This year’s spring musical, “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical,” opened April 24 to a packed crowd. The show is based on the first book of the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series from popular author Rick Riordan. The show received stage directions from Linfield Associate Professor of Theatre Lindsey Mantoan, music direction from Matthew Fletcher and was choreographed by Eve Brindis.
Actor TJ Lake stepped into the lead role of Percy Jackson, where he deftly captured the heroic and lightly rebellious (or impertinent) nature of the character. His strong vocal skills were evident throughout as he delivered song after song, starting with the first notes of “The Day I Got Expelled.”
Starring beside Lake was Bella Rigutto and MJ Lorino, who play Annabeth Chase and Grover, respectively. The trio had a playful dynamic and brought energy to every scene they’re a part of. The most comedic of which has to be “Lost!” in which they find themselves in the middle of the woods with no clear way to their destination, and carry out a conversation with a squirrel.
Rigutto previously costarred in last year’s spring musical “The Imaginary Invalid” and continues to prove themself as a powerhouse of the musical theatre department. Like Lake, Rigutto captured the essence of Annabeth, a character who bravely puts on a tough face, despite insecurities about her godly mother’s approval.
The set for the show was deceptively simple. The back wall of the stage was left blank so that the two suspended projectors could create backdrops for each scene, and the set itself was made up of columns and scaffolds painted with shades of blue. The rolling scaffolds were made for dynamic scene setting, especially during the musical numbers. The best example of which, “Another Day” had camp director Mr. D, played by DeAndre Williams, rolling around the stage, antagonizing Percy and other campers with a megaphone as he sang about how much he hated his job.
The scaffolding allowed for picture-perfect moments with a variety of heights across the stage, as well as a place for the live orchestra to be nestled beneath during the show. The orchestra included instruments more common in modern musicals: electric guitars, bass, drum set and keyboard. The live band added to the lively nature of the show, and set it apart from the most recent musicals at Linfield.
This show included Linfield debut performances from Grover actor Lorino, who put on a silly performance and wore the fuzzy-goat-pants with ease. Their performance of “The Tree on the Hill” is powerful and emotional, aided by the beautifully staged flashback and the stoic performance of Zoe Hertlein as the character Thalia.
While not in a lead role, Hertlein had a strong stage presence in all of her scenes, playing primarily Percy’s mother, Sally. Her song “Strong” at the start of the show was beautiful and sweet, highlighting the character’s strength as a mother and as an individual, making it clear why Percy loves his mother so much.
“The Lightning Thief” was a wonderful show, from the set to the actors. As a fan of the Percy Jackson universe, the show captured much of the magic I love. For the long-term fan, the musical makes nods to the original material. Things like short dialogue exchanges alluding to scenes that weren’t adapted for the musical and on occasion, actors can be seen reading the books from “The Olympian” series throughout the show. But for those going in blind to the world of Percy Jackson, it still tells a heartfelt and heroic journey that anyone can enjoy.
