#story: izzy figueroa

[kristinstoked]

From Izzy Figueroa’s Instagram story (April 25 2019)

[newyorktheater]

I think if I were eight years old I might have loved “The Lightning Thief” on Broadway, but that’s mostly because I would then have been too young to have seen it at the Lucille Lortel Theatre five years ago. Downtown, this musical about Percy Jackson, a modern American adolescent who also happens to be a demigod from Greek mythology, was just an hour long, charming in a do-it-yourself low-budget way….and free of charge!

At Broadway’s Longacre Theater, “The Lightning Thief” is two hours long, not as charming…and very much not free.

Bringing the musical to Broadway hasn’t made The Lightning Thief a better show — it’s ballooned beyond its fighting weight — but I can understand why the creative team might have felt compelled to do so.   Percy Jackson began life as the hero of a series of bedtime stories that Rick Riordan created for his son, then became the protagonist on the pages of Riordan’s bestselling novels. The novels  were adapted into a couple of blockbuster movies starring Logan Lerman. Once the story was further adapted into a Theatreworks children’s stage musical by playwright Joe Tracz, composer Rob Rokicki and director Stephen Bracket, it must have seemed inevitable to continue the trajectory.

There is still some charm and wit, especially for those who have read the books, in the story of Percy (Chris McCarrell), a boy who doesn’t fit in, discovering that he is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and one of the three most powerful deities.

He finds this out after his mortal mother Sally (Jalynn Steele) has sent him to Camp Half-Blood where he meets other children from mixed families (half mortal, half divine.) Together they sing “The Campfire Song,” the cleverest of the 18 in the show, expressing their resentment of their absent god parent:

Oh things couldn’t be worse When your parents run the universe

We’re introduced early and often to this sometimes amusing crossbreeding of myth and adolescent angst – increasingly familiar on Broadway, as well as on young adult bookshelves – which would be funnier if there were less of it. Similarly, the inspirational message for the kiddies is hammered home in song after song. In “Strong,” for example, Percy laments:

if you’re weird, you’re weak

His mother Sally replies melodically: That’s where you’re wrong The things that make you different are the very things that make you strong

The plot too is familiar – a hero’s quest, which kicks in soon after Percy learns that Zeus (his uncle) thinks Percy has stolen his thunderbolt. Percy travels by bus from New Jersey to L.A., where Hades is located. He is ccompanied by his best friend Grover (Jorrel Javier), who’s a satyr, half-man, half-goat, and by Annabeth, the super-competent but of course neglected daughter of Athena (Kristin Stokes, the only performer in the seven-member cast who was also in the Off-Broadway production.)

But on Broadway, audiences must now withstand the irksome effects from the overblown Broadway special effects playbook –  the production flashes bright lights in our eyes, and thunderous booms in our ears, drops confetti on our heads, plus (admittedly a novel one) uses leaf blowers to drape us with rolls of toilet paper, as if we’re suburban trees during Halloween. My reaction to these touches reminds me of an old Borscht Belt joke: Catskill resort guest: “The food in this place is terrible.” Her friend: ‘Yeah, and such small portions.” Nobody who’s been to Broadway before is going to ooh or ahhh at the effects, or at the parade of colorful (mostly low-tech puppet) monsters with whom Percy and his pals do battle, via sword or fist or just tumbling and fumbling around — Furies, a minotaur, Medussa, Chime, Hades, a surprise traitor in their midst….. “The Lightning Thief” has its pleasures. Among them are the chance to see stand-out cast memer Jalynn Steele work her way through half a dozen mythic or monster characters. This includes Charon, who ferries people to the Underworld, and late in the show does a full-on, soulful show-stopper called “D.O.A.” with cameos by Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and Mozart. Not everybody stuck it out to see it the night I attended; two adults sitting to my left and two immediately in front of me left at intermission. But I didn’t see any kids leave.

Click on any photograph by Jeremy Daniels to see it enlarged

The Lightning Thief Longacre Book by Joe Tracz, based on the book by Rick Riordan; Music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki; Choreography by Patrick McCollum; Directed by Stephen Brackett.

Scenic design by Lee Savage, costume design by Sydney Maresca, lighting design by David Lander, sound design by Ryan Rumery, new puppetry designs by Achesonwalsh Studios, fight direction by Rod Winter, hair, wig and makeup dieting by Dave Bova. Cast: Chris McCarrell, Izzy Figueroa, Jorrel Javier, Ryan Knowles, Sam Leicht, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, James Hayden Rodriguez, Jalynn Steele, T. Shyvonne Stewart and Kristin Stokes Running time: Two hours and ten minutes, including one intermission Tickets: $39 to $199 The Lightning Thief is on stage through January 5, 2020.

