The Lightning Thief

A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

The Lightning Thief

Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy  /  7any gender (adult) plus ensemble

Book by Joe Tracz
Music & Lyrics by Rob Rokicki
Adapted from the book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This dynamic musical adaptation of Rick Riordan's bestselling book opened on Broadway in 2019. When teenager Percy Jackson discovers he's a demigod, he and his friends embark on an epic journey to find Zeus' missing lightning bolt and prevent a war among the gods.

Image: 2019 Broadway Production (Jeremy Daniel)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    7any gender (adult) plus ensemble
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Fantasy, Adaptations (Literature), Fables/Folktales
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences
Accolades
Accolades
  • Nominee: Three 2017 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical

Details

Summary
As the half-blood son of a Greek god, Percy Jackson has newly-discovered powers he can't control, a destiny he doesn't want, and a mythology textbook's worth of monsters on his trail. When Zeus's master lightning bolt is stolen and Percy becomes the prime suspect, he has to find and return the bolt to prove his innocence and prevent a war between the gods. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the thief. He must travel to the Underworld and back; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and come to terms with the father who abandoned him. Adapted from the best-selling book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is an action-packed mythical adventure "worthy of the gods" (Time Out New York).

History
In 2014, The Lightning Thief debuted as a one-hour musical at the Lucille Lortel Theatre off-Broadway. After a national tour, an expanded version of the show returned to the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2017. The show toured again, and on October 16, 2019, The Lightning Thief opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre, featuring Chris McCarrell as Percy Jackson.

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS

PERCY JACKSON
 – Son of Poseidon, a good kid with a teenage temper
ANNABETH – Daughter of Athena, smarter than you
GROVER – A happy-go-lucky satyr, like a hippie kid with hooves.
LUKE – Son of Hermes, cool camp counselor
SALLY JACKSON – Percy’s hard-working mother
MR. BRUNNER aka CHIRON – Wise centaur, part-time Latin teacher
CLARISSE – Tough jock girl, daughter of Ares

ENSEMBLE CHARACERS

MRS. DODDS – A Fury posing as a substitute algebra teacher
GABE UGLIANO – Percy’s foul stepfather
MINOTAUR – Half-man, half-bull
POSEIDON – God of the sea, salty beach bum
MR. D, aka DIONYSUS – God of wine, snarky camp director
SILENA BEAUREGARD – Daughter of Aphrodite
KATIE GARDNER – Daughter of Demeter
THE ORACLE – a hippie mummy
GREYHOUND PASSENGER 1
GREYHOUND PASSENGER 2
SQUIRREL
AUNTY EM, aka MEDUSA – Avid sculptor
TRAIN CONDUCTOR
ECHIDNA – Mother of monsters
NEWSCASTER
FARMER
ARES – God of war, rock star in leather pants
BIANCA – A mysterious girl in 1930’s clothes
KRONOS – A voice in a pit
THALIA – Daughter of Zeus, tough
CHARON – Ferryperson to the Underworld
JAMES BROWN
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
KURT COBAIN
JANIS JOPLIN
DJ CERBERUS
HADES – God of the dead, aging rock star type

When actors aren't in the scene, they form the CHORUS, playing the Oracle's ECHOES, Medusa's STATUES, THE DEAD in the Underworld, etc.

AUTHORS’ NOTE: Our original production featured seven actors playing an entire Greek pantheon of characters; the below doubling was based on stage time and vocal requirements. For productions where cast size isn’t a concern, we encourage you to cast as many actors as you wish, and experiment with doubling based on your own needs.

We also encourage you to look beyond traditional casting “types” when it comes to the characters’ race, gender and physical ability. Above all, the characters in The Lightning Thief are gods and heroes – and gods and heroes can look like any of us. When non-binary or opposite-gender persons are cast, we encourage you to use whichever pronouns they feel most comfortable with, and to change the script pronouns accordingly.

