Discovering Percy

Thanks to CCM, My Copy is on the Way

A wave of relief swept over me when the three girls, probably around 8 or 9 years old, filed into the row next to me—unusual, since children near me in a theatre is normally the last thing I’d be happy about. But since I have no familiarity with the source material for CCM’s latest production, “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical,” I was concerned about what I would write about. So, surely my seatmates were big fans of Percy and his adventures–and if nothing else I could try to view the show through their eyes.

The musical tells the story of Percy Jackson, a teenage boy with ADHD and dyslexia who discovers he’s a demigod—the son of the Greek god Poseidon and a mortal woman. After being attacked by mythological monsters and learning his mother has been taken, Percy arrives at Camp Half-Blood, a training ground for demigods. When Zeus’s lightning bolt is stolen and Percy is accused of the theft, he’s thrust into a quest with his friends Annabeth (daughter of Athena) and Grover (a satyr) to find the real thief and prevent a war between the gods. Their journey takes them across America, facing monsters and gods, ultimately leading them to the Underworld itself. It’s a hero’s journey wrapped in pop-rock music, Greek mythology filtered through a contemporary lens, and a story about found family and discovering who you are when the world tells you that you’re different.

I planned to keep slyly checking on those girls, using their reactions as my compass. But somewhere around the time Percy fought a demon math teacher on a school field trip, I forgot they were there. Soon, I was busy rooting for the trio of heroes myself, too invested in whether they’d make it to Hades and stop the war between the gods.

So what changed? What made me stop looking sideways and fully face the stage?

The direction by Rachel Stevens ensured that the story was first, while coordinating seamlessly with the technical team. They pull off a monster of a feat with projections, screens, props, and stage magic that lands every time.

Music Director Rosamund Hencinski’s work is equally essential—these vocals are impeccable, the kind of tight and beautiful harmonies that remind you these students are training at an elite level.

But what really matters to me—what always matters—is the acting.

I was in the second row, close enough to see everything. I watched Griffin Simmons as Percy intently, hunting for any moment where he broke character, took a breath, stepped outside of being this kid who just found out he’s a demigod. That moment never came. And it wasn’t just Simmons—every performer stayed locked in, committed in a way that’s rare even in professional productions.

You see it in small moments: You see it when Gabe Raskind waddles on stage as the stinky stepfather, fully inhabiting this pathetic man without winking at the audience. You see it when Joey Baciocco rolls and gallops on stage as the centaur Chiron, playing it completely straight and being all the funnier for it. And you see it when Annika Jonker, Edin Kebede, and others respond to the action near the end with genuine empathy and sincerity with their entire bodies. It choked me up a little.

Jonker, a senior, gets her own showcase earlier in “Put You In Your Place,” the capture-the-flag battle that turns into a full company fight number. As Clarisse, the daughter of Ares, she’s fierce and formidable—the kind of performance that makes you sit up straighter in your seat. Sam Yousuf is an amazingly supportive best friend, channeling teenage energy and squirrel-loving charm that showcases his incredible range as a performer.

When Arden Allmon sang “My Grand Plan,” the audience gave her an extended applause break. This was a surprise—it’s a fine song, Allmon’s a powerhouse vocalist, but it’s not structured as a show-stopper. Yet the performance was so fully inhabited, so emotionally honest, that we couldn’t help ourselves. We believed every word, and belief demands acknowledgment.

Later, when the entire ensemble—Kebede featured—threw themselves into “D.O.A.,” the Underworld tour-guide number with dead musicians and Jessica Harris’s full-throttle choreography, I had that moment of recognition: “Oh right, we’re at CCM.”

What I witnessed wasn’t just talented students performing a popular show. It was young artists who’ve learned that technical excellence means nothing without emotional truth underneath it. Those three girls next to me got their Percy Jackson adventure, complete with monsters and gods and epic quests.

But I got something unexpected: a crash course in Greek mythology I’d been avoiding since high school, a demonstration of what elite training looks like in practice, and a marvelous night at the theatre.

My copy of Rick Riordan’s novel should arrive by Saturday. Turns out you’re never too old to discover Percy Jackson—you just need the right production to show you why he matters.

“The Lightning Thief” runs through Saturday at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Click here for more information or call the Box Office to inquire about tickets.