Cappies Review: 'The Lightning Thief' At St. Andrew's Episcopal School

By Langston Muller of Albert Einstein High School

St. Andrew's Episcopal School has put on “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” with electrifying results. The show, which follows the plot of Rick Riordan's first Percy Jackson novel, takes the audience on a wild adventure alongside the titular demigod as he navigates a new world of gods, monsters, betrayal and James Brown.

As Percy, Joel Crump presented himself with ample naïveté and spunk, qualities that made the character endearing in the first place. Additionally, Crump's incredible voice helped carry the weight of a show whose score was placed firmly on his back.

Aiding him was Charlotte Lobring as daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase, who imbued the character with wit and charm aplomb while matching her costar's vocal skills beat for beat.

Rounding out the main trio is Eliora Adu as Grover the satyr, who provided much of the show's comic relief. Adu lent Grover a nervous energy that propelled him throughout the show. However, he didn't forget to lend the character dramatic heft as demonstrated in his performance of "The Tree on the Hill." In this song, demonstrating Grover's guilt over a past failure, Adu was able to endear the character to the audience on a deeply emotional level.

Now, “The Lightning Thief” is quite a busy show, with the characters moving from scene to scene quicker than Hermes. This made the ensemble's ability to keep pace all the more impressive. The cast was tasked with playing a great number of characters, with all save for the main three doubling up on roles. However, they were all able to make each character distinct and memorable.

A standout in this area was Cameron Best, who played Percy's centaur mentor Chiron and an unnamed farmer. Best lent a dry wit to Chiron, which, combined with his excellent horse-like physicality, made the character a joy to watch. As the farmer, Best carried on this same level of effort and charm, which resulted in a drawling tractor operator who became an audience favorite.

Another performance of note was that of Lara Alarapon as Percy's mother Sally Jackson. Alarapon was able to seize the stage despite portraying a less intense or heightened character than her costars. She made Sally believable, which in turn made her chemistry with onstage son Crump quite palpable.

This veritable treasure trove of iconic performances was bolstered by the show's lighting, designed by Christina Rowe and Rebecca Piercey and operated by Vince Wayne. Characters were given their own signature colors, such as blue for Percy and green for Grover, which were mixed together in interesting and aesthetically appealing fashion throughout the show.

All in all, the entire show was simply a ball of entertainment. Everyone was having fun — audience, cast, and crew alike — and when you're watching a musical featuring a conversation with a squirrel, why wouldn't you be?