As my eight-year-old son and I took our seats alongside parents and children from tots to teens in Adventure Theatre MTC’s intimate Glen Echo space for its summer production of The Lightning Thief – TYA Version, storm clouds rolled in above the New York cityscape projected on a screen between Greek-style columns. The sounds of thunder and sirens gave way to the opening musical number as the cityscape shifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where middle school misfit Percy Jackson and his classmates are on a class trip with their eccentric teacher, Mr. Brunner, expounding on Greek mythology from his wheelchair. When a chaperone transforms into a black-winged Fury and attacks Percy, and the ensuing incident results in Percy being expelled from school (his sixth expulsion in six years), Greek mythology leaps from the museum to life and sets in motion a grand adventure where Percy discovers who he is (the son of sea god Poseidon!) and joins in a quest to retrieve Zeus’s missing lightning bolt and prevent a war between the gods.
Adapted from Rick Riordan’s 2005 fantasy-adventure novel The Lightning Thief, which has inspired multiple sequels, a film adaptation, a Disney+ series, and a full-length Broadway musical, The Lightning Thief – TYA Version, now playing at Adventure Theatre MTC, presents the story on stage as it was introduced off-Broadway in 2014: as a one-act, one-hour musical. Joe Tracz’s book (directed by ATMTC artistic director Kurt Boehm) condenses Riordan’s nearly 400-page novel, with 16 pop-rock songs by Rob Rokicki (music directed by Elisa Rosman) advancing the plot and providing most of its emotional reveals.
Jeremy Crawford plays Percy Jackson with his heart on his sleeve. “Impudent” in his own words, irrepressible, and impulsive, Crawford’s Percy vents his frustration against his absent father, his lazy, demanding stepfather, the schools he has been expelled from, the world that he doesn’t fit into as an often-bullied child with ADHD and dyslexia. Underneath it all, however, he longs to “be a good kid, a good son … good enough for someone” and to find somewhere he belongs, as he sings powerfully in the punk-flavored number “Good Kid.”
Like Percy, Annabeth Chase (Brigid Wallace Harper), daughter of Athena (goddess of wisdom) and an unnamed history professor, has a chip on her shoulder against her divine and human parents. Harper captures Annabeth’s toughness and constant desire to assert her competence over Percy: “You don’t even know how to hold a sword!” Yet she, too, has a vulnerable side, expressed beautifully in her solo “My Grand Plan.”
The remaining members of the cast of seven each play multiple roles. Jordan Essex delivers comic relief in his dual roles as Percy’s best friend and sidekick, the satyr Grover, and Mr. D (also known as Dionysus, Greek god of wine), the world-weary, sardonic director of Camp Half-Blood, the summer camp for demigods like Percy and Annabeth. Cayla Hall plays Percy’s mother, Sally, with calm strength and fierce loyalty, while also appearing as several of the story’s mythical monsters. Trenton Beavers, appearing in the role of camp counselor Luke for the first time on July 7, the day we attended, stands out as Ares, god of war, swaggering onto the stage in black leather jacket, pants, boots, shades, and Afro pick (costumes by Bailey Hammett). Hammett’s costumes particularly shine in Christian Montgomery’s multiple roles as Mr. Brunner, revealed to be the centaur Chiron (complete with horse’s tail), Hawaiian shirt-clad surfer dude Poseidon, and Hades, god of the underworld.
Fitting all of this action into one act and one hour requires heavy lifting from ATMTC’s cast and crew, and they are up to the task. Director Boehm, choreographer Ashleigh King, and fight choreographer Ryan Sellers use every inch of the stage (and its aisles) and keep the cast moving near-seamlessly through the play’s nonstop action. Hailey LaRoe’s projections on a screen at center stage move the plot from New York City to the fictitious Camp Half-Blood to Las Vegas to Los Angeles as Percy, Grover, and Annabeth race across the country on their quest.
The relentless pace that a one-hour version of the play requires means that some of the memorable moments of Riordan’s novel are condensed or eliminated, and some of the decisions Percy faces along his journey are made abruptly. The ending — revealing the true identity of the titular Lightning Thief — feels particularly rushed as a result. However, ATMTC’s production captures the narrative arc of the story, along with the emotional arcs of its main characters, and delivers a highly entertaining Lightning Thief full of theatrical magic and visual and verbal humor for both children and their parents to enjoy.
Running Time: Approximately 60 minutes, without intermission.
The Lightning Thief – TYA Version plays through August 17, 2025, at Adventure Theatre MTC (ATMTC), 7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD. Tickets are $27, with group, field trip, and birthday party rates available. Purchase tickets online or call the box office at 301-634-2270.
The show is recommended for ages 5 and up.
This production features flashing lights, fog, and moments of theatrical combat. Parental discretion is advised for young heroes sensitive to such effects.
The Lightning Thief – TYA Version
Book by Joe Tracz
Music & Lyrics by Rob Rokicki
Adapted from the book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Directed by Kurt Boehm
CAST
Percy Jackson: Jeremy Crawford
Annabeth: Brigid Wallace Harper
Grover: Jordan Essex
Luke: Jimmy Bartlebaugh
Sally Jackson: Cayla Hall
Clarisse: Caroline Graham
Mr. Brunner: Christian Montgomery
Swing/Luke as of July 7: Trenton Beavers
Swing: Alexandra Lopez
Swing as of July 7: Bryan Stopak
PRODUCTION CREW
Director: Kurt Boehm
Choreographer: Ashleigh King**
Music Director: Elisa Rosman
Fight Choreographer: Ryan Sellers
Set Designer: Megan Holden
Lighting Designer: Lynn Joslin*
Projections Designer: Hailey LaRoe
Costume Designer: Bailey Hammett
Resident Props Designer: Andrea “Dre” Moore
Sound Designer: Brandon Cook
Stage Manager: Shannon Saulnier
Assistant Stage Manager: Mercedes Blankenship
Director of Production: Michael Burgtorf
Technical Director: Jax Penland
Production Manager/Dramaturg: Dom Ocampo
*Member of United Scenic Artists Local USA 829
**Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
SEE ALSO:
Adventure Theatre MTC embarks on an epic quest with ‘The Lightning Thief’ (news story, May 28, 2025)
