Rick Riordan’s hit book series, Percy Jackson And The Olympians, tells the story of a seemingly ordinary boy (Percy) who struggles in school with ADHD and dyslexia - before it’s revealed that he’s actually the son of a Greek god. The epic adventures that ensue for Percy and his friends have previously been captured on the big screen and recently found a new audience via a Disney+ TV series. Now, fans around the country have the chance to catch up with Percy live on stage in a touring musical. What’s On spoke to the cast of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical to find out more…

It’s been 20 years since the publication of The Lightning Thief - the first novel in Rick Riordan’s hit fantasy-adventure series, Percy Jackson And The Olympians. The story follows the character of teenager Percy, who keeps finding himself in trouble at school and struggling to fit in. He eventually discovers that he is a demigod - his mother is human, but his absent father is a god from Greek mythology.

Vasco Emauz plays the title character in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, which, after its UK premiere in 2024, is now travelling to theatres across the nation, visiting Birmingham Hippodrome next month.

“Percy is just a kid who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere,” Vasco explains. “He’s got ADHD, and he’s just coming to terms with being the son of a Greek god.

“I remember being a teenager trying to figure out what to do with my life and who I was at the same time. I feel like that’s why a lot of writers gravitate towards having teenagers as heroes. The classic ‘hero journey’ is finding out who you are, what you’re good at, and going through all these trials - finding your ground. I think it translates really well into a ‘coming of age’ story.”

According to Vasco, who loved Riordan’s books as a child, the character offers important representation for teenagers who have faced similar struggles - even if they don’t have divine blood in their veins.

“It’s always amazing to see how teenagers relate to this story. I’ve gotten so many people at Stage Door talking about how they struggle with ADHD or dyslexia, and they find it so special to see heroes who have qualities that are usually seen in the world as negative traits - which is not true; they’re just different."

Joining Vasco in the cast are Cahir O’Neill as Grover, a satyr, and Kayna Montecillo as Annabeth, who, like Percy, is a demigod. Together, they portray the three heroes of the story.

“Grover Underwood is Percy’s best friend through this whole experience,” says Cahir. “He just drags him along and tries to protect him from all the monsters!”

“I play Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom,” adds Kayna. “She’s got a lot of strength in her knowledge and the way she fights.”

As the story is inspired by the adventures and quests told in Greek myths, there is some considerable pressure to ensure that the stage production is also suitably bombastic.

“It’s absolutely epic,” says Cahir. “I mean, we go on such a huge journey throughout the show. Expect the unexpected - one minute we’re on a bus, the next minute, we’re blowing up the bus, and then there’s monsters flying everywhere! What Lizzi Gee, the director, has done to the show suits it perfectly, I think. She’s done an amazing job of bringing the novel to life. The joy of [meeting] children at the Stage Door, when they say ‘I’ve grown up with the movies and I’ve grown up with the books,’ and knowing that we’ve done a perfect job for them, is honestly so rewarding in itself.”

The production is, after all, a real treat for fans of Percy Jackson - whether they devoured the book series, enjoyed the film adaptations made in the 2010s, or have rekindled their love of the story through a new television series, released by Disney in 2023. The books are particularly popular with teenage and pre-teen readers - so, for many, this is the first time they will be able to see their heroes come to life on stage; the musical’s tour has offered fans across the country the chance to see the story in a new way.

“I never really thought about how much more accessible it would be for people to come and see it,” says Kayna. “Every time we go to Stage Door, there’s been moments where someone’s like ‘This is the first time I’ve ever seen a musical,’ and a lot of them are kids. I think that’s been my favourite part [of the tour], and probably the part that surprised me the most.”

“It’s so exciting, bringing this show on the road for people who didn’t have the option to go to London,” says Cahir. “It’s so lovely, because the Percy Jackson community spans so many different places. No matter where we go, there’s fans in orange ‘Camp Half Blood’ T-shirts.”

And for the cast themselves, the tour has opened up some new opportunities as well.

“It’s just been so great to see so much of the UK,” says Vasco, who hails from Portugal. “Speaking for myself, I’ve never actually left London, apart from going to see my sister in Southampton. So being able to see the country and getting paid to do it, and being able to do a show at the same time, has just been a huge privilege. We’ve seen some amazing places!”

The trio have now been on the road with this production since August, but they show no signs of losing passion for their characters.

“I feel like I’m still learning so much about Annabeth every time I tell the story,” says Kayna. “Especially her relationship with everyone on stage. That’s always the fun of it - once rehearsals have finished, you never really stop learning new things, and you never stop discovering things about the character. Every time I play her, I love her so much more. I didn’t think I ever could.”

“Grover is such a goofy character,” adds Cahir. “He has so much comic energy throughout the whole show, but since starting the show, I’ve found so much depth in him, and so much emotional connection to him as well. It’s just so beautiful to open that and release it to the audience. I’ll cherish Grover forever. I think he’s just going to stick with me for life now.”

Part of the magic of live performance is the opportunity to see beloved characters as you’ve never seen them before - and for the young stars of The Lightning Thief, stepping out onto the stage to portray them is just as exciting.

“In any show, every time you do the show, you find something new,” says Vasco. “It’s great to not settle into what you’ve done; to keep it fresh, while at the same time keeping it consistent. I’ve loved Percy since I was a young kid. He was my childhood hero. I love him a lot, and I will continue to love him for the rest of this tour, and afterwards.”

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 24 to Saturday 28 February

By Jessica Clixby

on Fri, 12 Dec 2025

The Percy Jackson Musical promises to be epic in more ways than one...

