Thieves in Olympus (musical)

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Thieves in Olympus: The Percy Jackson Musical (English original title The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical ) is a modern musical that premiered in 2014 and is based on the fantasy adventure novel Percy Jackson - Thieves in Olympus by Rick Riordan .

The play was first performed free of charge in New York by Theatreworks USA before going on tour. Rob Rokicki was hired for music and lyrics . The script for the musical was written by Joe Tracz , which combines song, dance, drama and music in two acts in a consistent framework. It tells the story of 12-year-old teen Percy Jackson who discovers he is a demigod . His journey into a world of mythological monsters and Greek gods begins when he is accused of stealing the ruler's bolt from Zeus . He goes on a search for it to prevent a war between the gods.

background

As a one-hour musical, Theatreworks USA presented the musical as part of a free theater series in New York in 2014. Then a national tour was started, which was very popular. On January 10, 2017 it was announced that a new two-hour version with a new score and an updated, expanded script would be produced. The national tour premiered on April 17, 2018 in Chicago and is expected to end with the final performance on July 14, 2019 in Tampa Florida.

Leading roles and original cast

character Cast Original Off-Broadway
(2017) 		Cast of first USA tour
(2019)
Percy Jackson Chris McCarrell
Grover Underwood & Mr. D (Dionysus) George Salazar Jorrel Javier
Annabeth Chase Kristin Stokes
Luke Castellan, Ares , & Others James Hayden Rodriguez
Sally Jackson, Silena Beauregard, Charon , Oracle of Delphi , & Others Carrie Compere Jalynn Steele
Mrs. Dodds , Clarisse La Rue, Katie Gardner & Others Sarah Beth Pfeifer
Mr. Brunner / Cheiron , Poseidon , Hades , Medusa , Kronos , & Others Jonathan Raviv Ryan Knowles

action

first act

Percy Jackson, a teenager with ADHD and dyslexia , takes his class on a trip to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art . There his assistant teacher, Mrs. Dodds, asks him for an interview. When they are alone transforms Mrs. Dodds in a fury , a native of Greek mythology, goddess of vengeance , the Hades , god of the underworld serves. She asks Percy to give him the ruler's bolt that he is said to have stolen. But Percy doesn't understand what she's talking about. In good time he is found by his Latin teacher Mr. Brunner and his best friend Grover Underwood. Thanks to a ballpoint pen that Mr. Brunner throws at him and which turns into a sword called Riptide, Percy manages to repel the fury and put it to flight.

After this incident, he was expelled from his school. Percy tries to explain what happened, but is shocked to find that neither his teacher, Mr Brunner, nor his best friend Grover Underwood remember Mrs Dodds. Nobody else in his class knows his teacher either. Percy says goodbye to everyone for summer vacation.

His mother Sally seems to understand Percy's experience and isn't upset that he was expelled from school. Her partner Gabe Ugliano, however, bullies him. Sally wants to tell Percy about his father, who left the family before he was born. Percy is bitter about both his father and his own ways. Sally assures him that his quirks and anomalies make him special. His mother takes Percy to the beach, where she met his father for the first time. There you meet Grover, who turns out to be a satyr , a hybrid creature from Greek mythology , half human, half goat. His job was to protect Percy.

Suddenly a Minotaur , a man with a bull head, attacks the trio. Sally sacrifices herself so Percy and Grover can make it to a place they call Camp . The Minotaur kills his mother right in front of his eyes, and Percy stabs the Minotaur to death in revenge. Hit in the head, Percy falls unconscious to the ground, where he dreams of a man in a Hawaiian shirt who gives him a shell and claims: "What belongs to the sea can always return."

When Percy wakes up, he's in a place called Camp Half-Blood. He finds the shell that the strange man gave him in his dream in his pocket. Dionysus , god of wine, madness and head of the camp is only called Mr. D by everyone. He reluctantly explains to Percy that he is a demigod , son of a human and a Greek god. It turns out that Mr. Brunner is actually Chiron , an immortal centaur , and is teaching the campers. He explains to Percy that the gods will send a sign to recognize him as a demigod. However, Percy is still skeptical and angry that his father has shown no signs of caring for him over the years. Luke Castellan, 19-year-old son of Hermes , sympathizes with Percy and tells him that many half-bloods never know their divine parents because they are not recognized.

Percy decides to stay at camp and meets other demigod children like Silena Beauregard (daughter of Aphrodite ), Katie Gardner (daughter of Demeter ), Clarisse La Rue (daughter of Ares ) and Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athene , who took care of Percy while he was unconscious). Annabeth quickly takes the lead during a game where they must capture the flag of the opposing team. She orders Percy to wait in the boys' bathroom to make sure he doesn't mess up the game. Clarisse tries to give Percy a rub, but the toilet water comes to life and floods her. After the game, campers sit down around the campfire and discuss their unstable and in some cases harmful relationships with their divine and mortal parents.

Percy is recognized as the son of Poseidon , god of the sea, and it is immediately rumored that he is the prime suspect who stole the ruler's lightning from Zeus . Percy is given to understand that he has to go on a search with two others to retrieve the lightning so that a war between the gods can be prevented. He is sent to the main house to receive a prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi . However, Percy only accepts the search because Luke implies that his mother is still alive in the underworld, the destination of the search, as Hades is the alleged real thief. Annabeth and Grover join Percy after Luke gives them a pair of winged shoes. The trio is on their own on their journey.

