The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, The Other Palace Review
Photo by Manuel Harlan
Written by Penny for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
It appears that Greek myths and legends in London theatreland are like buses – you wait ages for one and then four come along at once! Already this year we’ve seen Hollywood stars leading Oedipus (Rami Malek) and Elektra (Brie Larson) and theatregoers will be riding that train down to Hadestown into next year, with Anaïs Mitchell’s musical recently announcing its extension to February 2026.
But as well as these classic stories, the Greek gods and monsters also have a new tale to tell over at The Other Palace, with the stage adaptation of the first of author Rick Riordan’s hugely popular series of books about Percy Jackson. Percy is an American teen who finds out he’s the son of a god and then embarks on a quest in which modern day America meets ancient legend.
The books are a huge hit with young teens. The central character of Percy has ADHD and dyslexia – something very relatable to a lot of Riordan’s audience – and the story turns these almost into a superpower. Percy is wired to read in ancient Greek, not modern English, and his difficulties with paying attention are down to his god-like battle instincts. With a lot of the early action taking place at “Camp Half-Blood”, a safe training facility for demi-gods like Percy, it carries a positive message for anybody who has ever felt they don’t fit in with their peers.
Bringing this story to the stage is a huge undertaking – a LOT happens in Riordan’s book, there are so many characters – both heroes and villains – to get to know, and a range of adventures that take place against dramatic backdrops, both in our world and that of the gods.
As to whether The Lightning Thief successfully brings the story to the stage, this jury is out. The show originally opened in New York in 2014, “Off-Broadway” (a venue with fewer than 500 seats). The book was then expanded ahead of further Off-Broadway and limited Broadway runs. Now its London premiere at The Other Palace, which opened in November 2024, continues with a more intimate staging than you’ll find in huge theatres, so the inevitably smaller production budget means that creativity has to be at the heart of that staging.
The creativity in design is probably the production’s biggest strength. Ryan Dawson Laight’s set and costumes are fairly minimalistic, the stage is largely bare and a couple of staircases, looking to be made out of tarnished metal, are moved around to create the different scenes and add some depth to them. This allows the actors to work at various levels reflecting anything from their status to their isolation as characters. Lighting (Charlie Morgan-Jones) and projections (Duncan McLean) really bring the piece to life, drawing us into this fantasy world, and injecting the dramatic impact necessary to tell the story. Neon lights set boundaries and warn us of jeopardy to come. It’s a fantastic use of the space and definitely gives the impression that this is an epic tale.
The magical atmosphere is enhanced by some clever trickery from Illusionist Richard Pinner, and an early encounter with a minotaur, from Puppet Director Laura Cubitt, whose work I’d have liked to have seen more of in the show as it was a visual treat.
Unfortunately, the show itself does not quite live up to the excellence of the design. It is dominated by its score, with a huge part of the story told through song. But Rob Rokicki’s songs are not particularly memorable. There is very little light and shade in the ensemble numbers – they start loud and get louder. The cast is packed with singing talent, but soloists are fighting against the band and the delivery style is very nasal meaning that a lot of the big notes sound very shrill. It’s hard to pick out the lyrics a lot of the time, which is a problem as most of the story is set up in the opening musical numbers.
There are a few stand-out musical moments, particularly the show’s finale, which is a call to arms, “Bring on the Monsters” – a song that would probably have been a more fitting ending for the first act, setting up the second act’s quest. As it is, it’s ending the show by setting up the rest of the book series. The other books haven’t been adapted into musicals (yet!) so it’s a bit of an anti-climax as a finale.
The show’s first act is the stronger one – focusing more on the kids at Camp Half-Blood, with some excellently staged sequences from choreographer Libby Watts and Fight Director Lisa Connell. Although the story is a fantastical one, Director Lizzi Gee manages to bring out some very human emotions in her cast of half-blood characters. The gods are dead-beat parents, lacking interest in their half-blood offspring. This is generally played for laughs, but there’s a sadness under the surface bravado that comes across well, if fleetingly.
Percy’s quest (to retrieve Zeus’ stolen thunderbolt) dominates the second act but it is less impressive as the various perilous situations he gets himself into feel a bit rushed, heading towards an ending that rather fizzles out.
The London cast has recently changed, with Paisley Billings the only original principal cast member staying with the production. Billings is one of the stand out performers in the show, moving from Percy’s loving mother Sally to play a range of flamboyant monsters with ease. She has a fantastic presence and as Charon, who ferries souls to the Underworld, she leads a high-energy song and dance number, “D.O.A.” that pretty much steals the show.
Another notable performance comes from Jazz Evans. Equally at home in a Centaur’s equine legs or a beach bum’s Hawaiian shirt, he offers strong characters and perfect diction that brings some calm to the rather chaotic energy of the rest of the cast. In the smaller role of Luke, Xander Pang also impresses. When given an opportunity he showcases strong, clear vocals and I would have liked to see more from his character, as I felt he was rather sidelined by the need to cram so much material into a couple of hours.
As our hero, Percy Jackson, Morgan Gregory does well to convey his character’s disbelief and confusion as the truth about his parentage and place in the world is revealed to him. Although likeable and convincing as our unlikely and reluctant hero, performing with great physicality, his delivery of the dialogue and songs was a little too understated in places.
There’s no doubt that The Lightning Thief will continue to be a big hit with fans of Rick Riordan’s books. But if you haven’t read them, it’ll take mythical levels of concentration to work out what’s going on at the start of the show! But it is worth persevering (or reading the book before you go!) as this is an entertaining and original take on the Greek gods. Its new cast has picked up the challenge set down by the London originals and, along with its technical excellence and creative staging, the Percy Jackson musical does well to bring the magic of Mount Olympus to London audiences.
At The Other Palace until 31 August 2025
★ ★ ★
