The Lightning Thief - The Percy jackson musical

*Note: This production of Percy Jackson is the annual youth show at the High Springs Playhouse. As a youth production, this review will not include a numerical rating, but will include the same format of previous posts.

Coming on the heels of last summer's Percy Jackson at the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre, the bar was high for this year's iteration at the High Springs Playhouse. Upon entering the Playhouse and seeing the set, it is readily apparent that the director had her own markedly different vision for this show.

At first glance, the set looks chaotic, yet simple, but quickly dashes that notion once the show begins. The stage is sharp lines of neon colors and industrial scaffolding, giving height and allowing the actors to fill any dead space to keep the audience's attention no matter where they look. With actors climbing on and around the scaffolding, the set is flawlessly incorporated into the story, giving a sense of danger as the characters sing and dance from one harrowing event to the next. The design becomes even more impressive as the play progresses, with synchronized lighting cues to accentuate the emotions of the characters.

The story of Percy Jackson is filled with loss, trauma, and complex emotions involving feelings of inadequacy and belonging, which can be a tall order in a youth show. Fortunately, the cast is up to the challenge and brings heart and humor to their individual characters, particularly in the case of the eponymous character, played beautifully by Megumi Boutwell. With so many representations of Percy Jackson in film, television, and community theaters across the country, it would have been easy to fall into the trap of regurgitating other interpretations of such a popular character. Ms. Boutwell avoids this pitfall and makes the character her own by creating depth and emotional range to make the audience feel invested in the desires, choices, and confrontations of the half-blood hero.

Luckily for the audience, the somewhat heavy subject matter is periodically interrupted by standout comedic performances from Tyrone Hill, playing Percy's satyr friend Grover, and J.B. Corley IV, playing a surly Mr. D (Dionysus) and a campy Medusa. Mr. Hill captures the hapless essence of Grover while simultaneously delivering excellent vocals when given the opportunity. Mr. Corley's performance is large and obnoxious (in a good way), commanding the audience's attention and earning countless laughs. These moments of levity are well executed and important to keeping the show fun and energetic.

This show is filled with talented youth and every actor added to the success of the production. The above highlights are not indicative of any shortcomings from any of the other actors and they should all be proud of the story that they helped bring to life.

However, no show is perfect and there will always be room for learning and improvement. In the case of Percy Jackson, the lack of a designated fight choreographer is evident at times. Large fight sequences benefit from the focus and direction of someone with that expertise. This, however, is a small quibble in an otherwise enjoyable production.

At the time of writing, the original run is sold out, but High Springs Playhouse has announced an additional matinee performance for Saturday, August 2nd at 2 pm. Tickets will be available July 31st and can be purchased at www.highspringsplayhouse.com.