The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is currently making its debut on the West End. Written by Rob Rokicki and Joe Tracz, it is based on the 2005 novel of the same name, as well as the popular film series. The musical follows it’s protagonist, Percy Jackson, who is learning to navigate his new life after finding out he is a demigod. The production features Max Harwood as Percy Jackson, who first debuted in the title role of the film Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. This is his second appearance in the West End, after performing in Stranger Things: The First Shadow. It will also star Scott Folan, who made his West End debut in Be More Chill back in 2021.
But how has the musical gone from the page to the stage? The musical was first performed in an Off-Broadway production in New York during 2014. It was produced by Theatreworks USA and at the time it was a one-hour musical, though it still embarked on a national tour. By 2017 the musical had been chopped, changed and expanded ready to go to the stage again at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. This production ended up only running for a month, however, two years later the musical began its national tour, starting in Chicago. Later that year The Lightning Thief made its Broadway debut, running for 16 weeks from September to January. Since then, the musical has been adapted in several amateur productions. It first came to the UK when it was performed by a theatre group at the University of Leeds, but this production at The Other Palace will be its official West End debut.
Questions have circulated about whether this run will give the musical the big break it needs to make its mark on the London theatre scene. Since opening in November, the musical has received mixed reviews. In a review published on the London Theatre Website by Anya Ryan, she suggested that “Tracz and Rokicki have certainly made their case for a Percy Jackson on stage. But it is still not perfect.” She goes onto describe that the “all-American twang of the songs and the peppy High School Musical-style dialogue start to grate” and “blend into a broth of sameness.” On the other hand, a review published by RadioTimes.com took a more positive approach, labelling it as a “comedic masterpiece” with “impressive set design”, while The Stage called the musical “a heartfelt musical romp.”
It can be suggested that the reception of the musical has been underwhelming. While fans of the original may give it praise for remaining faithful to the source, avid theatre goers and audiences being introduced to this story for the first time can feel like the production is heavily reliant on the set design and special effects, rather than being concentrated on the plot and storytelling of the piece. This view was also suggested in a review in The Telegraph by Claire Allfree, who stated that while she was a fan of the original novel “this theatrical iteration is lazy and dull.” She continues explaining that while the London Production “may gesture at theatrical authenticity… in truth it rests entirely on its intellectual property.”
Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief will be performed at The Other Palace until 31 August.
Words by Gemma McDonald
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