MIA CIECHALSKI
Life & Arts Editor
The first Walter Gloor Mainstage performance has finally completed rehearsals and is officially available for everyone to enjoy.
“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” performed the first weekend of their run, and you can tell all the hard work they’ve put in over these last few months. It was surely worth the wait to watch it up on stage.
This production had some of the most complicated technical elements, costume designs and set pieces that the production team has ever done.
All of the performers did an amazing job, and you can tell that each cast member made sure to put everything into all of their parts, no matter how big or small the role was.
Although in the world of theatre, there is no such thing as a small role, as every person involved in putting a production together is important.
The lighting designers did a great job making the effects look as if you were underwater.
They also did a good job with the different lighting effects to signal scene changes and mood shifts in the plot.
The set pieces were truly show-stopping, at times surprising the audience with an unexpectedly immersive experience.
Not to spoil the show too much for you, but there was an exploding toilet and that was very exciting to watch because of all the streamers coming out of it. I highly recommend sitting in the front row to have some fun with streamers.
Another very impressive part of the show was the costumes.
There were still some of your “basic” or “regular” clothing items in the show, and they did a very good job helping you associate each character with what Greek god they are or related to.
There were a lot of Greek mythological creatures that made an appearance.
With satyrs, centaurs, minotaurs, and so many more, the costume designer and department did a great job helping create all of these complex costumes.
The best part of some of the costumes was that some of them were hidden in the simplest ways, and when they were revealed to the audience, it was so surprising to see how they created something that looked so complex.
Hats off to the costume designer and to everyone who helped create them.
Another aspect of the show that worked really well was the actors who were chosen for each role.
Getting to see everyone perform and showcase all the blood, sweat, and tears they’ve put in proved even more that the casting decisions made were the right choice.
One part of the show that will also pull the audience in is the fight scenes.
Seeing the actors make it look so real and action-packed was so entertaining.
Even those who don’t typically enjoy musicals or live performances would find this part of the show thoroughly enjoyable.
Getting to watch those parts of the production pulled the audience even more.
There were also many parts that were very funny as well.
It was nice to have a little break between all of the action scenes, and it also showed the audience that this is a show that you can laugh during.
The part that had the audience roaring with laughter the most was in Act Two, when Percy and his friends encountered Medusa on their quest. After a brief fight scene and a catchy musical number, Medusa is defeated, and her head, symbolized by a mannequin’s head, flies across the stage in a comedic moment.
This show was very true to the book, unlike some adaptations that can sometimes change a story completely and barely have any relation to the original.
You can tell that every person involved in this production puts in a lot of work, time and effort.
Getting to see all that visible hard work made the experience all the more enjoyable.
“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” will be performing their second weekend of performances on Saturday, Nov. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 2.
You can buy tickets for the performances at the ticket office or at this link: gp1.glitnirticketing.com/gpticket/web/ev_list.php.