Honest Review of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Broadway – Is It Worth Seeing?

This time, we went to see the Broadway musical Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
The show is based on a popular novel, which was adapted into a Hollywood live-action film in 2010. Before heading to the theater, I watched the movie on Netflix to get a sense of the story.
As I watched, I couldn’t help but wonder how they would bring those larger-than-life monsters to the stage, and, as I will explain later, I also felt a slight sense of unease about what the stage version might be like. In this review, I’ll share what makes this comedy-packed show so entertaining.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – overview

This musical is based on the Percy Jackson and the Olympians novels, which became a New York Times bestseller. The story was adapted into a Hollywood movie distributed by FOX in 2010, created by members of the same production team behind the Harry Potter films.

The movie turned to a global hit, grossing over $226.4 million worldwide, and catapulted lead actor Logan Lerman into stardom.

The stage adaptation premiered Off-Broadway in 2017 and won the Drama Desk Award, often described as the Off-Broadway equivalent of the Tony Awards. After a successful run in Chicago, the musical made its long-awaited Broadway debut as a 16-week special engagement in September 2019.

Story summary

Percy Jackson is an ordinary high school student struggling to fit in. At home, he has to endure the constant presence of his mother’s alcoholic boyfriend and lives a life full of frustration.

One day during a school field trip, a teacher suddenly transforms into a monster and attacks Percy, demanding he return Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt. In the chaos that follows, Percy learns that he is a demigod, the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and a mortal woman, and that the gods believe he stole the bolt.

To escape the relentless attacks of monsters, Percy flees to a training camp exclusively for demigods. On the way, however, his beloved mother is killed by Hades, the god of the underworld. At the camp, Percy meets Luke, who tells him that Hades is the real thief and that if Percy retrieves the bolt, he can prove his innocence and bring his mother back to life.

There is only one way to do it: venture into the underworld, where the souls of the dead dwell, and complete a perilous quest to recover Zeus’s lightning bolt. Will Percy succeed in his mission? Will he reunite with his mother? His epic journey begins here.

Percy Jackson is playing at the Longacre Theatre

Longacre Theatre

Although not widely known in some certain countries, the Longacre Theatre was built by Harry H. Frazee, a man who started his career as an usher and worked his way up to become the theater’s owner.
Before The Lightning Thief opened here, the venue hosted The Prom, which was nominated for Best Musical at the 2019 Tony Awards.

Address: 220 W 48th St, New York, NY 10036

The theater’s lavish interior was designed by renowned 20th-century architect Henry Hertz. You can learn more about the venue’s history, the founder’s life, and its architectural features on the detailed information page below.

• More about the Longacre Theatre >>

What makes Longacre Theatre unique

The first thing the staff told us as we entered was, “The restrooms and bar are downstairs.” It made sense once we stepped inside, the theater was more compact than expected, and the distance from the stage to even the farthest seats felt surprisingly short.

This is because the Longacre Theatre, while built on a relatively small footprint, extends vertically from the basement up to the third floor. The design ensures excellent visibility from every seat. The trade-off, however, is that the second and third floors are quite steep, so the staircases feel long and also steep. (I was out of breath by the time I climbed to the mezzanine!)

Our seat for the show

How to read your ticket: MEZZO F 9

Mezzanine Odd = Mezzanine (2nd floor), odd-numbered seats (on the right side of the stage)
Row F (9th row from the front), seat number F (5th seat from the aisle)

“MEZZO (Odd)” simply indicates that the seat is located on the odd-numbered side of the mezzanine. An usher will guide you to your seat, so there is no need to worry before the performance begins. Also, do not forget to pick up a Playbill when you are shown to your seat.

Even if you are not confident reading English, the center pages of the Playbill include photos and bios of the cast, which are worth checking out before the curtain rises.

Official Percy Jackson merchandise (limited edition)

Although this was a limited-run production, the merchandise corner was far more extensive than expected. There were even special kids cocktails on offer for the younger fans, a thoughtful touch.

