Thunder Bay ON — If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to discover you’re the son of a Greek god, the upcoming Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief musical offers an answer. Directed by Denise Krawczuk of Applauze Productions and starring 15-year-old Addison Peckford in the title role of Percy, this production is a labour of love for a cast and crew who’ve been dreaming about it for over a year. The musical is based on The Lightning Thief, one of a series of books written by Rick Riordan.
Peckford, a longtime fan of the books, describes the story as, “like Harry Potter, but better. It follows Percy as he finds out he’s a half-blood—half god, half mortal—and goes on a quest to retrieve Zeus’s lost bolt,” she explains. “Along the way, he makes friends and learns about himself.
It’s very cool.” Krawczuk admits she wasn’t familiar with the books initially. However, when her students started to request the musical, she listened.
“I knew there was a following and a lot of kids loved it. It’s resonating well. I really like this because it is a true team musical.
It’s all about their own journeys.” She notes that the excitement for the show was palpable long before rehearsals began last October. “The cast even launched their own TikTok campaign to drum up interest.
“The kids were so enthusiastic.” she says. “Percy’s journey has real heart.
” “Landing the role of Percy was a dream come true,” says Peckford. “We’ve all been beg.