The below doubling was used on Broadway, with a cast of seven actors:

PERCY JACKSON
ANNABETH
GROVER / MR. D
LUKE / GABE UGLIANO / ARES / THE MINOTAUR / WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART / JAMES BROWN / DJ CERBERUS
SALLY JACKSON / SILENA BEAUREGARD / THE ORACLE / ECHIDNA / CHARON / GREYHOUND PASSENGER 1
MR. BRUNER aka CHIRON / POSEIDON / HADES / AUNTY EM / KRONOS / KURT COBAIN / GREYHOUND PASSENGER 2 / TRAIN CONDUCTOR / FARMER
CLARISSE / MRS. DODDS / KATIE GARDNER / THALIA / BIANCA / NEWSCASTER / JANIS JOPLIN / SQUIRREL

AUTHORS’ NOTE: Our original production featured seven actors playing an entire Greek pantheon of characters; the Broadway doubling was based on stage time and vocal requirements. For productions where cast size isn’t a concern, we encourage you to cast as many actors as you wish, and experiment with doubling based on your own needs.

We also encourage you to look beyond traditional casting “types” when it comes to the characters’ race, gender and physical ability. Above all, the characters in The Lightning Thief are gods and heroes – and gods and heroes can look like any of us. When non-binary or opposite-gender persons are cast, we encourage you to use whichever pronouns they feel most comfortable with, and to change the script pronouns accordingly.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Setting Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, NY. Also, NYC and LA, and a bunch of places in between. Present Day.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes, Fantasy Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“A thoroughly endearing family-friendly musical.” – Charles Isherwood, Broadway News

The Lightning Thief is a blast — and that's no myth.” – Boston Globe

“Completely innovative and inspiring!” – Front Row Center

“Percy is a rock star!” – New York Daily News

“Worthy of the gods!” – TimeOut New York

“One foot in Harry Potter and another in Dear Evan Hansen.” – Chicago Tribune

“Electrifying.” – Newsday

Videos

  • The Lightning Thief - Broadway Highlights youtube thumbnail

    The Lightning Thief - Broadway Highlights

  • The Lightning Thief - Broadway Commercial youtube thumbnail

    The Lightning Thief - Broadway Commercial

  • "Good Kid" sung by Chris McCarrell youtube thumbnail

    "Good Kid" sung by Chris McCarrell

  • "My Grand Plan" sung by Kristin Stokes youtube thumbnail

    "My Grand Plan" sung by Kristin Stokes

Photos

  • The Lightning Thief

    Image: 2022 Mayflower Theatre Southampton Production (Stuart Martin)

  • The Lightning Thief

    Image: 2022 Mayflower Theatre Southampton Production (Stuart Martin)

  • The Lightning Thief

    Image: 2022 Mayflower Theatre Southampton Production (Stuart Martin)

  • The Lightning Thief

    Image: 2019 Broadway Production (Jeremy Daniel)

  • The Lightning Thief

    Image: 2019 Broadway Production (Jeremy Daniel)

  • The Lightning Thief

    Image: 2019 Broadway Production (Jeremy Daniel)

  • The Lightning Thief

    Image: © Justin “Squigs” Robertson

More photos +

Music

Music Samples

Act I

1. “Prologue/The Day I Got Expelled” – Percy Jackson and Company
2. “Strong” – Sally and Percy Jackson
3. “The Minotaur/The Weirdest Dream” – Percy Jackson and Company
4. “Another Terrible Day” – Mr. D
4a. She Fought Bravely – Band
5. “Their Sign” – Chiron, Percy Jackson and Luke
6. “Put You in Your Place” – Clarisse, Annabeth and Company
6a. Clarisse Makes a Splash – Ensemble
7. “The Campfire Song” – Campers and Chiron
7a. The Trident Appears / Thunder – Band
8. “The Oracle” – The Oracle and Company
9. “Good Kid” – Percy Jackson and Company
10. “Killer Quest!” – Percy Jackson, Annabeth, Grover and Company

Act II

11. Prologue, Act II / I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus – Band
12. “Lost!” – Percy Jackson, Annabeth and Grover
13. A Visit With Auntie Em – Band
14. “My Grand Plan” – Annabeth
15. “Drive” – Percy Jackson, Annabeth, Grover, Ares and Company
16. “The Weirdest Dream (Reprise)” – Percy Jackson
17. “The Tree on the Hill” – Grover and Company
17a. Hellevator – Band
18. “D.O.A” – Chiron and Company
19. It's the Pits – Band
19a. Hello Hades – Band
19b. Sally appears – Band
20. “Son of Poseidon” – Percy Jackson, Annabeth, Grover, Ares and Company
20a. Poseidon Finally Shows Up – Band
20b. Reunited – Band
21. “The Last Day of Summer” – Percy Jackson, Luke and Company
22. “Bring on the Monsters” – Company
23. Bows / Exit Music – Band

