The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical, Birmingham Hippodrome | Tue 24 February 2026 ‘til Sat 28 February, then on tour ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray

Photo credit: Johan Persson

The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical

Birmingham Hippodrome | Tues 24 February 2026 ‘til Sat 28 February, then on tour

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray

“A big, bold, and hugely enjoyable, family-friendly show.”

The Percy Jackson book series is aimed at children and young teenagers. So, it is not surprising that - while this family-friendly show has enough going on to keep adults interested - it is probably best viewed through the eyes of a child. And there were a huge number of children present in the audience, all of whom seemed to be revelling in the sheer fun and joy of the storytelling.

Everything about the show is BIG - the music, the singing, the acting, the choreography, some of the costumes, the sets - in the way that things aimed at children have to be captured to retain their attention. And this is not a bad thing: particularly when it comes to big ideas; of which the show is packed-full.

All of the teenage characters are dealing, in their own very distinctive ways, will loss and abandonment. They are all products of broken homes. They are all of mixed heritage (both the Gods and the humans) and each struggles with a sense of identify and belonging. They are all challenged by their own monsters – metaphorical and psychological. And they are all on the cusp of having to find their own way in a frightening world. It is very current!

A lively and keenly fashioned script by author Joe Tracz acknowledges these big ideas, while not getting too bogged down. Its primary focus is of telling the story and keeping things moving along.

The lyrics are crisp and witty. The grungy, rock-lite music won’t follow you out of the theatre at the end of the show, but it does serve the drama very efficiently and packs an emotional punch when needed. There is a lot of through-composition, so everything flows with an efficiency that is somewhat like verismo opera. And some of the more absurd elements of the plot are given such a thorough musical glossing that they go almost unnoticed.

The young cast are an absolute joy. They manage to act into the hugeness of it all, and with so much conviction that they totally convince their audience. The vocal ensemble is flawlessly tight. And the three lead characters share terrific chemistry. Vasco Emauz has a magnificent voice with a really distinctive timbre and lots of colour. He takes the significant vocal challenges of the score in his stride - particularly the emotionally climactic ‘Good Kid’ song. Kayna Montecillo is equally impressive as the character Annabeth. While Cahir O’Beill is delightfully warm and engaging as Grover.

Simple yet visually arresting set design ensures that the action maintains momentum, and that the energy never flags.

This is a hugely enjoyable show: uncomplicated, not particularly profound, and maybe sometimes a bit unrelenting in its “bigness”. But then, I suppose you can’t get too much of a good BIG thing.

Cast

Percy Jackson – Vasco Emauz

Annabeth – Kayna Montecillo

Grover – Cahir O’Neill

Mr D – Danny Beard

Gabe & others – Joseph Connor

Clarisse & others – Ellie-Grace Cousins

Luke & others – Paolo Micallef

Sally Jackson & others – Simone Robinson

Mr Brunner & others – Niall Sheehy

Creatives

Book – Joe Tracz

Music & Lyrics – Rob Rokicki

Director & Choreographer – Lizzi Gee

Sets & Costumes – Ryan Dawson Laight

Lighting – Tim Deiling

Sound – Dan Samson

Video – Matt Powell

Musical Director – Will Joy