Review: THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL at Pulaski Academy Theatre Department

I am sure the Gods smiled down on the Pulaski Academy Theatre Department, 12701 Hinson Rd, in Little Rock, as they electrified the stage with THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL this past weekend. Though I have talked with some of the cast members before, this was my first review for this troupe, and to be honest, I had high expectations. Afterall, some of these students are veteran performers here in Central Arkansas. I have seen them perform with their adult castmates, but how did they work with their own peer group? Impressive.....as usual. I knew it would be. The band was rocking, the swords were waving, and the Demigods had that angsty, teenage attitude that propelled the show along.

With Book by Joe Tracz, Music & Lyrics by Rob Rokicki, and adapted from the book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, we join our hero Percy (Aaron Wallace), who is having trouble in school. He is dyslexic, has ADHD, and his father is absent, so his mother Sally (Annabelle Redenius) lives with Gabe (Noah Cawich), who has rancid body odor. Percy gets expelled for the sixth time after Mrs. Dobbs (Kai Berkshire) turns into a winged-demon and attacks him while they are on a field trip. His teacher Mr. Brunner (Mitchell Cohen) tells Percy it's for his own good and his friend Grover (Collin Carlton) agrees. His mother decides that it is time to tell Percy the truth about his father and takes him to the beach where his parents met. While there, Sally is killed by a Minotaur (Bo Bass) and Percy kills him before he is knocked unconscious. While unconscious, he dreams of a Hawaiian shirt guy who gives him a seashell, and when he wakes up, he ends up at Camp Halfblood with the shell in his pocket. Then, he finds out that Grover is part goat, Mr. Brunner is really Chiron, and he meets other Demigods: Annabeth (Caroline Perry), Luke (Theo Turriff), Clarisse (Madysen Nay), Selena Beauregard (Brooklyn Courtney-Moore), and Katie Gardner (Macy Angel). After a game of Capture the Flag, Percy is sent on a quest, advised by The Oracle (Mallory Lafferty), to find out who stole Zeus' lightning bolt and to get his mother back, all before the Gods destroy the world.

Directed by Sheridan Posey, this cast was very entertaining. They embraced the drama that went along with being a teenage Demigod. Wallace had the most going on. As Percy, his malaise was weighty and almost heart wrenching, especially during his "Good Kid" song. I loved watching the bonding that was happening between him and his costars Carlton and Perry. Carlton was expressive and comical as Grover. His conversation with a talking squirrel (Sascha Bass) was especially amusing. However, Perry really commanded the stage every time she was present. Her character's determination was shown through with every action she created. Courtney-Morre's Beauregard had me cracking up with the dramatic wailing, and I especially loved Cawich's angry Mr. D, who had no chill and really did look like he was miserable. Also, even though it only lasted a few seconds, Jackson Evans' Poseidon and Redenius' Sally seemed to have a moment on the beach with their quick reunion.

This show definitely had a teamwork feel to it. This was a large cast with many younger ensemble members. The choreography (Moriah Patterson) was fun to watch. The sword fighting scene had a lot of maneuvering to be done, but I'm pretty sure no one got hurt. Nay was really intense when leading her group of warriers. Cawich had some great moves as Mr. D and his song "Another Terrible Day." The dance that moved us the most, though, was "The Tree on the Hill" with Turriff, Angel as Talia and Perry. That storytelling through dance was very beautiful. My son's favorite number was D.O.A. with Charon (Sydney Crary) leading a group of dead souls including Janis Joplin (Caroline Pledger), Kurt Cobain (Aster Droste), Mozart (Bo Bass), DJ Cerberus (Kai Berkshire), and the Vienna Boys Choir (Addison Pierce, Luci Hudson and Sascha Bass).

Though most of the actors were in everyday clothes, there was one costume that really stood out. I don't know the details that went into Chiron's half horse contraption, but it looks like it took a lot of work. I'm sure it took Cohen, who has a beautiful singing voice, some time to flawlessly control his attached appendage. Shoutout to Costume Designers Malia Anderson, Emily McCarver, and The Poseys.

Broadway World loves hearing a live band, and this one was jamming it out. Led by Music Director John Willis, the musicians really enhanced the musical with this rock score. The band consisted of: John Willis-keyboard; Paul Brock-Guitar 1; Nathan Wright-Guitar 2; Daniel Malek-Bass; and Alex Anca-Drums and Percussion.

These shows cannot be done without the help of the magical behind the scenes crew. Assisting the directors are: Stage Manager-Louise Deltheil; Assistant Stage Manager-Emily McCarver & Malia Anderson; Scenic/Props Design-Drew Posey; Lighting Design-Michael Wilson Goodbar; Projection/Animation Design-Madysen Nay; Run Crew-Malia Anderson, Violet C. Cobb, Carlisle Holleman, Clotilde Michel, Lance Nolen, Zainab Raja, and Savannah Young; Projections/Sound Effects Operator-Louise Deltheil; Sound Mixer/Technician-Eric Ellis; Light Board Operator-Emily McCarver; and Scenic Construction-Mason Adams, Amelia Bartholomew, Kai Berkshire, Yemoya Britt-Durham, Alaylah Brown, Harley Cannon, Zoey Cook, Neely Davis, Louise Deltheil, Addie Droste, Cole Harrison, Will Hawkins, Luci Hudson, Marcus Garcia, Emma Hancock, Emily McCarver, Clotilde Michel, Lance Nolen, Riyan Pabani, Kaden Pickett, Lowery Richardson, Parker Richardson, Jett Smith, Preston Spann, Jett Stallcup, Thomas Stronach, Asher Thompson, Bryce Thompson, and Miles Ward.

We would like to give a big THANK YOU to Erica Gregory for the use of these wonderful pictures.

This is the last production of the school year, but some will continue on with theatre during the summer. Director Posey will be directing CABARET at The Studio Theatre. Joining her will be her husband Drew Posey, Moriah Patterson, Caroline Perry, and Madysen Nay. Show dates are July 20-August 6. For more information on this production, check out their website at studiotheatrelr.com.

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