Exclusive: Chris McCarrell To Lead THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL National Tour

The producers of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical announced this morning Chris McCarrell will reprise the role of Percy Jackson in the upcoming national tour of the musical adaption of the New York Times best-selling novel written by Rick Riordan.

On taking the hit musical on the road, McCarrell says, "I've never been done with Percy. Even during our closing night Off-Broadway, I knew it wasn't my last time playing him. To me, Percy symbolizes my scattered youth, the seemingly aloof boy who adults rarely seemed to get. Percy is the rock star who came out of that. I always said it would take a special show for me to pack up and tour, and The Lightning Thief is just that. It blew up while we were in New York and too few half-bloods were able to see it."

The national tour of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical launches in Chicago in January 2019. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

With more than 100 million copies of the book series sold worldwide, this global phenomenon has found a new home on the live stage in a "mesmerizing" theatrical event that proves "lightning can strike twice!" (TheaterMania). Following a sold out run in New York City, where it garnered 3 Drama Desk Award nominations, including Best Musical, this "winning adaptation" (The Hollywood Reporter) is coming to rock a city near you.

As a son of Poseidon, Percy Jackson has newly discovered powers he can't control, monsters on his trail, and is on a quest to find Zeus' lightning bolt to prevent a war between the Greek gods. Based on the best-selling Disney-Hyperion novel by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is an action-packed theatrical adventure that has been celebrated by audiences and critics alike.

THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL has a Drama Desk nominated book by Joe Tracz, music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki, and is directed by Stephen Brackett, with choreography by Patrick McCollum, with set design by Lee Savage, costume design by Sydney Maresca, Obie award winning sound design by Ryan Rumery, lighting design by David Lander, fight direction by Rod Kinter and orchestrations by Wiley Deweese and Rob Rokicki. The production is being presented by special arrangement with Rick Riordan and the Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency.

THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL is produced by TheaterWorksUSA, Martian Entertainment, Greg Schaffert, Lang Entertainment Group, Lisa Chanel, Jennifer Doyle and Roy Lennox, Neil Gobioff, Glass Half Full Productions, Hummel/Greene and in partnership with The Road Company.

More information about The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is available at www.lightningthiefmusical.com.