The Lightning Thief

★★★☆☆     High octane fun

Festival Theatre: Tue 23 – Sat 27 Sept 2025
Review by Emily Geeson

A love letter to the beloved children’s book, The Lightning Thief: the Percy Jackson Musical, at the Festival Theatre all week as part of a UK tour, is a heartfelt musical perfect for any fan of the work of Rick Riordan, who wrote the original books.

Set in a contemporary version of New York, one where the Greek myths are alive and kicking, the story follows 16 year-old Percy Jackson, who wakes up one day to discover that he is a demigod and goes on to battle gods and monsters on his quest to find the titular Lightning Thief.

The cast of The Lightning Thief. Pic: Johan Persson.

Alongside friends such as Annabeth and Grover, enemies like Clarisse, and beings eternal like Chiron the centaur and Mr. D. (aka Dionysus, the god of wine), young Percy discovers he has to find Zeus’s master bolt before the king of the gods declares war on all of civilisation. And there’s a bit of a time crunch: he’s only got one week to do it.

A strong cast tell the story through an electrifying and high energy two hours of songs (lyrics and music by Rob Rokicki) and dance, under the guidance of director and choreographer Lizze Gee. Enough to make it a guaranteed crowd pleaser for younger and older audiences alike.

Alex Anderton, understudying Aidan Cutler in the role of Mr. D at the performance Æ saw, is outstanding. Vasco Emauz as Percy Jackson and Kayna Montecillo as Annabeth thrive during the emotional ballads. But the entire cast work to create a powerful production, with soaring vocals and energetic numbers that capture the heart behind the bestselling book series.

impressive

Ryan Dawson Laight’s steampunk-esque set, though reminiscent of 2000s New York, could be utilised a little more effectively throughout, although he manages to do a lot with a little.

The visual effects are especially impressive, and manage to convey the magic of the universe succinctly with their stagecraft. Special props should go to, well, the props, which are a particular stand out – fantasy tends to require more demands when it comes to the more technical elements. Key items of the story are faithfully recreate, including flying shoes, expanding swords, and other such magical ephemera.

The cast of The Lightning Thief. Pic: Johan Persson.

There is a slight disparity between the musical’s two acts, however. Joe Tracz’ book spends the whole of the first act focusing on Percy and his journey of self-discovery, explaining to the uninitiated his newfound world of gods and monsters. His adventure surrounding the lightning thief is reserved for the second act.

This partition, although logical and based on theatrical demands, means that the pacing suffers. The second act feels especially rushed, even more so, as it conveys the core element of the storyline.

It rushes many of the emotional beats in favour of an exposition-heavy format. So many episodes are crammed into the tight space that many of the appearances feel more like cameos than substantial characters in their own right.

lacks emotional weight

This extends to the ending reveals – no spoilers here, but because of the rushed storytelling, the resolution feels unsatisfying and the climax lacks the emotional weight of the source material.

Granted, two hours is not nearly long enough to rinse the entire story, which is perhaps why the movie adaptation suffered similarly with a similar runtime. Likewise, these are all elements that are difficult to work around in the musical format.

Regardless of any pacing issues, however, The Lightning Thief is clearly a labour of love. And if you’re a fan of the books? You’ll still have a great night out.

Running time: Two hours and 20 minutes (including one interval)
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT.
Tue 23 – Sat 27 Sept 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm; Mats: Thurs, Sat: 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.

A scene from The Lighting Thief. Pic: Johan Persson.

ENDS

Tags: Aidan Cutler, Alex Anderton, Emily Geeson, Festival Theatre, Joe Tracz, Kayna Montecillo, Lizze Gee, Review, Rick Riordan, Rob Rokicki, Ryan Dawson Laight, The Lightning Thief, The Lightning Thief – the Percy Jackson Musical, Vasco Emauz