Review by Robyn Watson
When 16 year old Percy Jackson discovers that he is the half-blood son of the Greek God, Poseidon, his life takes a dramatic turn as he is plunged into a world much bigger than he could possibly have imagined. With newly-discovered powers he can’t control, a destiny he doesn’t want and a whole mythology textbook’s worth of mythical monsters on his tail, Percy must learn what it means to be a hero.The future of the world hangs in the balance as Percy and his friends embark on an epic adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat. – Darlington Hippodrome
The story follows on from Rick Riordan’s best selling novel, in which the franchise has 7 books to its name. The genius double act of writer, Joe Tracz and composer, Rob Rokicki penned this wonderful adaptation in 2014, where it began as an off-broadway production. It has gone from strength to strength taking musical influences from early 2000s bands such as My Chemical Romance and Paramore. Rokicki describes the music as “fun, angsty, pop rock” which I cannot deny. This is right up my street so I am completely biased in saying I adored the soundtrack which took some powerhouse vocals to fill. I went into this show blind, which is something I don’t often do and I didn’t know what to expect. Let’s just say I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage and the evening flew over.
One thing that really set apart this show from the rest was the use of sound, lighting and set design. The stage was set out like an underground system of water pipes and tunnels, fitting for the son of the sea god Posiedon. The use of two sets of stairs was used expertly with every single detail being considered. The use of animations and video, designed by Dan Samson, on the scenery fully immersed you into Percy’s journey and we were travelling through the story with him. I adored the graphics which were crystal clear and used wonderfully accompanied perfectly by the lighting. The genius that is Tim Deiling had every lightning strike and rain downpour down to a fine art. I think this may be one of the most immersive shows I have ever been in the theatre for.
It was fully age inclusive for the whole family, even with some jokes for the adults in there too! The use of magic within the show was impressive too – the floating trainers, the pen turning into a sword and the glitter wine had me baffled but amazed. It really elevated the show and created that sense of magic. The falling bubbles to represent the water created quite the commotion too. Every detail had clearly been thought through to make one very special production.
The set of a production can only take it so far without having an incredible cast to lead it and boy, did the casting team deliver with this bunch. Not a single weak link amongst the cast allowed this show to be punchy, high voltage and striking – sorry, I had to get a pun in somewhere! There are some tricky numbers with some high energy rock vocals throughout which the cast belted out with ease. The show begins with The Day I Got Expelled where we see our leading character, Percy, battle the reality of getting kicked out of yet another school and the daily battle of having ADHD. I really loved seeing a neurodivergent character, as someone who has ADHD too it was amazing to see this being represented on stage.
Percy, was played expertly by Vasco Emauz, who wowed the audience with his loveable rogue personality and visceral vocals. The emotion he put into Good Kid was something to be studied by theatre performers everywhere. It hit me right in the feels and I can totally see why he was cast in this challenging role – who is never off stage. He had a real likeable quality and the rocky songs suited his range so well.
His mother in the show, Sally, was played well by Simone Robinson. She had a great vocal range and brought such a motherly, endearing performance with her song – Strong. Not only that her performances and character changes throughout were impressive! She tackled the fighting scene well with the gigantic on stage puppeted Minotaur, which was mightily impressive and creative. Not just using the on stage visuals to add one in but the cast moving in perfect synchronicity to create the terrifying beast. The use of props and puppets throughout were lovely and a real excitement for all ages.
It was a real delight to see the incredible Danny Beard take to the stage as the eccentric Mr D. They smashed their song Another Terrible Day with surprisingly great vocals. The whole half blood camp scenes were my favourite of all as they just delivered so much storyline and energy and a real stand out performance came from Ellie Grace Cousins. This girl knows how to work the stage and not only did she move effortlessly with boundless energy as Clarisse – and the many other parts she played- she has a powerhouse of a voice which she demonstrated with ease in Put in Your Place. Wow, what a delivery.
The Campfire Song was my favourite part of the show with the whole cast excelling at putting across their story. Very educational too! The choreography was contemporary, clean and flowed well throughout the number without looking too pieced together. The fight scenes throughout were also impressive with the sword fighting skills being at the forefront.
I cannot end this review without mentioning Kayna Montecillo who played Annabeth and Cahir O’Neill who played Grover. Both have wonderful characterisation and sang their respective songs beautifully in Act Two. Kayna’s shining moment with her gut wrenching song My Grand Plan was exquisite and the emotion she packed in left her and the audience tearing up. Cahir’s energy was palpable on stage and he was just so likeable. I loved his version of The Tree on the Hill in which he displayed his versatility from his blundering silly character. A stellar job by these two.
What an absolutely electric show. Fast paced, exciting and a one for all of the family.