“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” will take you to Hades and back – via Amtrak trains and Greyhound buses.
Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, where we meet the sons and daughters of gods, follow those demigods on a magical round-trip journey to Hades, plus meet a dizzying number of other mythological creatures along Percy Jackson’s hero quest.
Directed by Theatre Harrisburg’s Amanda Nowell and Music Director Beth Darowish, “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” is a coming-of-age epic musical action comedy, with music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki, book by Joe Tracz, and original book by Rick Riordan. A young misfit named Percy Jackson (Carter Anstine) uncovers long-held family secrets that reveal who he is, wields his brand-new magical powers, and finally finds his tribe on his journey of self-discovery.
This off-Broadway musical is different from the book series, is different from the movie series, is different from your imagination. This musical rendition stands out with its fast and funny lyrics delivered by Theatre Harrisburg’s talented vocalists. Its lyrics contain quality wordplay, with musicians playing notes purposefully discordant at times to correspond with the crazy storyline.
This cast contains almost 40 characters, almost all of which are performed by five cast members who are unbelievably skilled in quick-change costume artistry (costumes by Matt Spencer). Kudos to Drew Patti, Aaron Ayala, Alison Whipple, Taye Olivia, and Jonathan Walker-VanKuren for showcasing their flexibility and range.
We meet protagonist Percy singing “The Day I Got Expelled,” a self-explanatory prologue immediately revealing his identity within the show’s mythical premise. Although we don’t see the inciting incident, Percy’s neurodivergent learning differences somehow cause overreactions from his teachers, including Mrs. Dodds (Olivia) turning into a demon who tries to kill him on a field trip to The Met. (Buckle up. The plot is going to sound like a first-grader repeatedly answering the question, “And then what happened?”) Anstine shows his character’s anguish in “Good Kid” and “The Weirdest Dream,” and he strikes excellent harmonic notes in his duet with Ayala in the wistful “The Last Day of Summer.”
To console Percy, his mother, Sally Jackson (Alison Whipple), reassures him, “The things that make you different are the things that make you strong.” She also overshares his conception story in their beautifully delivered duet “Strong.” Whipple’s powerful voice cuts through the fog machine in her roles, especially standing out as The Oracle in the song of the same name, and as Charon in the sequined disco lounge act “D.O.A.”
When Percy battles a minotaur, opening the portal to Camp Half-Blood, the disgruntled camp director, Mr. D (Dionysus, Patti) sings the hilarious “Another Terrible Day,” emphasizing how much he hates children. (Patti also performs a memorably sad ballad about regrets and failure in “The Tree on the Hill” as Grover.) At Camp Half-Blood, Percy meets friends and fellow demigods Luke (Ayala) and Annabeth (Kaitlin Riley), the latter warrior joining Percy on his quest to Hades. Zeus wants his lightning back, and he’s convinced Percy stole it. This ignites Percy’s hero’s quest to Hades.
Riley pours her badass energy into Annabeth, who has something to prove as Athena’s daughter. Riley matches sparring warrior prowess and pipes in her duet with Clarisse (Olivia) in “Put You in Your Place.” Riley also delivered my favorite song of the show “My Grand Plan,” revealing her character’s resentment about being tough and smart, but still feeling inadequate.
The entire company combine vocal stylings for the all-sings “Campfire Song,” with everyone taking a slyly humorous verse to tell their origin stories. The energetic songs “Killer Quest!” and “Son of Poseidon,” and the hopeful “Bring on the Monsters” hit all the right notes, propelling the action forward until the exciting end.
The music has a fabulous feel – mostly bluesy rock beats with a forgivable amount of country twang. I also must shout out to the percussionist (Sara Benson), who pulled out every bizarre instrument from the top shelf of the closet and struck each at least once.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the show’s convincing stage combat (Benny Benamati, Stage Manager & Fight Director), and Walker-VanKuren as the most slithery monster portrayal of Medusa.
The pacing in this action-packed play moves like a lightning bolt to earth, with little time in between to let discoveries wash over you like vast ocean waves. Maybe it’s the difference between Percy’s neurodivergent brain and my overly structured one, but I didn’t find it easy to bond with the ultra-resilience of Percy’s personality. I could feel some of his anguish and confusion, but I posit the quick pacing didn’t give him enough time to reflect, or for me to feel his emotions along with him. I felt like a spectator on Percy’s hero’s journey, but I would have preferred to bond with him a little more, riding alongside him as a passenger.
To help yourself keep up with the plot as it’s brilliantly hurled at you like toilet paper whooshing from a leaf blower (Props Designer, Spencer), I recommend taking a few minutes before the play and again at intermission to absorb the program’s study guide, which outlines descriptions of the gods, a map of the characters’ itinerary, and a hero’s journey of the plot points and characters they meet along the way. Unless your tribe suffers from sensory sensitivity issues, there are no parental warnings that would prevent you from bringing your whole tribe to Hades and back.
“The Lightning Thief” runs through Feb. 9 at the Krevsky Center, 513 Hurlock St., Harrisburg. For more information on show times and tickets, visit https://theatreharrisburg.com/shows/the-lightning-thief/ .
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