Venue: The Other Palace, London
Cast: Max Harwood, Scott Folan, Jessica Lee, Paisley Billings, Greg Barnett, Joe Allen, Samantha Mbolekwa and Joaquin Pedro Valdes

This is an epic adaptation of Rick Riordan’s best-selling novel, currently making its UK debut at The Other Palace - and one thing's for sure, this production is sure to be making waves.

The story follows the journey of teenager Percy Jackson as he finds out he's the son of Greek god, Poseidon. Percy must learn to be a hero and try to save the world with his newly discovered powers...you know, normal teenager stuff. This production also expresses the everyday struggles that teenagers face and not just any teenagers, children of the gods - half-bloods. It explores not knowing where you fit in and is a journey of self discovery and friendship, with a good helping of betrayal.

Where the film adaptations failed, the musical absolutely thrived. It was engaging and held my attention throughout; it was simply wonderful. While it did have a few flaws, such as the "magic" not flowing quite well as it should, it can be overlooked because the production as a whole was incredible. We can only hope the show receives the West End transfer it deserves after its off West End run at The Other Palace.

The music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki were both catchy and memorable, and I very much loved the majority of the songs. The staging by Ryan Dawson Laight was great, particularly the use of cages which transform into a minotaur. And the furry costumes, also by Laight, are certainly worth a mention. As mentioned, the "magic" itself in the show wasn't perfect, but remained very impressive and the bubble machines to create the water scenes were brilliantly funny.

Max Hardwood's portrayal of Percy was absolute perfection. He was just brilliant; from his acting, his comedic timing, and his showstopping vocals. Another standout performance came from Paisley Billings, who played several different characters in the show. She was witty and delivered her performances exceptionally well. The vocal range of Billings is not something I'll be forgetting anytime soon; simply stunning.

While Harwood and Billings stood out, the entire cast were exceptionally talented with the majority of them playing various different characters. This can sometimes become confusing, particularly in a show aimed for children, but there was zero confusion on who played who. From the performances of the cast, you can tell they work incredibly well together and compliment each other's acting abilities.

I genuinely cant wait to ride the lightning bolt again, as I will definitely be back to see the show before it closes in March 2025!

You can book tickets to The Lightning Thief, here.

Review by Sarah