The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical At Birmingham Hippodrome Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Lindsay Burton

Sitting in the audience, waiting for The Lightning Thief to start, we were excited to see this story brought to life on stage – as a musical! Being a fan of the books and movies, I was intrigued in how some of these scenes would play out on stage. I was not familiar with the cast, so when the show started, I was immediately drawn to the superb collection of voices on stage. The story really starts when Percy Jackson (Vasco Emauz), a sixteen-year-old teenager, learns that his father is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, his ordinary life is turned upside down. Suddenly, he finds himself drawn into a hidden universe far beyond anything he ever thought was real.

Struggling with strange new abilities he does not yet understand, a future he never asked for, and countless dangerous creatures from ancient myths hunting him down, Percy must discover his true strength and what it really means to be brave. But with his trusted sidekicks Annabeth (Kayna Montechild) and best friend Grover (Cahir O’Neill) – he is in the best position to take on anything thrown at him. With the fate of the world at risk, Percy and his companions set out on a thrilling quest filled with danger, excitement, and unexpected challenges that will keep audiences captivated from beginning to end.

Fantastic performances by all three the main characters of the show – I have never seen Vasco Emauz on stage before but my goodness I want too again! His voice is strong and exciting and a true fit for the role of Percy. Kayna Montechild and Cahir O’Neill also have strong voices and together, the three were as perfect as fit as one could hope for. Also, must mention Ellie-Grace Cousins, Paolo Micallef and Simone Robinson – brilliant voices and all worthy of very much deserved praise. Niall Sheehy (Mr Brunner) and Joseph Conner were superb in their roles too.

Again, as I said before, my brain automatically shies away from things different to the original so was not a massive fan of Poseidon being a beach hippy but it did bring some more humour to the show so I did have a few laugh-out-loud moments from the character.

Joining the cast is RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard, who takes on the role of Mr D. Known – the role of the famously moody god of wine at Camp Half-Blood. I was not sure about this role as it is completely different to what I have read and seen in both book and movie. My brain tends to kick against things being completely different to the original but, as the show continued, I was impressed with his energy and humour he brought to the show.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the songs – this was the part that surprise me the most as the original movie is not a musical so I was excited to hear the songs and lyrics – written by Rob Rokicki – which were so fitting and the lyrics were powerful.

Absolutely loved this show, we rate it as 5/5. The audience loved it too and this story is very the whole family. I saw all ages having a thoroughly enjoyable time and would recommend this anyone who enjoys either the Percy Jackson story or just musicals in general. Tickets prices start from £20 and can but purchased from here.

Rating: 5/5