Read our review of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, based on Rick Riordan’s novels, now in performances at The Other Palace to 2 March 2025.
Should everything be a musical? Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, the Rick Riordan best-selling spin on Greek mythology set in New York, doesn’t exactly seem like a natural fit for an all-singing and dancing show. But, in 2014, it was created by Joe Tracz and Rob Rokicki and premiered off-Broadway. Now it bobs into The Other Palace for its British debut — lighthearted and energetic, if a little confused.
If you aren’t familiar with Percy Jackson, the story might be a bit of a minefield. Percy’s life spills into mayhem when he gets expelled from school after a run-in with a winged fury disguised as a teacher, his mother disappears after a fight with a minotaur, and he discovers he is actually the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. And that’s all in the first 30 minutes.
Along with his best friend Grover (a brilliantly geeky Scott Folan) he lands himself in a summer camp for “half blood” children, where he learns his fate. Percy has an urgent quest to find Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt and stop a great war breaking out. With Grover and his new BFF Anabeth, the daughter of Athena, they set off to save the world.
Rather than leaning into the darkness of the Percy Jackson film or TV series, the musical opts for a twee high school feel. Percy and his friends are awkward teens, dressed in zip-up hoodies and oversized jeans. Max Harwood, who found fame in the Everybody’s Talking About Jamie film, makes Percy a nasal-voiced misfit. His songs, particularly the punk-inspired “Good Kid”, feel like the release of his inner screams.
The set, designed by Ryan Dawson Laight, is suitably hodgepodge, while the action is a rollercoaster ride of fun and speed. From the camp, our heroes cruise into LA in just a second. The scenes fly out, one after another, with no wasted space.
Tracz and Rokicki have certainly made their case for a Percy Jackson on stage. But it is still not perfect. After a while the all-American twang of the songs and the peppy High School Musical-style dialogue start to grate. Most of the big numbers blend into a broth of sameness, but Anabeth’s anthem on girlhood, “My Grand Plan”, is sung with real power by Jessica Lee.
Nevertheless, directed by Lizzi Gee, the production is a whirlwind trip into an unbelievable fantasy. There are rows of Percy Jackson fans, clutching books and wearing T-shirts, on the night I see it — every one of them was totally captivated. Not a single one let down.
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is at The Other Palace to 2 March 2025. Book The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical tickets on London Theatre.
Photo credit: The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (Photos by Manuel Harlan)
