by Michele Markarian
‘The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical’ – Book by Joe Tracz. Music and Lyrics by Rob Rokicki. Adapted from the book “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan. Directed by Stephen Brackett. At the Huntington Theatre Company, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston, through July 28th.
When my son was in middle school, every kid was reading the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, beginning with The Lightning Thief. I never read it myself, having little interest in ‘tween literature. My expectations were low coming to see this show; my grown-up companion’s even lower, as he thought I had told him we were seeing a musical about Percy Faith. Much to our surprise and delight, The Lightning Thief is an absolute blast of a ride from beginning to end. In addition to the lively score and clever book, the extremely talented and likeable cast of seven makes this an unforgettable theatrical experience.
Percy (Chris McCarrell) is a good kid with learning disabilities who keeps getting expelled from school. He lives at home with his mother Sally (Jalynn Steele) and smelly stepfather (James Hayden Rodriguez). Percy has never known his real father, something that hurts and angers him. It isn’t until he is sent to Camp Half Blood that Percy learns his dad is one of the three most powerful of Greek Gods, Poseidon (the other two are Zeus and Hades). The three made a pact that they would not have earthly demigod children, so Percy’s very existence is risky. He meets other children of gods at Camp Half Blood, who bemoan their godly parents in the very funny “Campfire Song”. Percy bonds with Grover, son of Pan (Izzy Figueroa) and Annabeth, daughter of Athena (Kristin Stokes), so when he is called on a quest to go to the Underworld (Los Angeles, snicker), the other two insist on going with him. As Percy takes risks, overcomes danger, and discovers who he is and what his skills are, his self-confidence grows.
The Lightning Thief, despite the peril of the quest, is laugh out loud funny. Chris McCarrell is wonderfully appealing as Percy, capturing the gawky innocence of a teenager on the cusp of adulthood. “The fish sauce?” he asks, when Annabeth tells him that she believes them to be in Tartarus. Izzy Figueroa is terrific as Grover and Mr. D, who runs Camp Half Blood (I didn’t even know it was the same actor until I read the program at intermission. Mr. D seemed to be in his 40s; Grover, 15 or 16. Whoa). Figueroa’s rendition of “Another Terrible Day” as Mr. D nearly brought down the house. John Knowles has got to be the funniest, most versatile actor in the show, playing a multitude of characters, from Chiron to Medusa to Poseidon. All seven actors move and sing with spirit, and because they seemed to be having so much fun, so did we.
Lee Savage’s set, in tandem with David Lander’s lighting design, really set the stage for the action. Hell in particular is glitzy and feverish, with vertical red lights that shoot upward. We also get a ferry ride into the Underworld, located inside D.O.A. records, with the talented Jalynn Steele as Charon singing the ominous “D.O.A.” Sydney Maresca’s costumes are colorful and clever, and the special effects are surprising in the best possible way – keep an eye on the toilet paper. Stephen Brackett’s smoothly paced direction keeps the action flowing, but never boring. The kids in the audience were enthralled and amused, and as any actor can tell you, kids are the toughest audience to please. I think I may have to read the book. For tickets and information, go to https://www.huntingtontheatre.org