The Lightning Thief Review: On Broadway Battling Beasts and Bloat I think if I were eight years old I might have loved "The Lightning Thief" on Broadway, but that’s mostly because I would then have been too young to have seen it at the Lucille Lortel Theatre five years ago.

[jamieisnotrich]

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical Tour Review

This past Saturday I had the privilege of seeing the national tour of The Lighting Thief musical at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. From the set design to the actors to the engagement with the audience, I would certainly suggest seeing this musical if you have the chance. Now, for my experience seeing the musical. 

The set design for the musical was phenomenal; the low-budget, thown-together stage production look they were going for worked. Some of the set pieces even got a few laughs from the audience with how awkward they appeared. Instead of this appearing lazy, this design looked as if Percy Jackson himself were telling his story on a stage, which is how the original book is narrated. The stage appeared charming throughout and while I took a picture of the stage beforehand, I kind of regret not getting a picture during intermission as well. The rafters on the sides held the band up, which helped to maintain the overall creative design put forward in this production.

At the Winspear, there is a giant chandelier (shown above) that is risen up into the ceiling before the start of a show. Before the show, it was blinking blue and white the the sounds of creepy birds and wind; I have been to several shows and the Winspear and I have never seen them change the lights on the chandelier to fit a show. Also, when the chandelier was raised, it depicted the shape of a lightning bolt (the logo) in blue and yellow, and later on in the show when Percy was claimed by his godly parent, they showed the shape of his parent’s symbol in blue and white. This was very creative and I thought it gave a nice touch to the production as a whole. However, I do wonder how they do it at other theatres. If you have seen this show somewhere else, feel free to message me about how they did it there. 

Chris McCarrell’s performance was amazing and I would definitely go see this musical again just to see his comical execution at Percy again. From his over-the-top reaction to Smelly Gabe to his smart aleck comments about the gods, McCarrell certainly portrayed a 12-year-old Percy Jackson. One of the most memorable moment was during the opening song when he slide out onto the stage into a “Draw me like one of your French girls”-type pose. It was really a great moment for the audience and really amusing overall. 

While I did particularly love George Salazar’s original performance as Grover/Mr.D, I am kind of biased toward Texas State graduates. Jorrel Javier is a great replacement for Salazar and did an amazing job at making the character(s) his own. Sadly, however, Javier left during the intermission and Izzy Figueroa had to fill in for him. Figueroa kept up the amp of the characters for the audience and did a great job at helping the show go on. Overall, all three actors do a great job at portraying the characters; the casting for this musical is great all the way through. 

While McCarrell and Javier are certainly showstoppers when it comes to this production, the surprising talent comes from Ryan Knowles’ performance as Hades. I was certainly thrown off-guard when Knowles absolutely stole the show in a single scene. His over-the-top portrayal of an often looked-over god was hysterical, and I kind of wish more people were talking about it. His performance is definitely underrated. 

The musical as a whole did a great job at engaging with an audience that has either been reading Rick Riordan’s books for years or may have never heard of Percy Jackson at all. With a plethora of adult humor mixed with the middle grade level jokes the Percy Jackson series is known for, this musical is definitely for all ages. I saw a mixture of families with young kids, teenagers, and elderly seeing this musical, and all walked out with a smile on their faces. 

My only complaint about this musical (which is very minor, mind you) is the choreography could have been done a lot better. It was all kind of awkward and I really wish it were a bit bigger, yet simpler to fit with the musical. Otherwise, every bit and piece creative-wise was perfect. 

If you have the chance to, I would certainly suggest seeing this musical. Tickets are fairly cheap and last until July, which isn’t much more time. Here’s the website to check it out: X. 

[optimusphillip]

The Lightning Thief is a Divine Musical

If my timing is right, The Lightning Thief has recently concluded its seven-month first national tour. I saw it on its penultimate weekend in Boston, Massachusetts, and it was quite an experience. I haven’t mentioned this very much, but I was a huge fan of the Percy Jackson books in middle school, so as soon as I knew this musical existed, I had added the cast album to my musical lexicon, and before long had all the lyrics memorized. And naturally, when the opportunity to catch it on tour presented itself, I jumped on it, and was not disappointed. So let me attempt to revisit this, and share my opinion on it.

