Interview: Jorrel Javier of THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL at Mahalia Jackson Theatre

If you're a fan of the Percy Jackson novels, mark your calendars because lightning will strike the Mahalia Jackson Theatre with the arrival of THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL this April. Based on Rick Riordan's 2005 novel by the same name, the musical follows Percy Jackson, a young demigod on his quest to return Zeus's missing lightning bolt. Currently on tour, the show will stop in New Orleans at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre on April 13 and 14. Jorrel Javier who is playing Grover and Mr. D in the show gave us an inside look at the upcoming show and bringing the world of Percy Jackson to life.

BroadwayWorld.com: Let's start with telling us about your background in theatre, and how you got started.

Javier: I earned my BFA in musical theatre from Texas State University. I graduated in the fall of 2018, so I had just moved to the city when I had booked THE LIGHTNING THIEF. Prior to that, I did theatre all through high school, but I really got into it in elementary school. My class had a field trip to our local community theatre where they were doing a production of "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" and ever since that performance (I was in fourth grade) I got kind of bit by the theatre bug. I remember sitting in the audience at intermission singing the only song that I knew from any sort of musical anything, and yeah luckily enough I just kind of had a straight shot from there. I did a lot of community theatre, and I did a lot of educational theatre here and there, but it wasn't until junior year of high school that I really started to take it a little bit more seriously and tried to pursue it so that I could do it for college.

BWW: What originally attracted you to audition for THE LIGHTNING THIEF?

Javier: I had just moved to the city in September, and I was working my normal job at Barry's Bootcamp, and I had always been a massive fan of the books ever since I was in middle school. It's how I got through middle school. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, that series got me through every emotional turmoil that a 13-year-old boy could have. When my agents got me the appointment, and I got the email for the call, I was immediately drawn to the project. I had known about their successful New York run from the year prior, and I was very familiar with the music because I had researched the show prior to even getting the appointment simply because of my love for the show. So, for me, there was an immediate attraction to the project because of my history with the novels and then upon doing some further research I saw how much the fandom had taken to the musical adaptation, which also gave me further validation that this was a project that I really, really needed to get involved with.

BWW: Tell us about your character(s). What is his part of the story?

Javier: So, I play two characters, one of them being Grover, and the other being Mr. D. Grover is a little bit more of the larger part in terms of the arc that he plays in the musical. Grover is Percy's best friend and protector. He's a half-goat satyr in the show, and he essentially is kind of someone who is going through a redemption story. Something had happened in Grover's past in which it has repeatedly haunted him and kind of hindered him from reaching his full potential, and then he meets Percy who is accused of stealing Zeus's lightning bolt. Together they go through this entire quest to try and retrieve it but at the same time kind of solving the internal turmoil that was happening within Grover this entire time.

The other character that I play is Mr. D, who is the grumpy camp counselor. He is the god Dionysus who has been "cursed" to stay at this camp and take care of half-bloods because of a little run in he had with Zeus's favorite wood nymph. So those are the two characters that I play. It's extremely fun to kind of be on completely opposite spectrums in terms of character architypes.

BWW: How do both of your characters grow within the time span the show?

Javier: For Grover, in my head, he starts as this very timid, very unsure person because of what happened in his past. It tends to hold him back and fill him with a lot of doubt and insecurities. His faith in himself is faltering, and at this point in his life, he is really, really questioning whether he even is a good satyr. Mr. D on the other hand, he's so angry at everything. He is so frustrated, and his character doesn't really change throughout the entire musical simply because he's an eternal god, he's been doing this a long time, and the short little blip that our musical adaptation happens to him is just a blink of an eye. For Grover, however, by the end of the show, he successfully protects Percy. He successfully redeems himself, and so he comes out of this musical as a more confident and more reassured satyr in that while he knows that he may not always be the best, he knows in his heart of hearts that he is a good protector, and he is a good friend and that his past no longer defines him.

BWW: Being a big fan of the books how do you think that shaped your experience working on the musical?

Javier: I think that it came with a lot of background knowledge in terms of having read the entire series there was a lot of subtext that only a fan of the books would know. For me personally, it was just nice because there were a lot of moments that Joe Tracz put in the book that are informed by the other novels. So, for me, when I was reading the book and doing my character analysis work, I really got to pick up on the little nuances and little Easter eggs that Joe had wonderfully placed in our book. It was great not only get to portray Grover in the first novel because that's what the source material is, it was also nice for me also embody the different aspects and the different facets that aren't really introduced until the latter parts of the series. It was interesting for me because I felt like I've known Grover since I was 12, and I have seen his character development not only through THE LIGHTNING THIEF but through the entire novel, so it was fun for me to be able to have that kind of background knowledge so that I can make informed choices and little Easter eggs that perhaps some of the fans can catch on.

BWW: What do you think Percy Jackson fans will enjoy the most from this musical adaptation?

Javier: I think they are going to enjoy seeing the heart of the books portrayed on stage. I think that one of the things that really captured my heart with the show was just how they captured the essence of every character with every song that they sang. How they accurately stuck to the plot points of the book and tried to really make sure that we were sticking to the source material. And on top of that just the camaraderie that we spent years reading on these pages and then being able to see that live onstage, I think there is a satisfaction that comes with it. And the score is also incredibly moving, so I think the fans will really enjoy seeing their favorite novel series come to life.

BWW: Is there a moment where the show comes alive for you?

Javier: I think that that moment happens right at the beginning of the show. We kind of start off with a literal crash (there's a lightning crash that happens at the top of the show). Every afternoon and every night that we perform it, no matter how exhausted I am, no matter how brain dead I may be, as soon as I hear that lightning crash, it's like we are now in the world. All the energy is rejuvenated back in my body, and we're just on this roller coaster ride that is the musical.

BWW: What do you hope people will take home with them away from the show?

Javier: We try to engrain this message that we found within the books in that the things that make you different are the things that make you strong. Percy Jackson undergoes this emotional journey in which he always feels like he was an outsider. He always felt like he was always different and looked down upon because of his differences. But throughout the course of the musical, he discovers that this is something that is part of him, this is something that is very special about him, and it is exactly why he is different from everyone else, and he is worthy of something. He finds strength in his idiosyncrasies, and I think that that message is something that is so important right now. I think it is something that we need to tell the younger generation. That the things that make you different are exactly why you are you and why you are powerful. And so that message is something we're really trying to put out there.

BWW: Anything you'd like to say to potential audience members?

Javier: I think there are some misconceptions in terms of what the musical is in that because it is a young adult novel turned into a musical that a lot of people will think that it is strictly for kids or that it is strictly for teenagers. But I think that the musical is such a blast and that no matter what age you are, you're going to come in, you're going to have fun, you're going to relate to the characters onstage because they are nothing more than humans being humans. I think people should let go of the preconceived ideas of what they think the Percy Jackson musical is. I think they should come in and have a blast with us, and I think they should hopefully discover the world of Greek mythology through our lens.

Tickets for THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL are on sale now at the Saenger Theatre Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. The box office, located at 1111 Canal St., is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All tickets subject to applicable service charges.

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