Do you suffer from ADHD and Dyslexia? Does trouble follow you everywhere you go? Do seemingly random people in your day-to-day life that nobody else can remember being there spontaneously turn into scary monsters trying to kill you? You might be a Demigod! A word of caution: when attempting to self-diagnose Demigodism, move at the speed of a mortal: very, very slowly. Or maybe you’re just thrillified that Silhouette Stages is producing The Lighting Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. That one is totally way more likely, right? I mean— Demigods don’t walk among us! Right? Directed by TJ Lukacsina with Musical Direction by Carolyn Freel & Ginny Moses, with Choreography by Rikki Howie, this fun and plucky new musical will appeal to fans of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & The Olympians book series and to musical theatre fans who have yet to delve deep into the fantasy world of Greek Gods living among us in modern day. The music is excitable (though not particularly memorable, I don’t think anyone’s walking out reciting lyrics or humming tunes) and the plot follows surprisingly close to the first book, if you’ve read it. It’s an enjoyable, upbeat and fast-paced evening that has lots of camp and kitsch for a positive evening of theatre.
Scenically, the stage is pretty basic. But that’s not a bad thing. You get the idea, via projections (designed by Richard & Amy Atha-Nicolls), of where exactly you are— be it DOA Records way out in LA (who knew the gates to Hades were in LA…actually, that shouldn’t surprise anyone…) or Camp Half-Blood way out in Long Island, NY. Set Designer Stephen Foreman works with Director TJ Lukacsina, who serves as the show’s lighting designer, to keep a simple but effective set on stage. There’s a magical moment hidden in plain sight, there’s a massive temple-structure that serves as the true scenic setting (appropriate for a show about Greek Gods whose modern-day demigod spawn are wandering the earth as half or whole orphans), and there’s a bunch of other really clever things that happen throughout thanks to Foreman’s ingenuity. Foreman doubles up as the set dresser and special effects master, and while some of the special effects are pretty cheesy, which totally suits the tone of the show overall, some of them are really impressive. Pen is mightier than the sword…or is it?
Costumes come to the stage by way of Deana Cruz-Conner and again they seem pretty basic. At first. But don’t be deceived. While Percy, Annabeth, and the others of Camp Half-Blood aren’t exactly decked out to the nines with swanky sartorial selections, there’s plenty in Cruz-Conner’s handbag of tricks to keep the audience in stitches. Most of these get reserved for the doubling and tripling up of certain cast members as Gods. Like Christopher Kabara who plays both Poseidon and Hades with vastly different couture flares to each costume. Or Cheryl Campo, who starts off in the show as Sally Jackson (mother to Percy) but becomes quite a few others…including Charon (ferryman of the river Styx in Hades) decked out in a Christmas-disco red & green lamé flare-legged jumpsuit. Cruz-Conner hints at some of the Demigod children while crafting their aesthetic, like Clarisse, whose badass father is Ares, God of War, and so her outfit matches accordingly.
Musically the show is bouncing. Ginny Moses, on piano and pit conductor, leads a live, on-stage (though hidden by the projection scrim) orchestra consisting of herself, Tim Murdock & Matt Melenas on guitar, Arielle Miller on drums, and Amitabh Goswani on bass. It’s an over joyous experience having live music back at Silhouette Stages; it just sounds better, plain and simple. Vocally, the cast of nine come together with robust sounds, tricking the audience into thinking there are more than just three quarters of a dozen performers on stage when it comes to the full-ensemble numbers.
Director TJ Lukacsina plays the show up for the kitschy camp nature that appears to be written into the libretto (book- Joe Tracz, music & lyrics- Rod Rokicki.) In the modern-day-era of “everything becomes a musical”, it could easily be disastrous if Lukacsina had attempted to make this an intensely involved production, mining for deep meaning in the production. That isn’t to say there aren’t moments that really make you question, really make you feel, and really startle you into experiencing a vast range of emotions. There are. Lukacsina is just keeping the balance by keeping the action rolling and the moments light. (Don’t dig too deeply into the music or the lyrics; it comes out leaps and bounds above things like Rocky and Escape to Margaritaville, but definitely isn’t a Sondheim, Webber, or Miranda.) For what it is, Lukacsina makes it a thoroughly enjoyable experience. And if you really know and love the books, you’ll enjoy it twice as much.
With just nine members in the performative ensemble, everyone gets a chance to shine, whether it’s as a Demigod at Camp Half-Blood (literally the only person who doesn’t double up as one is Kabara, because he’s the wise leader centaur, Chiron…not to be confused with Campo’s Charon, ferryman of the river Styx…) or as some unruly God/Goddess/create of Greek Mythology, everyone is radiant in their respective roles. The only performers who don’t double up at least once are the trio— Percy Jackson (Reid Murphy), Annabeth Chase (Leah Freeman), and Grover (Nick Thompson.) The sounds that these nine performers cultivate, especially during “The Campfire Song”, “The Day I Got Expelled”, and “Bring on the Monsters” (which totally feels like it should be somewhere earlier in the performance instead of as the finale number) are astonishing, heartily robust and full of strong, blended harmonies.
There’s Imani Corbin, who gets labeled as Katie Gardner (having a somewhat more prominent role in the book as a child of Demeter, head counselor of the Cabin of Demeter; lots of that gets cut entirely for timing purposes in this musical) but plays quite a few other intriguing characters all along the way. During the flashbacks of “The Tree on the Hill”, a song sung predominantly by Grover, you get to see Corbin in action (if only recollective) as Thalia Grace…which seemingly means nothing to this musical, with the exception of getting more of Luke’s backstory? But for those diehard fans of the book series, you’ll feel your heart skip a beat when you see Corbin in this flashback role.
