I feel like both the Percy Jackson books and films have passed me as a millennial with no children so I may have been what felt like one of the few people in the audience who had no idea what to expect. For those like me who have let the Percy Jackson world pass them by allow me to explain. The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical focuses on Percy Jackson’s discovery that he is a half-blood, son of a god and a mortal. In order to prove himself he is given a quest to find the lighting bolt that had been stolen and return it to its rightful owner.

The book by Joe Tracz is one of the strongest parts of the show, it hooks you into Percy’s world effortlessly. If like me, you are unfamiliar with the source material then there is a lot of information crammed into the first 10 minutes so pay attention, but once I had grasped it I felt The fantasy element weaved in with a coming of age story ensures that as the audience we get the best of both worlds, escapism at the same time as a relatable hero. Whilst there is clearly a lot of the story that is glossed over to fit it into show this simply ensures that the pace is kept swift and to the point.

The music by Rob Rokicki is a mixed bag, at times it felt like many of the numbers sounded similar with a belty modern musical theatre vibe but at other moments I found myself really enjoying numbers such as ‘D.O.A’ and ‘Bring On The Monsters’ and as a score it certainly piqued my interest enough to add the cast recording to my Spotify library to revisit a a later date.

The direction by Lizzie Gee fused with the set design by Ryan Dawson Laight and Charlie Morgan Jones is incredibly clever and rather than reliance on a huge amount of set and and special effects to help tell the story they lean into the simple but extremely effective mantra. Minotaur’s appearing out of boxes, toilets exploding and much was achieved with props, clever chorography and effective lighting and also ensured that the pace of the show was rapid, never breaking for a scene change. This was a testament to how well the elements of the show fused together to really enhance the production.

The cast were strong overall and I adored that the cast had a genuine youthful energy about them which echoed their characters perfectly. Morgan Greogory was Percy Jackson himself and he convinced as a teenager at a crossroads, desperate to know more about his father and determined to do what he thinks is best. Together with Angus Benstead as Grover they had a wonderful friendship on stage and ensured I was rooting for the pair. At times it was hard to hear the leads, it felt like the battle onstage between the monsters and the half bloods was not the only battle going on, with the band often drowning out the vocals. The ensemble excelled in multi rolling, from fellow summer camp kids to monsters, bus conductors and more.

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is a wonderful story which combines the fantasy world with issues facing mortal teens just as much as half bloods. With an innovative approach to the storytelling helping the fantasy soar this is a show suitable for all ages and all parental lineage!

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson musical is on at The Other Palace until 15th June. You can find out more and buy tickets here.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Hadestown, Six and Stranger Things The First Shadow