LIGHTNING THIEF Reviews

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 6:39pm

This opens tonight and I cant wait to see reviews for this one.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 6:57pm

This show was absolute trash from the acting to the design to the music. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 6:59pm

It might be the actual worst thing I’ve ever seen on a broadway stage.

[ModernMillie3]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 7:19pm

The only show in history in which I left at intermission. I felt such guilt but man, I HAD to get out of there!

[forgetmenotnyc]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 7:43pm

Just like our Facebook President, it's a sad state of affairs when a Shubert Bwy Theatre adds amateur crap to its real estate...it's no longer 'real'?

[HogansHero]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 8:10pm

forgetmenotnyc said: "Just like our Facebook President, it's a sad state of affairs when a Shubert Bwy Theatre adds amateur crap to its real estate...it's no longer 'real'?"

you think they should just leave the Longacre empty for the fall? Because that is what you are saying...

For the record (a) I have no love lost for this show and (b) there has always been crap in Broadway theatres. If this is the worst show any of us has seen (which I doubt except as hyperbole), it means we have not been alive long enough to have seen worse.

[Det95]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 8:26pm

I saw it in Detroit on tour last season. I was so disappointed. It got decent reviews when it ran off-broadway so I was excited to see it. Plus, I love the books. The only show I’ve seen that was worse was The Bodyguard. I honestly don’t get why it went to broadway.

[treblemakerz]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 8:34pm

Waiting with bated breath to see what the Times has to say about this one.

[forgetmenotnyc]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 8:40pm

Bwy houses are definitely better off staying empty than selling out to poor quality fillers. Hallowed halls are reduced otherwise.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 8:43pm

Tell that to the landlords

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 8:54pm

Poor quality to some, but pure joy to others.

When I saw the show, the row directly in front and back of me were filled with tweens excitedly mouthing along (quietly) to every single word, often bopping in their seats at what I expected to be their first musical. If not their first, absolutely not their last as they were in pure joy for 2 hours.

While I didn’t exactly share their joy personally, I am grouchless enough to recognize that this show was brought to Broadway for an extremely targeted demographic who seem to be enjoying every minute of it to see it the grandest stage there is: Broadway. If it’s not your thing, stay home.

Bravo to the TLT team for bringing the show to Broadway, hope they get some fair reviews tonight!

[persephone88]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:15pm

Greased Lightning, agreed. I saw it in Philly and although I am not the targeted demographic either, I can see why this would be entertaining for kids (and some now-teens and young adults) who loved those books. The audience when I saw it was enthusiastic and having a wonderful time. I was not expecting Broadway quality, but thought Chris McCarrell did a fine job. This is a touring show that is filling a Broadway house and meant to appeal to tourist families with kids. While it held my interest for the hour and a half or so - sounds like they may have padded the show for Bway? In any case, I typically do not pay Broadway prices for family oriented shows. If it's not your cup of tea, don't spend the money. 

[msmp]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:28pm

THR is out and it's a total pan, minus faint praise for the acting.

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:35pm

The interesting thing is that they mentioned that Rick Riordan had no intentions of seeing the musical live, when he's been endorsing the musical from the beginning.  He has specifically called the musical a much better adaptation than the movies, so I wonder where they got that information.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:36pm

“tacky, bargain-basement production”

There’s a pull-quote for ya!!

[HogansHero]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:38pm

@forgetmenot you seem to be forgetting that Broadway is a commercial enterprise, not some arts club.

[msmp]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:54pm

MollyJeanneMusic said: "The interesting thing is that they mentioned that Rick Riordan had no intentions of seeing the musical live, when he's been endorsing the musical from the beginning. He has specifically called the musical amuch better adaptationthan the movies, so I wonder where they got that information."

Riordan promotes/endorses the musical because it's more faithful to the books and there was an instant fan response to it. However, he's said in past interviews that while he will license the material, he doesn't want to see any of the adaptations because he wants to keep the universe he created consistent in his head. I guess not consuming the adaptations helps him to ensure he doesn't subconsciously change anything about the known characters?

[WayTooBroadway]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 10:45pm

New York Times, panned:

“Alas, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is a pale patch on the earlier show and a failed attempt to board the teenage fantasy-angst train. (See also: Be More Chill and, more successfully, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.) Based on the popular 2005 novel by Rick Riordan, it is both overblown and underproduced, filled with sentiments it can’t support and effects it can’t pull off.”

Updated On: 10/16/19 at 10:45 PM

[Dolly80]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 10:47pm

Bye Bye Percy !

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 11:07pm

Ouch. Ouch. I didn’t think the reviews would be this harsh.

[msmp]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 11:14pm

SouthernCakes said: "Ouch. Ouch. I didn’t think the reviews would be this harsh."

I was braced for it. Even as a huge fan of the show, this transfer seemed odd to me; it was announced last minute, no changes were made between the tour and the Broadway production, and the low-budget nature of it was always going to count against it in the hands of the critics. I will say my biggest issue with the reviews has to be Jesse Green somehow implying that a child from a home rife with domestic violence (which is how Percy is portrayed in the books and by strong implication in the show) is somehow "privileged." My quibble is more with the condescension than the criticism.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 10/17/19 at 12:03am

How's it compared to Margaritaville? 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/17/19 at 6:30am

any more reviews? Does this finish it's limited run?

[magictodo123]

Posted: 10/17/19 at 7:42am

As much as I don't want this to happen, does anyone think it's likely that this will mean an early closure for the show? 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/17/19 at 8:08am

Dancingthrulife2 said: "How's it compared to Margaritaville?"

Lighting Thief makes Margaritaville look like Shakespeare.