You get Ethan Kinstler who plays, among many others, Mr. D…and *spoiler alert* the D stands for Dionysus. Yes, that Dionysus. Kinstler perfects this bombastic approach to Mr. D, barking and bellowing at the top of the character’s lungs while grumbling outrageous insults with the ill-est of tempers. Snarky, snappy, and biting don’t even begin to accurately cover Kinstler’s Mr. D. Try apoplectically, spasmodically over-the-top in the deranged department to the tune of fury. (Not to be confused with the furies, of whom, Julia L. Williams becomes early on.) Kinstler gets a huge solo, “Another Terrible Day” to really express all the complaints that the character has been letting fester deep inside; it’s pure hilarity.
The aforementioned dynamic duo of Cheryl Campo and Christopher Kabara (and they even get a meet-cute-flirtatious moment when they’re playing Sally Jackson and Poseidon, respectively) is one for the books. Campo lends her maternal kindness and warm vocals to “Strong”, which is one of the more serious and emotionally enchanting numbers in the production. But when she rocker-blasts the disco inferno that is “D.O.A.” as Charon, you get a real chance to see Campo’s vocal versatility. Kabara will have you in stitches with his physicality when it comes to being Chiron the centaur (you don’t even care that all you get is a dude in a t-shirt with a horse-ponytail clipped to his backside because he’s so enthusiastically energetic with his physicality.) But if you think you’re tittering over his Chiron wait until you meet his Hades. You’ll die laughing. Kabara brings a resounding lower-range to the blended voices all throughout the performance and is a most-welcome addition to the cast.
Then there’s the vocally dynamic and blasting Clarisse La Rue (Julia L. Williams.) You get a full taste of Williams’ vocal capabilities during “Put Your in Your Place” (a face-off style duet featuring Williams as Clarisse and Leah Freeman as Annabeth.) There is no fear, no shame, and all brass when it comes to Williams’ portrayal of Clarisse. The sneaky, serpentine doubling of this actor in the role of…Medusa…yes, that Medusa…is simply a scream. She adapts all the panache of a Hollywood starlet. Who will just as likely eat you as invite you in for tea. Williams is a powerhouse vocalist who really revs the engines at various points throughout the performance.
You’ve got cool, clear, and confident Luke Castella (Otega Okurume), who in both the books and the musical is the ‘head camper’ of sorts. Been there the longest, knows the most, resents his God-parent the strongest, Okurume is radiant in the role. Lending his smooth, pristine vocals to “Their Sign” and “The Last Day of Summer” you get a real taste of serenity, tinged with something more, whenever Okurume sings. There’s also that moment when Okurume drops the cool-kid act to become raging, biker-dude God-of-War Ares. And he’s as over the top as say, Mr. D. or literally any one of the Gods who gets featured in this production.
The trio of narrative leaders— Annabeth (Leah Freeman), Grover (Nick Thompson) and Percy Jackson (Reid Murphy)— grow into this force to be reckoned with, even if they start out as this ragtag band of hapless off-beat nerds. Freeman who has a sweet upper range, manages to vocally hold her own in the sing-off with Williams’ Clarisse, “Put You in Your Place.” And although she can’t command toilet-paper-blasters-that-are-supposed-to-be-water, Freeman does have a ferociously steady stage presence, which grounds her during all of the bumpy, rocky, savage roads of the quest ahead, once the three get going on the quest, as set down by the oracle (again the versatile Cheryl Campo.)
Nick Thompson’s Grover is every bit as hilarious as you expect Grover to be. Convivial, engaging, and delightfully awkward in the nerdiest and best way possible, Thompson will get your goat and have you chuckling and rooting for Grover all at the same time. You do get a really subdued but beautiful sound from Thompson when he sings with full sorrow and regret through “The Tree on the Hill.” But there’s lots of edge left for “Killer Quest!” and for that ridiculously absurd (bordering on ‘why do we need to be like Shrek and sing a “Travel Song” here?) number, “Drive.” You believe in Thompson’s kindness and you believe that he means to protect Percy every step of the way.
As for the titular character, taking on the mastermind role of not one but two full five-book series (yes, Percy Jackson went on to be an integral character when Rick Riordan transitioned the series, after ending it at book five, over into the ‘Roman era’ where there were suddenly children of Neptune, Jupiter, Pluto, etc. instead of just Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, etc.) Reid Murphy is an exquisite choice. With a singing voice powerful and talented enough to be situated in the leading, titular role of Dear Evan Hansen, there is something truly amazing about watching this kid perform. When he sings “Good Kid”, you almost forget that you’re watching this fun-loving, plucky and odd, quirky little children’s-fantasy-book-based musical and you find all of these intense emotional tsunamis washing over you directly from the heart and soul of Murphy as Percy. You get rough and ready rocker vibes when he launches the show with “The Day I Got Expelled” and his vocal range, particularly the top-end is just sensational.
Just remember, you’re lucky because you’re not a son of Poseidon or a daughter of Hermes, etc. Because seriously? Life couldn’t be worse than when your parents run the universe. Right? Oh, unless you don’t get tickets to see this really fun and energetic production— something refreshing and new— at Silhouette Stages. That would totally be worse.
Running Time: 2 hours and 5 minutes with one intermission
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical plays through October 23, 2022 with Silhouette Stages currently at Slayton House Theatre in the Village of Wilde Lake Columbia— 10400 Cross Fox Lane in Columbia, MD. For tickets please call the box office at (410) 216-4499 or purchase them in advance online.
