Review: THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL STUNS AND DELIGHTS AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES at MATCH

THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL tells the story of Percy Jackson, a seemingly normal teenage boy who later learns that he is a son of Poseidon who has powers that he cannot control, monsters constantly on his trail, and a necessary quest to complete. His grand quest is to find Zeus' lightning bolt in order to prevent a devastating, destructive war between the Greek gods. While going on this quest, he is accompanied by his new friends Annabeth- a daughter of Athena- and Grover, who also happens to be a satyr.

This 2017 musical, which came after the 2005 book and the 2010 movie, is an incredible adaptation of the original tale. With all that is told in the book, I thought that this story did a great job of keeping the juiciest parts of the original book and omitting sections that did not affect the story as a whole. Plus, the score- which seemed to be a combination of rock and pop music- was such a great choice for a show about angsty teenagers who are pissed off at their immortal parents. The tunes were catchy, and I couldn't help but want to dance to them!

The actors in this production really built the world of the play for me. I was incredibly impressed by Tyler Galindo, who played ten characters including Mr. Brunner (Percy Jackson's school teacher), Hades, and Poseidon. His energetic and clear ability to express multiple different characters of various genders, backgrounds, and personalities was amazing. I could also tell that Jonathan Bynum (who played the son of Hermes, Ares, and more) had a lot of fun bringing all of his characters to life. I especially enjoyed watching him dance as James Brown in the underworld; that boy can dance! It was additionally a joy watching Kinley Pletzer (who played 7 characters including Clarisse, the daughter of Ares) and Kiara Caridad Stewart (who played 6 characters which included Percy Jackson's mother, the daughter of Aphrodite, and Charon, the being in charge of bringing souls of the deceased to their place in the underworld). They flashed quickly from character to character and put on a whole new persona for each scene. One cannot deny their astounding voices, too; Pletzer's voice was powerful and versatile, and Stewart's voice was so rich and smooth.

The vocal talent certainly does not stop there, though. Leads Laurel Burrer (Annabeth), Ainsley Hylton (Grover/Mr. D (Dionysus), and Michael Chiavone (Percy Jackson) all had such great voices that paired well with the score. Burrer slayed me with her rendition of "My Grand Plan", a song where Annabeth sings through her plan to impress her mother and find her purpose in life. Hylton made me laugh out loud with his adorable performance of Grover and his entirely different, sassy performance of Mr. D (Dionysus). Last, but certainly not least, Chiayone was clearly the right choice for Percy Jackson. His voice was so flexible, and he played the insecure but ultimately courageous teenager very well.

It was truly incredible how these 7 actors were able to play over 30 different characters. Many kids asked questions and were stunned about this aspect of the show during the talkback after the Sunday production. Speaking of which, I thought that the talkback was an incredible addition to the show, especially since the show is family-friendly; many children got to participate and ask the actors questions about how they made the magic onstage, and it was such a heartwarming experience watching the young spectators learn about the joy of theatre-making.

Given all of the technical design that has to go into a show about Greek gods and their powers, I have to give a shout-out to set designer Torsten Louis and lightning designer Hudson Davis. I was impressed by the numerous locales that were represented by the well-constructed set. Louis was very smart by creating a general grand, Greek-inspired scene that could easily be moved around and altered at any given moment with a sign or a turn. Plus, the lights designed by Davis elevated the experience, bringing such bright, magical color to multiple set pieces and allowing the weather of the world to affect the outlook of the stories being presented onstage. I am sure that these acknowledgments are just scratching the surface when it comes to assistance behind-the-scenes, though; I can only imagine all that had to go into this production logistically to make everything happen! Congratulations to all who are involved; it is a well-done show.