The Lightning Thief - The Other Palace 24/25

Joaquin Pedro Valdes being credited for just Heathers in the press release when he's gone on to do much greater things like Death Note and Pacific Overtures is pretty funny... I assume because it's a PTM joint.

But yes, interesting cast.

I saw this when I was on a U.S. road trip a few years back, and it was the only thing on in the city I was passing through. It's squarely in the family show category, leaning early teens. It wasn't very good, though that production looked super cheap, and the venue was much too large for it. There were folks dressed up in the crowd who seemingly got a lot out of it, which was great to see, but if you're not a fan of the source material, there are better uses for your time and money in London. Hopefully, they'll have improved it!

Perhaps they should have just let Cake have its press night and get a load of positive reviews.

Waiting before booking this one. Seems like it could be a bit of a dud.

Is it called The Lightning Thief because the lighting steals the show? 🤓

Usually led by friends & family of people involved in the production

Agree that it was a bit confused. Musicals can have serious undertones whilst being funny, but for me, it felt like the show was trying to ride more on the jokes and forgetting what was at stake for each character. As a fan of the book, I was looking for that Percy-Sally Jackson connection on which all of Percy’s actions are based on. That was completely absent from the preview I watched. Onstage, Percy and Sally Jackson were lacking any semblance of mom-son chemistry. Grover for me felt disconnected from Percy (!) and felt like he was playing for laughs from the audience. Annabeth felt more attuned to her character and vocally stronger than the other two. I also liked Luke – his portrayal was grounded on the book, his actions felt intentional and I felt that there was something at stake for him. The gods were camp and larger than life (of course), but that dilutes from the sense of power and authority they should be exuding (and which the audience should be feeling!) Story moves quickly, but there were pace issues – mostly felt in the trio scenes, where it sometimes feels like the show energy drops.

Lots of clever moments in the show and thoroughly enjoyable. Must mention that stage direction, puppetry and illusions are all top quality. Set and lighting design were gorgeous. Overall had a good time! Hopefully pace issues and chemistries get resolved – those would elevate this show to a returnable one.

I went in without knowing anything about the books and found it pretty easy to follow, though I know a little about Greek mythology so that might have helped.

I agree with everything else you said though, it almost felt pantomime-esque at times and some of the humour is really broad, but it tries to add depth to the characters as they've had to deal with tragic events and the combination doesn't really work. I liked it well enough, and was amused by the ridiculous plot, but given the price of tickets I'm not sure I'd recommend it as it was only a 3 star production for me.

Booked this largely due to a black Friday deal and a Seatplan voucher meant my Row C seat was a fiver, but I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

I mean, it's not going yo be winning any awards, but it was a harmless way to kill a couple of hours. The pacing was a bit off in parts - i was quite surprised when Act 2 wrapped up so quickly for example.

The songs were alright and there were some catchy ones in there. They did well with the staging - nothing felt cramped or lost on the stage and the lighting added quite a bit in places.

Most of all though, the cast really sold it and seemed to be having a great time.

I think it was almost full in there tonight and there was a smattering if wooping at the End along with about half a theatre standing ovation, so it seemed to go down well.

Not one I'd see again (or pay the original prices for), but an enjoyable evening nonetheless.