Theatre Development Fund – TDF: Since 1961, TheaterWorksUSA has toured lit-based shows for young audiences to 49 states and parts of Canada. But the nonprofit's productions never made it to Broadway… until now. The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical at the Longacre Theatre is the realization of the company's long-held dream to mount a show on the Main Stem. "Sarah, Plain and Tall came close," says TheaterWorksUSA's longtime artistic director Barbara Pasternack. "And Little Women started at TheaterWorksUSA, but another team eventually brought it to Broadway."
4 comments:
As someone who never liked the Percy Jackson series, I can't say that I'm overly enthusiastic about this production. However, I really like the story of this journey to Broadway because it shows that by sticking with a project you can make even an unconventional production successful. I really appreciate that they kept the technical elements the same because it preserves the overall quality of the production and sends a nice message that shows don't need to be super high budget or technically advanced to make it to Broadway. There's something really refreshing about seeing community or school productions that make the most of their limited budget. Some of my best inspiration has come from seeing the compromises and creative solutions companies with small budgets make to put on a production. The Lightning Thief Musical may not have my favorite storyline or music, but I have to respect the journey that this group went through to get it to where it is now.
I was OBSESSED with Percy Jackson back in elementary school. I owe my passion for Greek mythology to it. I adore the story and the characters and the nostalgia it brings me. When I saw it was becoming a musical, I had absolutely no interest to see it. I am a strong believer in execution being key to a good show, but it just didn’t feel original to me. Books have always been adapted in theatre, but this felt like a cash grab to me. After reading this article, I don’t think that as much anymore. Perhaps it was still a cash grab, but you can tell the director did have a love for the story and a passion to make it at least better than the movies. It is admirable to see this show’s journey work its way up to Broadway stages and bring more attention to a wonderful story. I may still have no interest to see it, but I do appreciate the impact it will have on the fans and new viewers alike.
This show has been such a weird part of my life. I was obsessed with the books throughout middle school and was not a fan of the movie. During my freshman year they decided to take this show off-broadway. When it went off-broadway, it was extremely successful, granted the theater was small but it did gain a lot of traction. During this time, I was working for a producer who wanted to get involved in it. Sometime later my boss ended up being one of the lead producers and decided to tour it this year. During the winter break last year, I got to do some work on it helping the company manger and the office. I was able to see the different stages of the musicals life. When I found out the show was transferring to Broadway, I was so excited and happy for everyone involved as they have worked so hard for this.
The development of this musical is one that is very interesting to me. As a fan of the Percy Jackson books and a disliker of the movies, I was also curious to know how Rick Riordan would feel allowing another adaptation of his book, given that he has been outspoken about how much he dislikes the film adaptations. The idea presented in the article by one of the members of the creative team about engaging the imagination of the audience seems like a risky decision. To some people, it can appear lazy to not fully embrace the spectacle of a story like this, but it seems like their decision has worked out for them in terms. However, hearing about shooting toilet paper out of leaf-blowers or goofy, homemade-appearing centaur transformations, or plastic light up glasses really seems like they are leaning into the comedic aspect of the presentation, especially in a place where there is an immersive and spectacular Harry Potter play onstage.
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