The Lightning Thief
The Roguish Players
Photo credits: @visualsbygiselle on Instagram
Why spend summer at home when you could be seeing a local production of The Lightning Thief?
Trust me. I reviewed The Lightning Thief at Sterling Playmakers about a year ago, so it’s basically become the perfect summer tradition. This show’s got all the classics:
A summer camp
A campfire song
S’mores with blue marshmallows
A beach vacation
A disco party!
Explosions
The Roguish Players’ dedicated cast and crew definitely ticked all of these boxes (though luckily there weren’t any live explosions), and successfully brought the childhood wonder of the original books to life.
So, without further ado, let’s bring on the monsters!
Technical Elements
The Roguish Players is a student-led theatre group, sponsored by Acting For Young People, that directs and performs productions targeted towards teens. The Lightning Thief is certainly no exception, since the books came out during the early 2000s. Translation: Gen Z was all over it.
It was easy to tell that the cast and crew was full of dedicated Percy Jackson fans. Each set decoration was well-thought out and executed: artsy cabin banners hung next to the stage, and handwritten notes covered the walls of the theater. A number of audience members, including myself, roamed through the space during intermission to read each note; they were basically little easter eggs for lovers of the series.
Whenever I hear a show is slated to perform at The Great Falls Grange, I’m eager to see how the production will creatively use the space. The Grange is quite small, but I’ve seen it used effectively in Stars Performing Arts’s Twelfth Night and Hadestown: Teen Edition to accommodate a larger cast.
As I entered The Lightning Thief, I was delighted to see that the stage was extended by a series of wooden platforms. Designed by Eloise Latimer, the extension certainly fit the summer camp vibe--it was even “graffitied” by members of the company to fit the well-worn, homey aesthetic of Camp Half-blood. At moments it was a dock, at others an opening to the pit of Tartarus, and no matter the moment, it was the perfect landing for Reagan Shin’s vibrant choreography.
Now, bringing the world of Percy Jackson to life requires more than a few creative props. Luckily, directors Kaya Thomas and Mary Clare Pelczynski creatively rose to the challenge. Some of my personal favorites were the Minotaur, which was a full-scale puppet that required three people to operate, and blue streamers for Percy’s water powers, which unspooled from a toilet paper launcher in a nod to the original off-Broadway production.
Russell Builderbeck Fuenzalida’s sound was also evenly mixed throughout, and Abby Stern’s lighting elevated fight scenes with some intense strobe effects. Kathleen Tran’s costumes were perfectly playful; from Grover’s charming boy-scout uniform to Chiron’s sparkly centaur legs, each piece was larger-than-life, yet meticulously detailed.
But who were the characters within these costumes, you might ask? Look no further!
Performances
Petra McMahan portrayed our titular Percy Jackson, and brought a skillful balance of mischief and earnestness to the role. Not only were songs like “Good Kid” powerfully executed, but each well-timed smirk and battle reflex seemed incredibly natural; whether she clumsily whipped around a sword or excitedly dapped up her fellow campers, McMahan clearly had a great grasp on the character.
Celia Hershaft provided a refreshing, grounded contrast to McMahan in the role of Annabeth Chase. She delivered each witty remark with a dose of sarcasm, and carried herself with confident intensity. Equally fiery was Jinna Hyun in the role of Clarisse LaRue, who faced Hershaft in a piercing rendition of “Put You in Your Place.”
To close out the main trio was Jessica Abshire, who was positively adorable in the role of Grover Underwood. When Abshire wasn’t expressing deep concern with furrowed brows, she conveyed her boundless joy with giddy jumps: a protective, supportive satyr to the end. She even had her own tap solo at the beginning of “Drive,” a unique addition that perfectly suited the woodland whimsy of Grover.
Julia Klun was both encouraging and mysterious in the role of Luke Castellan: a commanding anti-hero who clearly had something to hide. With rich vocals and illustrative storytelling, Klun had the campers--and the audience--in the palm of her hand.
Of course, where would Camp Half-blood be without its staff? Graham Bickford was uproarious in his role of Mr. D, as he marched across the stage in “Another Terrible Day” with a comically strained grin. Meanwhile, Tiernan Zizolfo was warm and fatherly in the role of Chiron, but didn’t shy from enthusiastically prancing around the theatre once his centaur form was revealed.
Really, the entire ensemble crafted memorable characters: from Hannah Cuti’s hilariously repulsive Smelly Gabe to Cody Gencarelli’s cool-dude Poseidon, each performer infused the story with hilarity and heart. In fact, they often juggled multiple roles, navigating quick costume changes and personality shifts with ease.
Who is it for?
The Lightning Thief is perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson series, lovers of Greek mythology, and anyone who adores themes of friendship and found family. It’s your classic underdog story with a mythological twist, what’s not to love?
Plus, it’s got a rock-infused soundtrack and more characters than I can count. It’s an all-around great time.
I always have to applaud student-driven work, and The Roguish Players consistently delivers productions done entirely by students. The directors of The Lightning Thief are both in college, and almost all technical elements were created by high schoolers; with a cast of entirely high-school-aged performers to top it off, this production was truly made for teens, by teens.
Thus, I’d recommend The Lightning Thief for all ages. Other than some moments of weaponry and simulated stage violence, the content is perfectly suited for children of any age. In fact, The Roguish Players marketed to middle grade students with a matinee VIP package, which included a meet-and-greet and activities with the cast!
The Lightning Thief has two final performances today at 2pm and 7pm, so grab tickets at roguishplayers.org before it’s too late.
Can’t make it? Keep an eye out for their adult production of Carrie: The Musical this August.