by his destiny, but that heavenly voice sure isn’t.

As The Barden Party is planning to complete the show and bring it back to Edinburgh in 2027 they might want to consider miking the women in the cast, both of whom who are vocally overpowered by the two men. Also, since Aphrodite is a character who stirs up dramatic trouble for the characters on stage, it would’t hurt to have her make an appearance.

This ambitious show summoned memories of another work based on a Greek myth, Hadestown. When that show was playing Off-Broadway, in a version that is quite different from the one now running on Broadway and in the West End, the catchy music and the show’s potential made this reviewer sit straight up and pay more-than-usual attention. Heracles: Of Men and Beasts did the same. Can’t wait to see the second act.