This year marks 20 years since the publication of The Lightning Thief - the first novel in the Percy Jackson And The Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Riordan's books have sold more than 180 million copies worldwide, and to commemorate the special anniversary, a musical adaptation of that first novel has set off on a UK tour.

The Percy Jackson stories have already been adapted into blockbuster films and a Disney+ TV series. The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, with a book by Joe Tracz and music & lyrics by Rob Rokicki, is the latest incarnation of the hit story. 

In it, New York teenager Percy learns that he is the half-blood son of the Greek god Poseidon. With newly discovered powers that he can't control, a destiny he doesn't want, a whole textbook’s worth of mythical monsters on his trail, and the future of the world hanging in the balance, Percy must learn what it means to be a hero, as he and his friends embark on an epic, edge-of-the-seat adventure.

Vasco Emauz is thrilled to be playing Percy: “I really love him as a character, and I think a lot of people will see themselves in him. Throughout our lives we've all felt misunderstood or lost. On his journey, Percy finds where he belongs and finds his value as someone who is worthy of love.

The actor sees a lot of himself in the character: “Like Percy, I'm also quite resilient, but when I was younger, I never felt like I had a place where I belonged, and I didn't really feel understood. Now that I'm a bit older, I'm a lot more self-assured and I know who I am.”

This is only Vasco’s second professional role. He previously played Marty McFly in Back To The Future The Musical at London's Adelphi Theatre. “It was a pipe dream to be in London doing musical theatre, let alone leading a whole show. Playing such an iconic character was beyond my wildest dreams. It was a blast!”

The Lightning Thief presents some new challenges - including mastering stage combat. “I've never toured before, and it's a whole different beast to doing a show in a static place. But that's exciting, and I can't wait to explore other parts of the country... I've never played with swords before, so that's a great new skill to learn. The fights look really cool.”

And is there a message amidst all the fun and spectacle of The Lightning Thief? “Definitely. Percy's mum sings a song where she says that 'normal' is a myth, and that everyone has their own issues to deal with, which is a beautiful lyric - and it's true. Everyone is different in their own way, so what’s normal anyway? Just be who you are and you will find your people and your place in the world.”
Vasco is joined on stage by Kayna Montecillo, playing Annabeth, and Cahir O’Neill, who takes the role of Grover. And, as is the case for Vasco, The Lightning Thief is also the second professional appearance for his two young co-stars.

Wise and fearless Annabeth is the daughter of Athena (the goddess of wisdom and warfare) and has been waiting for someone to take her on a quest. 

“When Percy turns up, she realises it's finally her moment,” Kayna explains. “She's very ambitious and smart, and she has confidence in her skill set. She expects a lot of herself, and she wants the best for herself - as do I.”

Kayna admits she wasn't much of a reader when growing up, so she first encountered the Percy Jackson universe through the films. “They got me into Greek mythology, which I found fascinating, and I loved the stories  -but most of all, I really loved the friendships.”

She made her debut in the revival of Starlight Express at the Troubadour Theatre in Wembley Park, where she had to hone her skating skills. "When I landed the job, I was so excited, but then I thought 'Oh God, I've got to be on roller skates for a year!’ I ended up having the most amazing time, and it made me so much stronger as a performer.”

The daughter of Filipino parents, Kayna adds: "One time there was a young Asian girl in the audience who was clearly so excited to see someone who looked like her on stage. Since then, I've strived to be a person that younger people can see in a show and be like 'If she looks like me and she's up there doing it, I can do it as well.'"

Kayna also hopes that The Lightning Thief will engage a young audience. “With Starlight Express, I remember seeing so many little kids in the audience, and their eyes would just light up every time they saw the set come down for the first time. It's going to be the same with The Lightning Thief, because the set is incredible. The costumes, the props and the puppetry make it magical, too.”

Co-star Cahir O'Neill concurs. “It's going to be pure magic, especially for young audiences. This kind of story is the foundation of them getting into musical theatre, and they're going to be blown away by it.”
Cahir plays Grover, who is Percy's satyr sidekick and protector. “But he's a bit different from the other satyrs, who are usually very cocky in the way they present themselves. Grover is the complete opposite. He's such a shy, loving, heartwarming character, and you can't help but fall in love with him.”

The Ireland-born actor was quite shy himself when he was a youngster, so his parents encouraged him to take up musical theatre to help bring him out of his shell. “It worked! My confidence has grown over the years, and now Grover is showing me how to become an even more open and optimistic person, because he always tries to find the good in every situation... I'd never have thought I would learn so much from a half-goat!”

Cahir had seen the films, but hadn't read the books before landing the role. “Then I read The Lightning Thief and found it so funny and just a delight. I couldn't put it down, and the musical adaptation takes it to a whole other level.”

Singing the praises of the musical's score - “vocally demanding, in the best possible way” - Cahir has also had a challenge getting used to the goat legs. 

“They're actually quite comfy, and there's a lot of padding in them, so during rehearsals people would sometimes lie on my legs and take little naps!”

He, too, sees the show as one that empowers people to express their differences. “It touches on individuals who feel like outsiders and who suffer from, say, ADHD or dyslexia. It says that there's no such thing as being normal. We get people telling us 'Percy Jackson has meant so much to me over the years, so now to have it come to my hometown is great, because I get to see it with my family and friends.' That's so wonderful to hear.”

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical shows at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, from Tuesday 7 to Saturday 11 October, and at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre from Tuesday 14 to Saturday 18 October. 
The production then returns to the region next year, showing at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 24 to Saturday 28 February 

on Tue, 26 Aug 2025