EUSTIS, Fla. – Percy Jackson wakes up to powers he cannot control and a destiny he does not want, and you can catch the musical based on a beloved book in a theatre with more than 100 years of history.
The show is adapted from Rick Riordan’s best-selling novel “The Lightning Thief.”
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“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” sends the half-blood son of Poseidon on a quest to clear his name after Zeus’s lightning bolt is stolen.
The plot follows Percy as he tries to find the bolt, travel to the Underworld and back, and solve the Oracle’s riddle warning of betrayal by a friend. Percy also has to come to terms with the father who abandoned him.
Emma Register is the director behind the show. She said she first signed on in February of 2025. That’s when she collected her production team, starting with the lead of costuming, puppetry, and all other technical elements.
“Skylar and I created a Pinterest board to really design the technical elements of the show, from how the set would look like, to costuming, and to all of the puppets of the different monsters our trio meets along the way. May of 2025 was when the season was officially announced with my name attached to this project and that’s really when I fully went into pre-production,” Register said.
She hired the rest of her team, which includes a fight choreographer, music director, and choreographer.
Auditions opened in November, with casting in December.
Nick Allison plays Percy Jackson. He explained how he relates to his character.
“I was always the sarcastic kid growing up, but I was also the one constantly getting into trouble. I, like Percy himself, have severe ADHD, which made it really hard to regulate my emotions as a kid. I would get in a lot of trouble, especially at school. And I always hoped I would find somewhere to belong, just like the son of Poseidon. I found it and so did he,” Allison said.
He said his favorite part is Percy’s story with Annabeth Chase, his best friend and love interest in the musical.
“How they go from bickering, to slowly overcoming their differences and forming a real bond, to genuinely caring about one another. It helps that I’m playing across from a brilliant performer like Briana,” Allison said.
Briana Lopez plays Annabeth, the demigod daughter of Athena. Even though they’ve been working on the show for two months, she said she feels like her work began in December.
“I spent the month and a half leading up to our first official rehearsal familiarizing myself with the show’s music and also watching a video of the original Broadway production. When rehearsals started, and I got my hands on the script and score, I just spent my free time drilling my lines and singing along to the soundtrack,” Lopez said.
The stage adaptation features an original rock score, and it’s described as an action-packed, mythical adventure “worthy of the gods.”
Crosby Dold plays Grover Underwood, Percy Jackson’s best friend and guardian. They shared what the audience has to look forward to.
“This show is based on a series of books that has uplifted so many people from so many different communities. It has given us characters whose flaws in the ‘normal’ world are their biggest strength in our story, and that is something I can deeply relate too,” Dold said.
“There is a lyric in the show sung by Percy’s mom, Sally Jackson, which is ‘the things that make you different are the very things that make you strong.’ And I think that’s the core of our story, that every single person has something that makes them special and unique. That nothing is not a weakness or a flaw that needs to change or hide away deep in your closet. As Sally Jackson says, ‘normal is a myth.’”
The performance is coming from the Bay Street Players, a group of actors who first formed in 1974 to clean up the vacant Eustis State Theatre and bring live performances back to Eustis.
“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” will be at the Eustis State Theatre through March 29. Click here for information.
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