A Note to the Music Director

The Lightning Thief is a vocally demanding show. Songs cover many styles. Singers should be proficient with pop/rock and legit styles of singing, but also mindful of demanding yelling during fight scenes. There is an extensive amount of off-stage singing in the show. This singing should be live and not pre-recorded. The tone quality of backing vocals in songs such as “Weirdest Dream” and “Good Kid“ should embody a synth-pad like straight-tone; while others, like “The Oracle,” require a more choral sound. The breakdown for the cast can be expanded and ensemble part delineations can be flexible to accommodate different gender identities. We have labeled them as High Voices/Low Voices. In regards to comparing this score with the Original Cast Recording or the published sheet music: there were significant changes made between the Off-Broadway, National Tour, and Broadway productions.


Band Breakdown

The score to the Lightning Thief was orchestrated for 5 pieces. First and foremost, this is a score with a scrappy rock feel, therefore it is especially demanding for lead guitar. The music covers many genres, some of which would require a full orchestra in an ideal setting, so we’ve tried to maximize the use of the instruments available. For the Broadway show, we used the following instrumentation:

PIANO/CONDUCTOR –88-key weighted keyboard controller with volume, sustain, and patch change pedals, and a Mainstage rig. In Mainstage, our programmer used a mixture of stock Logic sounds and other VST plug-ins, with a few additional custom sounds. Regardless of how you choose to program the show, we encourage you to use the cast album as a guide for sounds. *Note that throughout the P/C, programming ranges are indicated in Yamaha standard, where C3 is middle C. The keyboard programming for the Broadway production is licensed separately through www.keyboardtek.com

GUITAR 1 –Electric and Acoustic Guitar. Player will also need an E-bow. We found success using a Fender Stratocaster with a Fractal Axe-FX Preamp/Effects Processor for pedal sounds. Pickup positions are marked throughout. If your player decides to use their own pedals, they will need at least: OD, Distortion, Delay, Reverb, Wah. The acoustic guitar should be a steel string with a darker, warmer sound.

GUITAR 2/MELODICA –Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar and Melodica with at least 37 keys. Player will also need a Capo and E-bow. We used a Gibson Les Paul with a Line-6 Helix Multi-effects Processor. The amps models used were a Park P75 (or low gain Marshall) and Revv Generator Red (or modern high gain for moments of heavy distortion). The acoustic should be a steel string and have a brighter tone. If your player decides to use their own pedals, they will need at least: OD, Distortion, Delay, Reverb. Chorus, and Fuzz. For the Melodica, make sure the sound quality isn’t too reedy or strident. We suggest the Suzuki Melodion M-37C, or a similar one with a nice, rich tone. For quick instrument changes, we used a Suzuki keyboard harmonica flexible mouthpiece MP-161 attachment. *Note that there is some flutter tonguing in the Melodica part.

BASS –Electric 5 string. We used a Fender Precision Bass. The player should have the following pedals: Fuzz, Octave, and Envelope Filter. *Note that many of the songs are picked.

DRUM/PERCUSSION –Kit, Digital Percussion Pad. Whenever possible, this show should be done with a real drum kit. The kit should have at least: Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Tom 1, Tom 2, Floor Tom, Hi-Hat, Crash, Trash/FX Crash, Ride, Splash, Wood Blocks, Tambourine, Triangle, Mark Tree, Shaker. We used a Roland SPD-SX as our digital pad for “D.O.A.”
  • Musical Style Pop/Rock, Contemporary Broadway
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size Small/Combo

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
8   Vocal Book
1   Keyboard-Conductor (rehearsal & performance)

1   Guitar 1 – Electric & Acoustic
1   Guitar 2/Melodica – Electric & Acoustic
1   Drums
1   Bass – 5-String
8   Vocal Book
1   Keyboard-Conductor (rehearsal & performance)

Authors

Joe Tracz

Joe Tracz is a writer whose work has been seen on Broadway in Be More Chill (with Joe Iconis) and The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (with Rob Rokicki; Drama Desk nominee for Outstanding Book). Other credits include the musical Poster Boy (with Craig Carnelia, Wil ...

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Rob Rokicki

Rob Rokicki is a composer and lyricist whose work has been recognized worldwide and nominated for Drama Desk, Lortel and Off-Broadway Alliance awards.

Recently signed with Kobalt music, Rokicki is best known for his music and lyrics in the critically acclaimed Broadway show Th ...

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