By the opening number the stage is already crackling with energy with lightning fizzing across the stage. The set and staging are stunning, the cast are versatile and completely committed, and the pace never drops. This is certainly a highly entertaining and fun production and completely unlike anything else we’ve seen before – and this is partly due to the change in the audience, the excitement in all the children, teens and young adults as they watch the show.

The Lightning Thief is very much a cultural phenomenon at the moment amongst older children and teens, and the adults they have become since the first book was published in 2005. Those that have not read the books have been carried by the enthusiasm of their friends who have, or they are one of the thousands who have seen the televised series which started in 2023. When Percy: the titular character, appears on the stage for the first time, expect cheers from the hundreds of fans present.

And this show certainly is a spectacle worthy of praise and admiration. The set moves and becomes all the things that they need through the several adventures: from a bus to a forest to a shore by the sea, and everything in between; adding height and layers. The staging is absolute perfection, the use of space and modern choreography is fantastic. The way they create different effects between them is captivating: and you know that what looks simple only works that well when they are planned and rehearsed with absolute precision, as is on show here.

Vasco Emauz leads as Percy Jackson with the most stunning voice to grace the stage in a very long time. He is completely committed to the character, giving everything in a wonderfully rounded and emotional performance. He is a joy to watch on the stage, and his energy, which never drops, carries the whole show. Alongside him are Percy’s two best friends: Kayna Montecillo as Annabeth and Cahir O’Neill as Grover. Montecillo convinces as the tough girl who hides a vulnerability seeking validation and has a velvet voice which is a joy to hear. O’Neill will inspire many parents and grandparents in the audience to want to adopt him to be best friends with their young people: he is unwaveringly loyal and slightly comical as Grover, completely enchanting, with a stunning voice.

While most of the rest of the cast multirole, every one of them is perfectly cast and the movement, singing and commitment to their roles and the story is among the highest of any musical company encountered on this stage. One standout is Simone Robinson who has a huge range of roles complete with beautiful voice which she changes from her mother role of Sally in slightly aspirate tones to the Disco Soul Diva of the underworld.

So while those of us with more time chalked up on the planet may look at the actual plot: the hero’s journey, with more jaded eyes; as this has clear homages to other stories of wizardry or mythology, and even other musicals such as one of the numbers reminiscent of a song in Rent, we would need to remind ourselves that this is the current super inspiring story for young people, and it’s got a huge number of them to the theatre. While the industry worries about audience numbers in decline, this gives us the welcome boost we need: here is the audience, and this is what they are interested in. The lyric “normal is a myth, everyone has issues they are dealing with” is something we all need to hear and be reminded of. So while purists might twitch at the accuracy of the mythology being presented, we remember: this is a new fiction, and the audience here absolutely adore it.

Theatre Royal Brighton, 30 September 2025
The Lightning Thief runs until 4 October 2025
Photos credit: Johan Persson