by Terrance Mc Arthur
The Gods of Olympus! Titans! Monsters! Centaurs! Medusa! Furies! Hades! Minotaurs! Ares! Stolen Lightning! Charon! Satyrs!
It’s not a quiz for Greek Mythology 101. It’s The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, a energetic journey by way of a modern-day world the place historic gods (and their part-mortal youngsters) and monsters battle for survival, a River Metropolis Theatre Firm manufacturing now taking part in on the Reedley Opera Home by way of October 13.
After J. Okay. Rowling and Harry Pottermania proved that children may observe an adventurous collection of books, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians tales confirmed that younger readers may additionally deal with Greek mythology. Rob Rokicki wrote songs, and Joe Tracz wrote the script, for a musical that began as an hour-long Off-Broadway present, loved a restricted Broadway run, and has unfold throughout the land.
Solid of RCTC’s manufacturing of “The Lightening Thief”
Percy Jackson (Erin Day), kicked out of his sixth faculty, goes tenting together with his mom, Sally (Andrea Cerda), when they’re attacked by a bull-headed monster—a Minotaur (Brenda Deason). Sally dies, however Percy kills the beast. He wakes up at Camp Half-blood, a coaching camp for the youngsters of mortal-and-God dad and mom, run by Mr. D—Dionysus—(Stevie Barnett) helped by Chiron (Malcolm Mild), a centaur who had been watching Percy as a wheelchair-bound Latin instructor. His faculty chum, Grover (Jason Bionda), is known as a goat-footed centaur, and Percy is de facto Perseus, son of a Greek God. As soon as his powers and his true father are revealed, Percy, Grover, and daughter-of-Athena Annabeth (Jaida Jolene) are despatched on a quest to recuperate Zeus’s stolen bolt of lightning. They’re despatched off on a cross-country journey, the place they arrive throughout a Assassin’s Row of mythological baddies—Furies (Wen Wetpy), the God of Conflict (Jackson Boriack), a Gorgon (Robert Simpkins), the God of the Underworld (Nicholas Simpkins), and Charon (Florence Molano), together with a Las Vegas on line casino with a secret, and a direction-giving squirrel (Emily Medina-Delgado). All the way in which, Percy is haunted by a prophecy of the Oracle (additionally Molano), a warning of failure.
Solid of RCTC’s Manufacturing of “The Lightning Thief”
An enthusiastic crowd of mostly-young folks brings the characters to life. Day is perky, bouncy, and sarcastic as a boy who doesn’t perceive why his life is so rotten. His hero’s journey is propelled by hope he can rescue his mom from the land of the lifeless.
Bionda sports activities a pleasant pair of horns as a goat-boy haunted by a previous failure. Typically appearing morose, he proves to have a pleasant voice on his massive quantity. Jolene performs Annabeth as a Hermione-Granger-type (if this was a Harry Potter story), brainy however missed. Briston Diffey is Luke, senior counselor of one of many cabins, who helps Percy alter to his new life, the surrogate massive brother he thinks he wants.
Props from RCTC’s manufacturing of “The Lightning Thief”
Cerda is kindly and protecting because the mom who tries to guard Percy from the forces searching for to destroy him, to the purpose that she married an objectionable human (Jackson Boriack) whose aura hides the boy from the monsters. Boriack additionally performs Ares as a biker-style dude. Barnett is grumpy as a camp director who hates children, whereas Mild has an fascinating costume that helps him rework right into a legendary creature, and he maintains the picture of a grandfatherly uncle.
Florence Molano is robust because the Oracle and Charon, who transports lifeless souls throughout the River Styx. She will get to rock out on the “D.O.A.” quantity, which options some energetic choreography for the lifeless by Holly Salcido. Nicholas Simpkins performs Hades as an I-don’t-care-what-you-think-of-me-but-I’m-in-charge-here massive shot, whereas Robert Simpkins performs Poseidon as a cool beachcomber and the mysterious Auntie Em (who makes and collects stone statues that seem like well-known folks).
Maria Trejo is Clarisse, an overbearing bully who takes a disliking to Percy. Daniel Ward is the sinister Kronos (look him up in a mythology ebook)…and he additionally made the present’s swords. Little Paloma Betancourt is the “Wittlest” Minotaur, and cute as might be.
Preston Ward and Briana Vasquez directed, packing the pocket-sized Opera Home stage with greater than 25 our bodies. Stuffed with mythological references, this can be a present that may ship you to the library (Dewey Decimal System—290-299) . . . or a minimum of to Wikipedia and Riordan’s books.
The Reedley Opera Home is at 1720 tenth St., Reedley, CA. For ticket data, verify the RCTC web site.
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