The Stars of The Lightning Thief Musical on Why Scrappy Keeps Percy Jackson Fans Happy

Star Chris McCarrell’s reaction to finding out The Lightning Thief was moving to Broadway: "You must be joking."

Not because he doesn’t love the show, based on first part of author Rick Riordan’s wildly successful five-book Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, a favorite of kids across the world. And not because he didn’t think the show could make it on Broadway—he’d just finished an eight-month tour of the musical that received great reviews and rapturous audience reactions nightly.

No, McCarrell couldn’t believe that something born out of the pure joy of play in its early days was getting a shot in the big leagues, where he previously played Marius in the last revival of Les Miserables. "We made this show in Chelsea Studios," he said. "Laughing while trying to figure out how to make a horse come out of a wheelchair! Realizing the show had this much gas in the tank was exciting. I’ve never trusted a show so much to unfold how it needs to and wants to unfold."

Riordan has sold more than 69 million copies of his books—the Percy Jackson series as well as follow-ups with the characters—in more than 35 countries, so the name does have a built-in audience. And there have been two financially successful but critically dismissed film adaptations, which weren’t faithful enough to the source material to satisfy some fans.

The Lightning Thief musical is intentionally (and charmingly) scrappy—with a cast of seven performers telling an epic story of gods and mortals. "Movie magic can transform something into a centaur," said Kristin Stokes, who plays Annabeth. "On stage, it’s never going to be believable enough, so we took that off the table." Instead, the nimble cast uses pure stage magic, and engages the minds of audience members by bringing them along for the creation. "We want to invoke what these books have done for so many readers, which is light up their imagination."

Stokes has been involved with the show since its very first reading for the popular family theater company TheaterWorks USA. She remembers running into director Stephen Brackett (Be More Chill), whom she had worked with before, when she arrived: "He ran past me and was like, 'Hey. You’re a demigod and you’re sassy. Go!' And I was like, 'OK. Thanks Stephen!'" With catchy songs by Rob Rokicki and book by Joe Tracz (another Be More Chill creator), the musical was only a one-act at that point, but Stokes saw the appeal early on. "It’s a beloved action-adventure series, crossed with this new young rock musical genre with a DIY, indie vibe," she said. "It really matches well with the book."

Fresh off his Broadway debut in Les Miserables, McCarrell joined the company for the musical’s off-Broadway run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2017 and immediately fell for the character of Percy Jackson. Jackson is a young kid with ADHD and dyslexia (Riordan wrote the books for his son, who also struggled with the diagnoses), who discovers he’s the son of Poseidon and has to lead a quest to save his mom, who finds herself way down in, yup, Hadestown.

"These characters are young adults who are clueless about Greek mythology, monsters, saving the world," McCarrell explained. "They’re truly just stumbling through this quest and dealing with insecurities and perceived weaknesses. You really want to see them succeed so genuinely—I think people are really responding to the rawness of it and how 'unheightened' the characters are in their hearts."

When he joined the company, playing the dual roles of Grover and Mr. D., in the Lightning Thief tour, Jorrel Javier was thought of as the fan who made it. "It was great meeting people at the stage door," he said. "Because I’m one of them!" He was first introduced to the book series as a kid in California and became a fan of the musical when he discovered the original cast recording of the off-Broadway company.

Javier says the book series, and now the musical, gives outsiders hope. "A lot of the characters tend to be a little bit outside of the normal society," he said. "They’re the outcasts, the outliers. When he read the first book as part of the summer reading program, little sixth grade Jorrel was very drawn to having a set of friends through the book that were like him. It gives the weirdos and the freaks this sense of normalcy that we don’t necessarily have in everyday life. That was the draw for me."

"I think fans feel like they can root for characters that they feel deserve it," McCarrell added. "These books have provided a lot of healing. Putting that world on stage and doing it justice gets people deeply nostalgic about a story they grew up with. And it ignites the rebel in everyone and the part of you that stands up for what you deeply believe in, in a world that might not align with that."

As for bringing the show to Broadway, where it will play for 16 weeks at the Longacre Theatre, McCarrell isn’t joking anymore. "Look, it’s heartfelt and revolutionary in its own way and we’re excited to share it. That’s the best kind of theater—when the glitz and glamour gets sprinkled on something you feel like you made in your backyard."

The Lightning Thief starts September 20 at the Longacre Theatre.

Photos by Emilio Madrid for Broadway.com