In a rehearsal of NUHS’s production of “Percy Jackson: The Musical,” Sophie Berger, as the satyr Grover, sings as she Percy (Jason Malcolm) and Annabeth (Carly Wenninger) head out on a quest to find Zeus’s lightning bolt.
NEW ULM – Apollo, the Greek god of music, will smile at New Ulm High School’s upcoming musical production of “Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief: The Musical”
Performances are 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21; 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22 and performances at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23 at the New Ulm High School auditorium. Tickets are a $10 for adults and $7 for students.
“Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief: The Musical” is an adaptation of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians book series by Rick Riordan.
The story revolves around as 12-year-old named Percy Jackson (played by Jason Malcolm) who discovers Greek mythology is real and he is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. Percy also learns his school friend Grover (played by Sophie Berger) is a human-goat protector known as a satyr.
Shortly after learning of his heritage, Percy is taken to Camp Half-Blood. It is a summer camp for kids who are half human and half gods. At the camp he meets several young kids who are related to members of the Greek pantheon, including Annabeth Chase (played by Carly Wenninger) the daughter of Athena and Lucy (played by Lexie Goff) the daughter of Hermes.
Percy Jackson (center) played by Jason Malcolm prepares to go on a quest with his friend Grover (left) played by Sophie Berger and new friend Annabeth (right) played by Carly Wenninger.
The camp is thrown into turmoil by rumors that someone stole Zeus’ lighting bolt and Percy is the chief suspect. To clear his name, Percy, Grover and Annabeth (played by Carly Wenninger), the daughter of Athena must go on a quest to find the bolt and prevent a war between the gods. The quest takes the group on a journey to the Oracle of Delphi and into the depths of the Underworld. The entire time Percy and his friends are attacked by every monster from Greek myth.
Director Carissa Cowles said it was an advantage to do a production of “Percy Jackson” because the kids were familiar with the story already. They were able to contribute ideas to make the musical more authentic. There several Easter eggs hidden in this production that reference the books.
The four main cast members were all familiar with the book series, having read one or all of the books.
“I grew up reading the books. It is really exciting and fun to be in the musical,” Berger said. She plays the Grover, the satyr. She was pleased to learn the musical followed the book series closely.
Wenninger, who plays Annabeth, was also excited to do this musical. She was even more excited to play Annabeth, who is her favorite character from the series.
Sally Jackson (Amanda Vogel) and her son Percy Jackson (Jason Malcolm) have mother/son moment following their return from the Underworld.
“I loved her in the books but I love singing her musical parts more,” Wenninger said.
Lexi Goff was also a fan of her character Lucy, though she might represent the biggest difference between the musical and the book. In the book Lucy’s name is Luke.
“My character is gender-swapped,” she said. She is the daughter of Hermes instead of the son of Hermes. In the grand scheme of production, there is a minor change.
“She’s a really fun character to play with many layers,” Goff said. “She also has a great song at the end of the show.”
One thing the entire cast agreed upon was this musical was a physical challenge.
Percy Jackson (Jason Malcolm) gives his mom, Sally Jackson (Amanda Vogel) an “instant statue kit.” The box actually contains the head of Medusa.
Malcolm, who plays Percy, is a veteran of many NUHS plays and musicals. He said this musical had the most movement.
“There is a lot of intricate choreography,” Malcolm said. “We’re singing while doing other things. It is a huge exercise. You need to drink a lot of water between acts.”
Fortunately, Malcolm is playing the son of Poseidon and needing water is perfectly in character.
Cowles acknowledged this was a physically demanding show because the musical has no scene breaks. The characters remain on stage for the entire act.
“For a scene change, the actors just walk to another section of the stage,” she said.
The cast of NUHS’s production of “Percy Jackson: The Musical” rehearse stage combat. In this scene, Percy Jackson (Jason Malcom) have a disagreement with Lucy Castellan (Lexi Goff) about starting a war with the gods.
There is a lot of energy behind the musical. Cowles described the show as a “rock musical.” The music in “Percy Jackson” features no brass instruments. This was an intentional change from past musicals.
The cast as a whole is enjoying the contemporary nature of the music. Though the musical “Percy Jackson” uses ancient myths, the music is more modern.
Another aspect that sets “Percy Jackson” apart from other musicals is the special effects. Since the story takes place in a fantasy environment with magical elements, the production needed to have the effects to back it up.
Cowles said in some respects this high school production will feature more special effect than the Broadway version of “Percy Jackson.” The special effects also expanded to some of the characters. The first act of the musical calls for a minotaur.
“We did build a minotaur,” Cowles confirmed.
The cast and crew were excited to add these extra elements to the production.
Berger said she really enjoyed seeing the minotaur character come to Lime.
“I have to give a shout-out to the special effects team,” she said. “They are doing great work.”
Cowles said one of the goals of this production was to give the students something different. “Percy Jackson” was specifically chosen because it was a new musical and few schools have stage productions of it. Many people might be familiar with Percy Jackson’s books, but they do not know the musical yet.
“That’s why it is a good idea to come see the show,” Goff said.
