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| Chris McCarrell in "The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical" (photo: Jeremy Daniel) |
The
most striking visual from the new musical The Lightning
Thief, the Percy Jackson Musical (a
TheaterWorksUSA production now at the Huntington Theatre) serves as
an apt metaphor for the show, as it presents the titular hero with a
toilet paper spewing rifle aimed directly at its pre-adolescent
targets in the audience. Though this is clearly not a work for the
entire family, it did seem to please its niche. It's adapted from
the clever young adult novel by Rick Riordan by Joe Tracz with Music
and Lyrics (largely unintelligible in this mega-decibel treatment) by
Rob Rokicki, and directed at break-neck speed by Stephen Brackett
with a cast that while energetic apparently have never been
introduced to ritalin. It checks in at just under two hours, though
it seems like an eternity, perhaps appropriately for a story about
gods and demi-gods. Among the small cast of seven, the standouts are
the title character played by the talented Chris McCarrell and, in
multiple roles, T. Shyvonne Stewart. Mention should be made of the
fabulously intricate Lighting Design by David Lander. As for the
score, it's dependent on percussion and synthesizing, and one number
is indistinguishable from another, save for the disco-age number
(unfortunately descriptive) “Dead on Arrival”.
This
production will continue until July 28th,
when one may then concentrate on Huntington Theatre Company's very
promising 2019-2020 season, which one hopes will be a welcome
alternative to the equally endless-seeming political season.
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