Alan Menken, the acclaimed composer behind Disney classics such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, has spoken candidly ahead of Hercules’ West End debut. In a wide-ranging interview, he deftly swerved political controversy while acknowledging the growing pressures surrounding Disney’s recent output. “Ask me anything,” he quips, before addressing everything from “woke” culture to the challenges of modernising beloved characters. Despite not being involved in the live-action Snow White, Menken expressed sympathy for its lead, Rachel Zegler, amid political backlash, but remained critical of decisions like altering the depiction of the dwarfs, saying, “I’m sorry, but the dwarfs are what Snow White is all about!”
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Menken’s reflections also reveal the ongoing tension within Disney as it navigates between legacy and inclusivity. He praised the racial reimagining of Hercules for the stage, calling it a “rich” update, though lamented the taming of characters like Philoctetes. With decades of musical storytelling under his belt, Menken maintains a nuanced view: “Each new adaptation has to be sensitive to the passing of time,” he says, noting that what once played as humorous may now be seen as outdated or inappropriate. Still, he resists sanitising classic tales too heavily, particularly in the case of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which he says remains shelved due to its more “problematic” themes.
Widely credited with helping to revive Disney’s fortunes during the late 1980s alongside lyricist Howard Ashman, Menken reminisces about their artistic philosophy, which leaned on a strong sense of time, place and emotional depth. From Newsies to Pocahontas, his scores bridged theatricality with cinematic storytelling. In contrast, he remarks that more recent works often favour a singular artistic voice, like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s in Encanto, over the collaborative, character-driven style he helped define. “That’s not what Howard and I did, but hey, things evolve,” Menken says diplomatically.
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At 75, Menken is still composing, with both a Tangled remake and stage version on the horizon. Uninterested in retirement unless he no longer meets his own standards, he reflects on legacy, musical identity and mortality with humour and grace. When asked what song he would choose for his funeral, he smiles and says: “Out There, from Hunchback. I’d be singing it in the coffin, wanting to get back out.”