Plot

For those unfamiliar, The Lightning Thief is about a preteen boy named Percy Jackson (Chris McCarrell), who discovers that he is the half-blood son of Poseidon, and the prime suspect in the theft of Zeus’s master bolt. As a result, he must embark on a quest to find the bolt before the summer solstice, clear his name, and stop the gods from going to war. Joining him on his quest are Grover Underwood (Izzy Figueroa), his best friend from school and secret guardian satyr, and Annabeth Chase (Kristin Stokes), the know-it-all daughter of Athena. It’s a wonderful send-off to the ancient Greek legends, and is surprisingly well-suited to the musical stage. It didn’t come through completely unscathed from book to play, but I feel the changes ultimately help the story. Percy’s two encounters with Clarisse are condensed to one, and much of the long journey is condensed into a single musical number (though this does come at the cost of the Chimera fight and the Lotus Hotel scene, but they’re at least referenced), while the campfire scene gives us a glimpse into the life of a half-blood, while still fitting seamlessly into the story. Aside from that, it’s the same great story we’ve come to know and love over the past decade. I can’t think of much to complain about.

Cast/Characters

Let’s get this out of the way: the main cast are way older than the characters they play. For example, Percy Jackson is 12, while Chris McCarrell is 28. This doesn’t bother me as much as it did in the movie, though. For one, the medium of off-Broadway theater doesn’t lend itself especially well to the use of child actors. And for two, these actors capture the role so well, you barely notice the age difference. Percy is a dimwitted joker, Grover is a neurotic glutton, Annabeth is a know-it-all with abandonment issues, and all three actors capture it really well. Special mention goes to Izzy Figueroa, by the way. He had some big shoes to fill when George Salazar left the show, but he still managed to pull it off at least as well, if not better.

But I really do need to give mad props to the rest of the cast. James Hayden Rodriguez, T. Shyvonne Stewart, Jalynn Steele, and Ryan Knowles all play multiple characters, and even Izzy has an extra role as Dionysus, aka Mr. D. And all of them pull it off perfectly. I really liked Ryan Knowles as Poseidon. But James Rodriguez is probably my favorite of these multicast players. He does a great job as both Luke, the jaded son of Hermes, and Ares, the badass, loudmouth god of war. At no point did I feel I was watching people pretend to be these characters: they felt like the real people, jumped out of the pages. It was a stellar performance all around.

Music

But what is a musical without good music? Not much. And does The Lightning Thief have good music?

Boy. Did you not read the introduction?

The moment I listened to this cast album, it went right on my frequent listening list. What can I say? The music slaps. From earworms like “Another Terrible Day” and “Lost”, to emotional powerhouses like “Strong” and “Their Sign”, to rocking jams like “Put You in Your Place” and “Bring on the Monsters”, it covers all its bases. You also get some stand-outs, like “The Campfire Song”, which is exactly what it sounds like; a campfire-style song about all the gods from their children’s perspective. If I had to pick a top three, it would have to be “Strong”, for its powerful message that speaks to me as an autistic individual, “The Tree on the Hill”, for being such a gut-punch that I nearly cried in the theater, and “Good Kid”, for just being a catchy glimpse into Percy’s psyche. That said, there’s not a bad song on this album, and even if you never get a chance to see this show, at least give it a listen.

Tech

The technical elements of this show were really impressive, as one would expect from a musical based on gods and monsters. The creature effects in particular amazed me, partly because I hadn’t seen any pictures of this production prior to going to see it. The two that stand out to me in particular are Mrs. Dodds and the Minotaur, who are both played by large puppets that ended up being surprisingly terrifying. I also found the Oracle rather interesting: Jalynn Steele stood on a platform, wearing a dress that draped over several other actors, creating this weird multi-armed effect. Medusa was about what you’d expect, being just Ryan Knowles wearing a snake wig, but they also gave her LED eyes, which helps get across the magic eye effect, as well as making her fit with the other monsters. As I mentioned, the gang doesn’t fight the Chimera in this version, but it does make an appearance... kind of. They put a pair of LED’s in the dog crate Echidna was holding, and played some growling noises. Cerberus is... weird in this version. He makes an appearance in “D.O.A.”, a song and dance number led by ferrywoman Charon, as a deadmau5 style DJ. It was kind of funny, really, but still a strange choice.

The lighting setup was pretty clever as well. The grid consisted of several LED light fixtures mounted on universal pivots, which made for some clever lighting effects. There was also a row of lights on the edge of the deck, which could either be angled towards the actors as additional lighting, or angled forward for effect. I don’t know how common this is in professional theater, but I found it to be a really cool setup, that definitely made up for the minimal set design. The effect that really stood out to me was the lightning. It was incredibly lifelike, almost to the point where I’d caution those with sensory issues before seeing this show.