Second act

The Three Chosen have just escaped from a bus that was attacked by three Furies . Percy suggests looking for protection and help in Aunt Ems garden gnome shop . The strange owner, Aunt Em, asks to be allowed to take pictures of the three. But she is exposed as Medusa . Percy attacks her and cuts her head off with his pen / sword Riptide and sends it to the gods in the mail. Annabeth seems upset with this victory and Percy confronts her with it. She admits that she felt ignored by everyone her whole life and was desperately looking for a chance to prove herself to her mother Athena.

Grover returns to St. Louis with train tickets . You will encounter many dangers, such as a chimera , strong storms, some monsters and the enchanted Lotus Hotel and Casino. They also meet with Ares , who takes them to Nevada . While on a bus ride to Los Angeles , Percy dreams of a man talking to someone the man calls a "master". The powerful voice mentions sacrifice and the name Thalia . Percy wakes up suddenly and asks Grover about Thalia . Grover tells him that a few years ago he was sent to accompany Luke, Annabeth and Thalia Grace, the daughter of Zeus, to the camp. The team was attacked and Grover was unable to save Thalia. Thalia sacrificed herself and was turned into a tree by Zeus, protecting the boundaries of the camp from attackers. Grover blames Thalia's death and thinks Percy will be ashamed of him. However, Percy assures that no matter who he is or what he does, they will always remain friends.

The trio reaches the underworld , where they experience a tour through the horror of Charon and several long-dead musicians. Percy notices that the lightning bolt is hidden in his backpack and the three think about how it could have got there. Percy puts on the shoes he got from Luke and is almost pulled into the tartaros . The group is discovered and taken to Hades . After a short conversation with Hades it turns out that he did not steal the lightning bolt and that he wants the lightning bolt from Percy in order to rule over the gods. Percy pulls the shell out of his pocket, realizing that it comes from Poseidon and opens a portal with her that brings her from the underworld. He vows to return to save his mother. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover escape. Percy suspects that Ares put the lightning bolt in his pocket to incite the gods to war . With Annabeth and Grover's help, Percy accepts that he is the son of Poseidon and with his gift of controlling water he can defeat Ares .

After Percy returns the lightning bolt, the trio returns to camp. But Percy still feels just as confused as before and he tries to talk to Luke. Both talk about the assignment, and Luke tells Percy that he felt similar about his own assignments. He accidentally tells Percy that he is the real lightning thief and that he has allied himself with Kronos to return the favor to the gods he believes they don't love him. Luke attacks him and escapes. Percy explains to the other residents in the camp that there will be a war that cannot be prevented, but that he will try to stop Luke and Kronos. He and his friends will be prepared and will do whatever it takes to fight both of them.

Songs in the musical

first act

  • "Prologue / The Day I Got Expelled" - Percy, Mr. Brunner, Mrs. Dodds, Grover and company
  • "Strong" - Sally and Percy
  • "The Minotaur / The Weirdest Dream" - Percy, Sally, Grover and company
  • "Another Terrible Day" - Mr. D
  • "Their Sign" - Cheiron, Percy and Luke
  • "Put You in Your Place" - Clarisse, Annabeth, Percy and company
  • "The Campfire Song" - Luke, Annabeth, Percy, Grover, Katie, Silena and Cheiron
  • "The Oracle" - oracle, ensemble
  • "Good Kid" - Percy and company
  • "Killer Quest!" - Percy, Grover, Annabeth and company

Second act

  • "Lost!" - Percy, Annabeth and Grover
  • "My Grand Plan" - Annabeth
  • "Drive" - ​​Grover, Annabeth, Percy, Ares and company
  • "The Weirdest Dream (Reprise)" - Percy, Kronos, Luke
  • "The Tree on the Hill" - Grover, Thalia, Annabeth, Luke, Percy and company
  • "DOA" - Charon and company
  • "Son of Poseidon" - Percy, Ares, Annabeth, Grover, Sally and company
  • "The Last Day of Summer" - Percy, Luke and company
  • "Bring on the Monsters" - Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Clarisse, Cheiron, Silena and Luke

recording

The original album was released on July 7, 2017. For a limited time, Broadway Records offered a special package that included a CD of the musical as well as an official thief in an Olymp T-shirt.

  • The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (Original Cast Recording), October 12th 2018 vinyl edition

Reviews

Thieves in Olympus: The Percy Jackson Musical has received positive reviews from critics. Fern Siegel praised the musical for its dialogue, story and cast on the Huffington Post , calling it "A reminder that off-Broadway is an important place for musicals". while Raven Snook calls it an "Appreciation of the Gods" on timeout.com .

Frank Scheck wrote in The Hollywood Reporter magazine that the musical is much more fun than the poorly conceived film version from 2010 or its sequel in 2013 . The musical also provides an excellent, albeit irreverent, introduction to Greek mythology that may persuade some children to study the matter more.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ | Article on Playbill January 10, 2017, accessed April 2, 2019
  2. ↑ | Article on Broadway Records on July 7, 2017, accessed April 2, 2019
  3. ↑ | Article in the Huffington Post, written by Fern Siegel July 13, 2017, accessed April 2, 2019
  4. ↑ | Article on Timeout , accessed April 2, 2019
  5. ↑ | Article in The Hollywood Reporter on April 4, 2017, accessed April 2, 2019