By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor

Pennsauken Stages invites the community to join them for a mythical adventure as they perform “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical,” a hard-rocking stage adaptation of Rick Riordan’s highly popular novel, which has received both the movie treatment, as well as an ongoing series on Disney+. 

“’The Lightning Thief’ has a phenomenal score. It’s a rock show,” said Kate Guenther, vocal music and theatre director at Pennsauken High School. “The music is just so enjoyable to listen to. It’s a story that a lot of the kids know, or if they don’t, they’ve studied some of the Greek mythology in classes. They either have the reference from the books, or the films, or the TV show that’s out right now.”

In “The Lightning Thief,” a young Percy Jackson learns of his unique heritage as the demigod son of a Greek god. The show follows Percy, helped by his friends, as he learns about powers and attempts to stop a war between the gods.

“This is a great story of friendship, of community, of figuring out where you fit in this world, sung to an absolutely beautiful score with some of the best dancing and choreography that has been seen on this stage in probably about four to five years,” said Guenther.

It’s also an ambitious production for PHS, as they have a 50-person cast.

“We’ve had the lowest drop-off that I think we’ve ever had,” explained Guenther. “We’ve kept steady with this, which is a great testament to the kids and the work that they’re putting in and their enjoyment of the program, which is exciting.”

This year’s cast includes a lot of familiar faces: seniors with several shows under their belt, as well as both underclassmen and freshmen who were in the musical last year as part of the eighth-grade ensemble. And as Pennsauken High School is part of the Southern New Jersey Cappies, which trains theatre and journalism students to critique each other’s shows, the kids undertake a variety of roles in the production, including set design, choreography, vocal coaching, and more.

“As part of this program, any work on the show done 50 percent or more by students is eligible for awards,” said Guenther. “It’s everything you would see in the Tony Awards, like best set design, best lighting design, best costuming, best hair and makeup; it also goes for all of the student roles, best lead actor, best lead actress, best vocalist, best choreographer, all of those.”

Freshman Jay Lora is excited to be part of his first musical at PHS. A fan of Greek mythology, Jay has watched the movie and the TV show. A member of the ensemble, as well as the understudy for Mr. D, Jay is enjoying the show’s choreography.

“It definitely brings a challenge to me to stay aware and stay focused on how I move, and I can have fun while doing it,” said Lora. “I’ve enjoyed it and enjoyed working with everyone.”

Senior Kyanah Harris is getting ready for her fifth musical, playing Grover Underwood in “Lightning Thief.” This last show with PHS is a special one.

“It’s special watching everyone grow as the senior now, knowing that I was once in the underclassmen’s shoes, learning everything for the first time,” said Harris, who plans to study theatre arts at Drew University after graduation. “It’s nice seeing them catch on and being able to mentor them with what I learned growing up as well.”  

Kyanah also enjoys the authenticity of the show, as the cast portrays young people just like themselves.

“This show is about teenagers, so we get to be ourselves,” says Harris. “It’s pretty cool.”

Yaira Gomez-Torres, another PHS senior, is a production stage manager for Pennsauken Stages. She loves the sense of community she gets from being part of the show, as well as the ability to give back.

“It’s nice being able to know that we have people that we can teach and that are willing to learn,” said Gomez-Torres.

Yaira is also excited about the new set layout, which is unlike previous shows at PHS. Plus, the action scenes will be a must-see for the audience.

“This time around, we have different platforms and a side stage, which we haven’t done before,” explained Yaira. “And the combat scenes are really interesting. We even had a fight coordinator here to work with the cast. It’s very fun seeing the actors do that and get so immersed in their characters; I think that any audience member would love to see that.”

As opening night for “Lightning Thief” is right around the corner, the members of Pennsauken Stages enthusiastically invite the community to come see one of their performances.

“It’s going to be a fun time,” said Gomez-Torres. “You’ll see very good displays of acting, great vocals, amazing costumes, and great sets.”

“We put a lot of ourselves in the show, and you’ll be able to see our personalities shine through the way we play our characters on stage,” added Harris.

“There’s a lot of funny moments, a lot of good singing, a lot of very talented people in this play,” continued Lora. “It’s definitely something you would want to check out.”

Pennsauken Stages’ performances of “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” will be at Pennsauken High School, 800 Hylton Rd. Show times are March 12-14 at 7:00 p.m., with a matinee on March 15 at 2:00 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Ticket are available online and can also be purchased in advance by calling (856) 662-8500 x5273. Tickets will be sold at the door.