Have you ever expected absolutely nothing, then not only be pleasantly surprised but almost immediately enthralled by a theater performance? Well, that feeling and I got pleasantly acquainted Thursday night at the Huntington Theatre during “The Lightning Thief”.

For those who haven’t read the fantastic Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, “The Lightning Thief” is about outcast Percy Jackson, a demigod living in New York, and his quest to retrieve Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt from the depths of the Underworld. A pretty tame story as far as Greek mythology goes, but enthralling nonetheless. Along his journey, we’re introduced to a pantheon of characters from  Grover, Percy’s goat-man best friend, to Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena and brain of the group. Together the unlikely trio is pitted against a “greatest hits” of Greek gods, monsters and titans.

 My biggest concern as both a closeted musical fan and a diehard fan of the Percy Jackson books was the translation from page to stage. How would they handle the fights? The witty dialogue? The very literal presence of gods and monsters? My fears were quickly diminished by the obvious thought and care that was put into this production.  As a musical, “The Lightning Thief” is a rare example of an adaptation that is arguably better than the source material. In particular, the music stood out as entertaining and catchy. A particular favorite was Mr. D’s hilariously negative, “Another Terrible Day,” in which he gives much-needed exposition about the world the play inhabits by describing just how much he hates his life.

The entire cast’s performances deserve commendation, especially Ryan Knowles’ performance as a variety of characters including a centaur.  Through his commanding stage presence and high-energy delivery, his performance made this cynic “LOL” a multitude of times.  The ensemble also deserves recognition, providing no small amount of laughs to an already humorous show along with providing a sense of atmosphere to the definite benefit to the performance overall.

All in all, despite a hit or miss situation, “The Lightning Thief” rarely seemed to miss, with a campy and self-aware, yet heartfelt tone throughout the 110-minute show.  It is not going to change your life, but it’s also not going to sour the reputation of a Gen-Z classic, in fact, it may even make you wanna take another crack at the source material. While it still seems utterly bizarre, this is the crossover that gets it right and it’s without a doubt a fantastic way to spend a summer night.

(The Lightning Thief will be ‘bringing the thunder’ to The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., from July 17-28. Tickets start at $30.)

–July 19, 2019–