The Lightning Thief Review- Empress Theatre

 

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical follows troubled teenager Percy Jackson, who discovers he is a demigod, embarks on a quest to find Zeus's missing lightning bolt, and works to prevent a massive war among the Greek gods. Based on Rick Riordan’s book, the stage adaptation features a book by Joe Tracz and music/lyrics by Rob Rokicki.

Direction:

The director for this production was Beth Bruner, with Braxton Moore as assistant director. Bruner made sure to assemble the best production team around. She had a clear vision, and made sure to let her team know what she wanted. Most parts of the show flowed together because of her clear direction. She made sure that the actors on stage could be seen at most angles, and made sure that the story could be told. There was a good use of a projection to help set the setting of certain scenes. There was also an effect with an exploding toilet during capture the flag that was brilliant and helped show Percy's powers.

The music director for this production was Candice Jorgensen. Jorgensen did a good job at bringing each actor to their best potential where there was not one song that was disappointing to listen to. The Prologue song was clear, strong, and gorgeous. "Strong" was pretty and balanced well. "Put You in Your Place" had wonderful harmonies. "Campfire Song" was a good at showcasing the ensemble's talent. "Killer Quest" blended the main three's vocals beautifully. 

The choreographer for this production was Kathryn Baker, with Annie Guest-Inkley as assistant choreographer. "Put You in Your Place" had interesting to watch choreo. "The Tree On the Hill" was pretty and did a good job at telling the story. "DOA" was fun and full of energy. 

Performances: 

Percy was played by Elias Silva. From the moment he stepped on stage, he had a strong presence. His vocals were nice to listen to, especially when he did duos with Monique Derr. (Sally Jackson) Silva did an excellent job telling the story through his acting choices. 

Annabeth was played by Eloise Derr. Derr had strong vocals throughout the entire show. They played Annabeth as an energetic, strong smart aleck. Their character helped balance out the trio while they were on their journey. 

Grover was played by Parker Skeen. Skeen's comedic timing was excellent. They had me laughing with their character choice to eat paper. They had a fun character choice while singing, that pulled in their goat character.

Clarisse was played by Lucy Bawden. I've worked with Bawden in the past where she had a role that she didn't sing in. As Clarisse her vocals were powerful and reminded me of how multi-talented she really is. She made a choice to play Clarisse scary and angry, which works well with her character being the daughter of Ares, god of war.

Chiron/Hades was played by Konner Hafen. Hafen made very distinctive choices with the two characters that they portrayed. Chiron was played as both caring and strong. Hades was played flamboyant and strong, where their character went from calm to yelling in nothing flat. Hades was easily the most entertaining character of the night to watch.

Mrs. Dodds/Medusa/Charon was played by Cheryl Cripps Richardson. Being one that played multiple roles, there was a clear distinction between each one. As Mrs. Dodds she was mean and clear, with a strong stage presence. As Medusa she played it both funny and scary. As Charon she stole the show with her vocals in, "DOA." On top of all of that, she was the one that created all of the wigs for the show. Her Medusa wig was my favorite of the night.

Design:

The set and lights were designed by David Bruner, with the set painted by Celeste Reese. The set is simple, but effective. It is comprised on one side of three large columns made of fabric on one side, with plaques of all of the Greek gods on one side, and on the other side it has two columns of white fabric pulled up (that they pull down and use in an effective way) and plaques of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. (I loved that they separated these three, because of the story and how they are talked about in the book and stage production.) The lights were used in an effective way to help tell the story from having spots on the Greek god plaques they were currently referencing in the story, starting all the way with the announcement lights. There were also lights behind the fabric columns that helped give the show the mythical feel that it deserved. 

The props were done by Jacob Bruner and Celeste Reese. A good chunk of the props for this production were 3-D printed. I loved this because 3-D printing has elevated props in community theater productions, where they couldn't have afforded something of similar quality to begin with. The shell from Poseidon had a wonderful glow. The half eaten can prop was hilarious, but used in a way that helped build Grover's character. The animal statue props were SO cool to look at and helped show that they were in Medusa's layer. 

The costumer for the show was Braxton Moore, with help from the cast and leg fabrication by Scarlett Brassard. Most of the costumes in the show were street clothes that would be worn in our day in time. When the characters were at the camp there were the iconic orange camp half blood t-shirts. Both Grover and Chiron had furry animal legs, which was portrayed well. The costumes for the dead people and Hades were definitely a highlight of the night. 

Final Impressions:

Being one where the Empress is just around the corner from my house, The Empress is one of my favorite places to go see a show. This show is one that is safe for family members of ALL ages to go see. This show is a fun staging of this beloved book. Maybe one of these days I'll meet you at the Empress!

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