Bring on the monsters…(or just the critics)
Perle and I at the opening night of The Lightning Thief on Broadway!
So, this is a little late, but we were inundated with Jewish holidays. Here goes...
Perle and I went to see the Lightning Thief’s opening night last Wednesday on Broadway.
I’ve seen it twice on tour, once in previews and then again on opening night.
Perle saw it off-Broadway, twice on tour, once in previews and then again on opening night.
We also listen to the cast album A LOT. And we’ve read the Percy Jackson books more than a dozen times each. We’ve even seen the movies, but we don’t like to talk about those.
Suffice it to say, we’re Percy Jackson fans.
So when I read the (mostly negative) reviews the other day about the musical, I had a few choice words to throw in their (reviewers) face.
If you’re going to review a musical based off a book, shouldn’t you know more than a few cursory things about the musical and the book? Some of the worst criticisms were written in ways that made me think the reviewers had not read the books and had slept through most of the musical. Factual errors abounded. Like one reviewer who claimed that Percy, played by 28-year-old Chris McCarrell, is playing a teenager instead of a 12-year-old. He’s not. And claims that they changed things from the tour to Broadway. They didn’t. Nothing significant at least like the length of the show or the number of songs (which is apparent from the hugely popular Off-Broadway cast album). Also, IT’S NOTHING LIKE THE MOVIE. So please don’t even try to compare it to the movie. Thanks.
The highest premium ticket price is $199, which critics seemed to revel in pointing out. But that’s not what fans can pay. Tickets many nights go for as low as $39, and Perle and I got opening night front row rush tickets for $42. So maybe critics can pay $199, but the regular folks are just going to shell out a couple of twenties for a fun night out.
This show is fun. It’s not selling moral lessons about suicide or bullying (go see the critically acclaimed Dear Evan Hansen for that). It’s not a folk story about Greek Mythology (go across the street for Hadestown for that). It’s not even Harry Potter, though it does have quite a few similarities. I mean, cursed child might have good production value (I still can’t afford to see it) but it’s basically just fan fiction. The Lightning Thief is a fun, adventure romp so people can spend a couple of hours being entertained, laughing and at times remembering what makes us all special. So stop comparing it to other shows, and stop shaming musicals that remind us all what it was like to be young (Be More Chill also got slammed in the reviews). THE BOOKS ARE FUN, AND SO IS THE MUSICAL. (The movies are still terrible).
Speaking of being young, this show is not just for teens and tweens. I’m 33 years old. I first read the Lightning Thief when I was 18 and immediately shared it with my family members. As a huge fan of Greek Mythology and adventure stories (including young adult fiction), Percy was an appealing character and I loved his adventures. My sister was 10 when the book came out. She felt the same way. And we still feel that way. Sometimes, you need Elizabeth Bennett and other times you need Percy Jackson. That’s how books work. They transport you to worlds and ages and times that you don’t get to visit otherwise. So let’s stop saying only 12-year-olds can find this rock musical entertaining.
Yea, the show is scrappy and low-budget with a hella creative set and lighting design (in my opinion). But it’s also a limited 16-week run on Broadway after a successful tour. I like that it’s scrappy. I know people expect more from Broadway, but maybe we can just appreciate when people do more with less. It’s pretty clever, if you ask me. Not to mention, Percy is scrappy. So that tracks.
So there it is. Our official review of the reviews.
But hey, what do we know. We’re not theatre critics. Just fans of the show.
Sincerely, Us