The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical Review

The heart-wrenching and relatable story of Percy Jackson, a demigod on an adventure to search for his father, that inspired over 1.2 million adolescents around the world in the novel was given a new home in the contemporary, rock musical “The Lightning Thief.” Under Stephen Brackett’s directing, the two hour, two-act show moved briskly and incorporated all the right ingredients – brilliant costumes, witty and corny jokes, a minimalistic set, an intense plot all topped with electrified music. that made you feel like a kid again reading the novel. Although it was easier to understand the fast-paced plot with the background of the novel, the audience could quickly catch on through the engaging songs written by Rob Rokicki and the amusing script written by Joe Tracz.

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson musical is based off of Rick Riordan’s first novel of Percy Jackson series. Percy Jackson, who appears to be an ordinary teenager, is caught off guard when he is told that he is a demigod and is the son of the Greek god, Poseidon. Percy (Chris McCarrell) is oblivious to this at the beginning, and is even more thrown off guard when he starts to experience powers of his own. With gods looking for him out of rage, he goes on a quest with his two best friends to find Zeus’ lightning bolt to calm the waters and prevent war from breaking out.

The small cast composed of seven individuals attacked portraying different characters with great passion and immediately grasped the attention of the audience with the opening song. Each individual had a powerful voice and the songs that they performed were very plot oriented and driven by the characters. As an avid reader of the books, it was refreshing to hear the same quick-wit jokes as well as following an almost mirroring plot. I truly was able to experience the same sense of laughter accompanied with an overwhelming feeling of awe and wonder that I experienced when reading the books.

Although it was refreshing to see such a small cast on stage, at times it was hard to tell some of the characters apart as almost all of them played multiple roles. However, they were able to make up for the confusion with the eye-catching costumes and special effects. With a show that is stuffed with monsters and gods, one might think it would be hard to depict them in an appropriate manner. However, the costumes, headpieces as well as the artistic choices made to depict the monsters and gods was brilliant and made the plot that much more believable. There was a strong juxtaposition between the simple set and the crazy costumes that complimented the bright colored and textured materialed costumes.

Similar to other musicals such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the musical was filled with spun characters to add humor. Just as King Pharaoh was depicted as Elvis, they depicted the gods as motorcycle riders, beach bums etc. This again goes back to the similar humor that was included in the books. I also appreciated the minimalist feeling of the show as a whole. The simple stage and set accompanied with simple choreography allowed the audience to focus more on the characters and the quick-moving plot.  

One thing that caught me a little off guard was the stage combat. Although it is crucial in some musicals, especially in one where monsters and gods are chasing a teenage demigod, it was a bit awkward to watch and the characters did not seem the most comfortable doing it. The stage combat was also included in the middle of songs which made it appear almost too staged and not authentic. Nonetheless, this couldn’t ruin the upbeat songs or the raw talent of the cast.

Whether the show was perfect in all aspects or not, the production did not fail to make the audience leave smiling and succeeded at making at least one person feel like a kid again.