Directed by Justin A. Pike, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical opened Jan. 12 and ran through Jan. 18 at Benton’s historic Royal Theatre. The adaptation of Rick Riordan’s first installment of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series by the same title follows Perseus “Percy” Jackson, a demigod or “halfblood,” coming to terms with his divine parentage as he embarks on a quest to clear his name of the false accusations of stealing Zeus’s powerful lightning bolt by recovering it himself to prevent a war among the Greek gods.

The two hour production of The Lightning Thief features complex choreography and smooth vocals executed by a cast of 18 members from the Young Players and Young Players Second Stage, a faction of the Royal Players for grades K-12. For this particular production, ages 13 to 23 were sought out in auditions. At the head of the show is Joshua Scapin Tagua as Percy Jackson with Jason Jackson as Grover and Sascha Bass as Annabeth, two halfbloods, accompanying Percy on his quest. Bryant’s own Jeremy Clay, the artistic director of the Bryant Theatre Company and the only cast member not falling into the age range, plays Poseidon and Gabe—Percy’s father and stepfather respectively; junior Braden Lisowe as Luke—the halfblood son of Hermes and Percy’s camp counselor; sophomore Isabella Smotherman as Thalia—the deceased, halfblooded daughter of Zeus—and Brayden Armstrong of Bryant Junior High as the ensemble.

The production utilized every bit of the stage. The actors’ seamless navigation and incorporation of the environment into their choreography made the stage feel brand new with each scene despite the unchanging backdrop.

The effects applied throughout bolstered the ever-changing notion of the stage. Before the show even began, the air was filled with an atmospheric haze that blended effortlessly with the textured lighting of the production, and after a particular triumph, a spray of golden sparklers erupted from on either side of the victors.

Whether it was a fight scene in slow motion or rushing around stage, the actors’ choreography was fluid and terrifically in sync. As if the visuals weren’t captivating enough, the audience was thrust into the action as actors barreled after each other down the aisles and swept tulle over their heads to further immerse them into the experience.

“The musical is super, super fast-paced, like it doesn’t dwell on really any scenes,” Lisowe said. “It’s more, I guess, more about the music, so it doesn’t really go into depth about any of the situations. It’s mainly just kind of the broader idea of the story.”

The time spent preparing shares the brisk momentum as the musical with three weeks allotted for rehearsals.

“It’s a show that [the actors] do over Christmas break,” Clay said. “They come together during those three weeks and just knock out a show.”

Despite the comedic nature and rapid pace of the production, the interactions and music managed to bare the more emotional side of the characters and their losses.

“There’s a lot of humor brought about because of the absurdity of the whole idea of demigods, and gods and all of it being real,” Clay said. “There’s a lot of, kind of, tongue in cheek, kind of making fun of all of that.”

The production brought the cast and crew together as working toward a common creative goal tends to.

“I enjoy seeing people that are excited about theater and engaged in what they’re trying to accomplish,” Clay said. “There’s nothing better in my mind [for] creating camaraderie and a kinship.”

Smotherman shared the sentiment, having established connections of her own.

“I have met some of the best people,” Smotherman said. “It’s crazy that I lived my life without them.”