Some exclusive items were available only at the theater (a few are sold online, but they cannot be shipped to some certain regions abroad), so make sure to check them out while you are there.

While the standard T-shirt ($30) is always a popular choice, my personal recommendation is the set of three embroidered patches. You can buy a simple, good-quality T-shirt or tote bag somewhere else and customize it with the patches using an iron, a fun way to create your own original show souvenir. Because they come as a set of three, they are also great for sharing with friends or family, turning them into a shared memory of the show (and splitting the cost makes them even more affordable).

Post-show tip: meet the cast at the stage door

After the show, we waited by the stage door to get our Playbill signed. The spot is located to the left of the theater’s main entrance on West 48th Street. Because this production was a limited 16-week engagement, a crowd had already gathered by the time we arrived right after the curtain call.

What stood out the most was that every single cast member, including the lead, came out to greet the fans. Another notable detail was how young the entire cast was compared to many other Broadway shows. Watching them perform with such energy and then meeting them face-to-face left me with a Playbill full of signatures, a truly special keepsake from this performance.

Click images to enlarge

Final thoughts on Percy Jackson and the Olympians

As I mentioned at the beginning, I watched the film before seeing the stage production, and I went into the theater with a mix of excitement and concern about how it would translate to the stage. One reason for my unease was an interview I had read with the director, in which he said they had been “experimenting with how much quality they could achieve on a limited budget.”

I have seen many musicals over the years, but this was the first time I knew in advance that a production had been intentionally created on a tight budget. I was honestly worried about seeing nothing but cheap-looking costumes and props.

A symbol of low-budget creativity: toilet paper as water

Percy, as the half-human son of Poseidon, fights by manipulating water. Before the show, I was curious to see how they would depict water on stage, imagining something like projection mapping as if in Frozen.

Instead, the production surprised me in a delightful way, they used toilet paper to represent water. As shown in the image, rolls of toilet paper would soar across the stage every time Percy summoned water. Even during dramatic moments when Percy unleashed his ultimate attack, the “water” made of toilet paper sent waves of laughter through the audience.

Seven actors, over forty characters

It was not until the curtain call, when all the performers returned to the stage, that I realized something remarkable, there were only seven actors in the entire cast.

Each performer played multiple roles, completely changing their costumes, singing styles, and mannerisms, so much so that I never noticed it during the show. Later, I discovered that those seven actors played more than 47 characters in total.

The most striking example for me was Jalynn Steele, who played Percy’s mother. As Sally, her voice was warm and maternal, but as the underworld showgirl, her performance was commanding and powerful. I only realized later that both roles had been performed by the same actress.

The ability to completely transform on stage, not just visually but also vocally, and to disappear so fully into a role that the audience doesn’t even notice is nothing short of astonishing. It reminded me once again why Broadway actors are considered among the best in the world.

A coming-of-age story about rebellion and identity

Although the show was full of comedic moments, from toilet paper flying across the stage to showgirls in the underworld, by the end it became clear that this is ultimately a story about young people grappling with dissatisfaction and rebellion.

In the film version (minor spoiler!), the true thief of Zeus’s lightning bolt is Percy’s friend, a demigod who believes that the gods’ rule over the world is unjust. By stealing the bolt and sowing chaos, he hopes to destroy the existing order.

The stage version tells the story a bit differently, but it ends with a powerful message: if you are unhappy with the world, you must stand up and challenge it yourself. Percy and the other young characters are demigods, children of both gods and humans, and thus do not fully belong to either world. They sometimes make mistakes, but they continue to fight for a place for themselves in society. By the end of the show, the comedy gives way to deeper reflection, and I found myself thinking about the story long after the curtain fell.

The term “low budget” might sound negative, but in this case, it is transformed into a strength, the clever staging choices generate laughter, and the cast’s ability to play multiple roles is genuinely impressive. That sure is a must-see.

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