Final Thoughts

This show was amazing. From start to finish, I was geeking out at watching one of my favorite childhood stories being brought to life. Even putting my nostalgia aside, this felt like an entertaining musical, with spectacular effects, stellar acting, beautiful music, and a compelling narrative to hold it all together. Now like I said, this show is just now concluding its first national tour, and has not announced any future theatrical runs, so sadly, you may not have a chance to see it with this cast and crew. Even so, I’d still recommend you check this musical out, or at least listen to the cast album. And when Percy's back next summer, I’ll definitely see him again.

[darlinglove]

Music of the presentations The Dance Awards Las Vegas 2018

Sophia Frilot - Red Sky: Ich Wollt', Ich War' Des Sturmes Weib - AGF & Gudrun Gut

Casey Cheung - Here With Us: Here with Us - Joy Williams

Juliet Donenfeld - Eternal Love: Eternal Love - Abel Korzenionwski

Jadyn Dumound - Entertain Us: Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana *COVER*

Kailyn Yi - Farewell: Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart - Vera ynn

Charlotte Foldes - Forced Through Time: Stillness #1 The FRam, Greenland - Machinefabriek

Angelina Elliot - We Had Today: We had Today - Rachel Portman

Rachel Loiselle - Arch Angel: heyr himnasmiður - Hildur Gudnadottir

Crystal Huang - Look Out: Look Out - James Vicent McMorrow

Tate McRae - Woman: Woman - Rhye

Harlow Ganz - Elegy: Elegy - Hammock

Savannah Kristich - Escape From Mongolia: Mongolia - Armand Amar

Ava Brooks - Tiger Rag: Tiger Rag - Art Tatum

Ally Reuter - Mad World: Jasmine Thompson

Brooklyn Simpson - I'm In Here: I'm in here - Sia

Mia Damico - Lose Control: Lose control - Missy Elliott feat. Ciara & Fat Man coop

Izzy Howard - Penny Dreadful: Broadchurch Album Main Theme - Olafur Arnalds

Kaitlyn Paula - Sweet Child O' Mine: Sweet Child O' Mine - Jasmine Thompson

Gracyn French - Ivy: Infra 1 - Max Richter

Elliana Walmsley - At The Mercy Of The Waves: At the mercy of the waves - Clem Leek

Elyse Wingertsahn - Beautiful Thing: Beautiful thing - Grace VanderWaal

Taytum Ruckle - Charms: Charms - Abel Korzeniowski

Daviana Fletcher - Ne Me Quitte Pas: Ne me quitte pas - Jesse Cook

Olivia Benyamin - Dimming Light: The dimming of road and rights - Raime

Alexis Weldner - What Holds Me Down: Phantom Rhread IV - Jonny Greenwood

Grace McKinley - Define: Together we will live forever - Clint Mansell

Aaliyah Dixon - Rhythm Nation: Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson

Laci Stoico - Feel It: Feel it still - Portugal. The Man

Sky Mottet - The Radical Self: The radical Self - AGF feat. Kubra Khademi

Bella Sor - Through Time: Seasong 1 to 4 and other little stories - Ezio Bosso

Delaney Taylor - Inescapable: Vastaa - Vladislav Delay

Leah Sachs - Mississippi: Mississipe - Paula Cole

Olivia Bell - Confine: The last foundry - Raime

Audrey Donnelly - I Won't Dance: I won't dance - Peggy Lee

Campbell Clark - The Feather: Main Theme, Feather Theme - Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

Blanche Arnold - Mama Knows Best: Mamma knows best - Jessie J

Alexis Alvarez - Caution: Nuage III - Sylvain Chauveau

Christian Smith - Malware: lost & Found - Amon Tobin

Ezra Sosa - Drowning: Drowning - Mick Jenkins feat. BADBADNOTGOOD

Jaxon Willard - Down N Out: Makin me happy - Elias

Yadiel Figueroa - Futeki: Feel the love - kids see ghosts

Jamie Bacon - Tiger's Bride: The tiger's bride - Lena Fayre

Zeke Lindsey - Acceptance of Death: On the nature of daylight - Max Richter

Chau - Miracle Mire: Nannou 2 - Aphex Twin

Talia Seitel - Thirds: Toy Plane - Dustin Nantais

Jada German - Her Pigment: - *

Aaliyah Zolina - Wandering: aheym - Kronos Quartet With Bryce Dessner

Lauren Yakima - You Are Mine: I put a spell on you - Alice Smith

Lucy Vallely - Natural Woman: A natural woman - Carole King

Shelby Patterson - For All We Know: For all we know - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

