The Lightning Thief - Percy Jackson Musical

The Lightning Thief – Percy Jackson Musical ... staged and performed by the students from St John Rigby College at The Theatre, St John Rigby College, Gathurst Road, Orrell, on Tuesday, 18th November 2025

I’ve said this a couple of times lately, it’s always interesting when you get invited to a production that you haven’t seen before... you have no preconceptions, but when that production comes with the title... “The Lightning Thief – The Percy Jackson Musical” ... it’s your imagination that kicks in ....  what’s all this about! So, having received the invite, I must admit curiosity got the better of me and I started to do a bit of digging... the question was ... “SO HOW COULD THE HALF-BLOOD SON OF POSEIDON (GOD OF THE SEA FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY), ever get ‘STAR’ billing in a musical? Well, he got there via a book by Joe Tracz, with Music & Lyrics by Rob Rokicki, all adapted from the book ‘The Lightning Thief’ by Rick Riordan! ‘The Percy Jackson Musical’ is a perfect adventure for ‘Gods and mortals’ alike! There’s so much going on in this fast paced, not particularly well-known rock musical ... but having said that, I’m going to suggest it probably wasn’t the easiest of musicals to stage! Percy Jackson, is a youth who’s been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, he’s been expelled from the six schools he’s ever attended. We are taken on a journey, a journey full of adventure ... we are introduced and meet many people who come into and shape Percy’s life and his development! So, what else was one to do only sit back and see what lay ahead ...

The Production Team ... this production was completely ‘student led’ with members of the Performing Arts Society taking complete control. In just five weeks, rehearsing after college, giving up their half term break and weekends to ensure the production not only reached the stage, but reached with a great story to tell!  The students directed, choreographed and taught themselves the songs, plus the harmonies used throughout.  The ‘tech side’ and the ’staging’ was also student led, with guidance, when needed, from teachers and support staff. The show wasn’t just performed by ‘performing arts students’ they encouraged students from across the ‘student body’, students from different courses who worked alongside Acting Students, Music Performance Students, Music Production Students and A Level Music Students, to bring this production to stage.  All I can say, having seen the effort and enthusiasm shown throughout, that this ‘working together’ was good for everyone! You could see and feel the comradery that had developed through this process, it was there for all to see... be proud folks! 

The Cast... a cast of seventeen students took to the stage; all with varying levels of ability and experience. But what became very obvious from the start, was the levels of excitement, energy and enthusiasm shown by the entire cast and how they’d obviously grown together for the common good, you could just see and feel that they were all having the time of their young lives...
Ben Whitter played ‘Percy Jackson’; Molly Strangeway – ‘Anabeth’; Iris Lyon – ‘Grover’;
George Walker – ‘Luke’ & ‘Gabe Ugliano’; Evie Caddick – ‘Mr Brunner aka Chiron’ & ‘Thalia’ ;
Anabel Sorbie – ‘Clarisse’ & ‘Hades’; Hannah Murden – Minotaur, Mozart & The Oracle;
Chloe Lawson – Newscaster & Janis Joplin; Scarlett Glanfield – Katie Gardner & Poseidon;
Teegan Halliwell – Farmer & Charon;  Suranne Hesketh – Train/Bus Conductor & Kurt Cobain;
Daisy Doodsson-Smith – Silena Beauregard & DJ Cerberus; Lewis Gibson – ‘Mr D & Ares’;
Wesley Barry Speakman - Greyhound Passenger & Elvis; Karina Ho – Echidna & Bianca;
Charlotte Grimshaw – ‘Mrs Dodds’, ‘Squirrel’ & ‘Aunty Em aka Medusa’;
Maya Ahmed-Jones – ‘Sally & Greyhound Passenger.
As most will know, this is where I usually ‘stick the old neck out’ and suggest ‘favourites’ and ‘show stealers’, but if I’m honest, I do feel it would be wrong to start singling people out, knowing how this production had been brought to stage! This truly was a ‘team effort’ in the ‘true sense’ of the phrase... not only ‘on stage’ but ‘off stage’  But, with that said, I do feel it would be remiss of me not to mention the three leads, especially their contributions in Act Two, which really was noteworthy... Ben Whitter, Molly Strangeway and Iris Lyon played ‘Percy Jackson’, ‘Anabeth’ and ‘Grover’ respectively. All three should be ever so proud of their performance that evening! They led from the front in every sense of the word.  All three created great characters, all three had good voices and good diction, which is vital in any production, but especially one that is less well known as this was... they led this relatively inexperienced cast with great aplomb. Underpinning this musical is a story of family, friendship and believing in your own ‘power’ ... and there was no doubt that, that ethos was clearly shown throughout this production... be very proud all of you!

Staging/Set/Tech ... minimal staging was used throughout, but what was impressive, and I think I’m right in suggesting, used at this level for the first time at St John Rigby, was the ‘projection’. The projection created so many great visual effects including locations and scene settings. Done on a ‘shoestring budget’, with input from many... but led by Amy Holden (Projection Design) ... congrats one and all.  The ‘Technical Team’ included Mark Lane (Lighting Design), Phillippa Samuel, George Archer, John Booth, Jake Ashurst and Bex Irwin who made up the ‘Tech Squad’... again be very proud each and all... great job!

The Band ... the unfamiliar ‘Rock Score’ was led by the experienced David J Wall (MD and Keys) ... it included Paul Taft (Guitar1), Jude Daniels (Guitar2), Lucas Foulds-Hamilton, Abbie Unsworth and Jack Barbour (Bass).  I did think the band slightly overpowered the singers during Act One, but a little tweak for Act Two ... saw everything back on track. 

‘Constructive Advice’ ... I do include this where and when I think it appropriate, it’s just a few little tips, some more vital than others, that can really improve your performance!  As stated above... this was a cast with varying levels of ability... so I do feel these ‘tips’ are worth repeating ...
‘Spoken Word/Diction’ – it’s vital that your audience hears/understands everything you say, especially in a production that isn’t that well known... remember to project to that back wall!
‘Spoken Word’ – I’m always overjoyed when I know my lines – but knowing them without adding some ‘light and shade’ never works. Emotion/articulation/accentuation is vital if dialogue is to come to life!
‘Accents’ - the use of 'accents' is an important ingredient in theatre, but if/when used, ensure that they are used throughout. If you sing... try and include the accent into the lyrics (isn’t easy) ... BUT, never let an ‘accent’ take over and prevent your audience from understanding what you’ve said, it defeats the object... but if achieved - it really can and does enhance your performance!
‘Eye Contact’ - they say ‘The eyes are the window to the soul’ – this so ‘true’! When you look into someone’s eyes you should be able to tell what a person is thinking or feeling... so, if you can’t see them, if you’re speaking up stage with your back to the audience or they’re hidden under your hair or a hat - then so much can be lost!  The ‘eye’s definitely have it’

Thank you so much for the invite, really did enjoy getting to know the ‘life and times’ of Percy Jackson, certainly an interesting young man... students be proud!

Stay safe, keep well…
‘Stronger Together’
Jim Briscoe
NODA NW
District 6 Rep
 

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