“THE STORY YOU ARE ABOUT TO HEAR HAS BEEN TOLD BEFORE. A LOT”

By Yasmin Saoirse | @wandering.with ⭐⭐ | Press Invite

In 2005, I was far more interested in witches and wizards than Greek gods (much to my mother’s disappointment). But in 2025, I seem to be looking for a higher power, which is how I found myself at The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.

While the show itself leaves much out from the original story, the cast absolutely give it their all. With three highly skilled leads carrying us through the show, Simone Robinson stands out in particular. Switching seamlessly from Mother to Medusa to Charon. She is incredible and the most noteworthy aspect of the show.

The cast make the most of what they’ve got, but the lyrics are often more predictable than the melodies. The 2010 movie based on the same novel was critiqued for leaving key elements out. The musical has been further slim-lined. And without the movie magic of CGI, costumes & special effects, it makes you wonder where the budget went.

The set is impressive, with moving parts that multi role almost as much as the cast. It has an appropriate other worldly vibe to it., yet it feels like the same place throughout. High school to hell… I guess that could be quite apt.

Costumes feel like an afterthought for this production. Very basic, which works for the majority of characters. T-shirts, trainers, the odd pair of animal legs.

By the end, I was left with a lot of unanswered questions (a fact even commented in the dialogue), with the threat of a sequel feeling very real. What was once a creative take on the son of Poseidon, in this form is very much, a teenage musical myth of nepo babies and faux woe.

I believe the writers were attempting to create a passion piece to open doors for those of us often excluded. With some work, maybe this message could come across.

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is running at New Wimbledon Theatre until Saturday 1 November before continuing on a UK tour.

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Photo Credit: Johan Persson