Sarah Reasons - Nothing Compares: - *

Alli Burgess - This is Where I Fall: Go home - East of my youth

Selena Hamilton - Hand Covers Bruise: Hand covers bruise - Petra Haden

Kamri Peterson - Rain: Raein - Ólafur Arnalds

Jenna Valenzuela - Human Touch: Human Touch - Gazelle Twin

Emmy Cheung - Oblivian Interval: Aheym - Kronos Quartet with Bryce Dessner

Sydney Centeno - The Radical Self: The Radical Self - AGF feat Kubra Khademi

Addison Jones - Floating: Floating/Sinking - Peter Broderick

Sophia Sands - Snowfall: Winterreise - Max Richter

Alden Rosaldo - Human: Human - Sevdaliza

Tiana Heaton - Demise: Tippy's Demise - Stars of the Lid

Avery Watson - Smile: Smile - Halie Loren

Julia Stumpf - Construction: Hammers and nails - Johann Johannsson

Brooke Judge - Ne Me Quitte Pas: Ne me quitte pas - Maysa

Athena Andrade - Inhibited: The way - Zack Hemesey

Gabi D'Ambra - Lilac Wine: Lilac Wine - Nina Simone

Reyna Pine - Descruction: Death of a florest - Murcof

Michelle Siemienowski - Becoming: -*

Lane Styles - Voices: Sand - Keaton Henson

Carlee Schield - Restless Heart: Restless heart - AGF

Izzy Warfield - Drill: Driling an ocean - Greie gut fraktion

Shylah Bucher - Induced Reverie: Bohrer - Senking

Milla Fabirkiewicz - The Answer: Answer - Sarah McLachlan

Aimee Cho - Under the Moon: Nocturne in G minor - Olafur Arnalds & Alice Sara Ott

Marion Norris - Wave of Thoughts: one of twelve - Johann Johannsson

Daphne Mar - My Party Dress: My party dress - Kait Kerrigan & Brian Lowdermilk

Brooklyn Vara - Is The Color: Black is the color of my true love's hair - Nina Simone

Page Kracht - The Mind: -*

Madison Beerer - Some 1 2 Watch Over Me: Someone to watch over me - Frank Sinatra

Courtney Chiu - Torn: - *

Kiarra Waidelich - Ocean Eyes: ocean eyes - Billie Eilish

Kayla Seitel - Explosions: Explosions - Ellie Goulding

Anna Brown - Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah: Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah - Debbie Reynolds

Kate Deshler - Requiem for a Dream: Summer Overture - Clint Mansell

Zack Sommer - Spare Thought: Hum - Adult Jazz

Chloe Slone - Reset: - *

Joziah German - As Crazy As It Is: As crazy as it is - ZHU

Madelyn Munz - The System: My tears flood the streets - Charlotte Martin

Zoe Ridge - We Were Sparkling: No promises - Cheat codes feat Demi Lovato

Jade Bucci - I'll Fall Behind: Spiegeling - Orphax & Machinefabriek

Malia Gardner - Gone: Gone to Earth - Goldfrapp

Holden Maples - Aquatic: Aquatic - Son Lux

Summer O'Haver - Overload: Unflesh - Gazelle Twin

Carter Williams - Nerve Leak: - *

Samuel McWiliams - Containing A Thousand: Mausoleum - Lakker

Allie Andrew - Accustomed To Your Love: Tu me acostumbraste - Chavela Vargas

Jake McAuley - Passport Control: Chapitre III, Us border anne-james

Mia Maxwell - Breathe Into Me: keepers - Croatian Amor

* Soon | https://swki.me/7cWsp38a

[kristinstoked]

From Sam Hartley’s and Izzy Figueroa’s Instagram story (August 19 2019)

[kristinstoked]

From Sam Leicht’s and Izzy Figueroa’s Instagram stories (June 30 2019)

[kristinstoked]

From Izzy Figueroa’s Instagram story (June 25 2019)

[kristinstoked]

From Izzy Figueroa’s Instagram story (July 24 2019)

[kristinstoked]

From Izzy Figueroa’s Instagram story (May 10 2019)

[kristinstoked]

From Izzy Figueroa’s Instagram story (May 31 2019)

[kristinstoked]

From Izzy Figueroa’s Instagram story (June 29 2019)

[kristinstoked]

From Kristin Stokes’, Izzy Figueroa’s, Jorrel Javier’s and Ashton McWhirter’s Instagram stories (April 10 2019)

(click to see who posted what)

[kristinstoked]

From Chris McCarrell’s, Izzy Figueroa’s and Jorrel Javier’s Instagram stories (May 31 2019)

[kristinstoked]

From Izzy Figueroa’s Instagram story (May 4 2019)

[kristinstoked]

From Izzy Figueroa’s Instagram story (July 20 2019)