COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — In the spacious Butler Middle School auditorium, Cottonwood Heights Arts Council mounted an ambitious and high-energy production of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. Based on the best-selling book series by Rick Riordan, the musical features music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki and a book by Joe Tracz. The story follows teenage misfit Percy Jackson, who has been expelled from one school after another and is haunted by questions about the father he’s never known. When Percy discovers he’s a demigod — the son of a Greek god — he’s thrust into a quest not only to retrieve a stolen lightning bolt and prevent an all-out war on Mount Olympus, but also to win the kind of parental acceptance that many of his peers at “Camp Half-Blood” so desperately crave.
The musical kicks off with Percy belting a rock-infused ballad about his misfit status and the moment he accidentally vaporizes a substitute teacher, Mrs. Dodds — who turns out to be a winged Fury. The show leans into its pop-rock identity with headbanging intensity yet it at times gets bogged down in being exposition heavy. While that approach could risk slowing the momentum, this production kept the energy high and connected effectively with audiences of all ages thanks to its charismatic cast and spirited delivery.
The show is musically demanding, with dense lyrics, intricate rhythms, and relentless pacing — but the lead actors from CHAC proved more than capable. Garrett Stephenson, as Percy Jackson, delivered an impressively athletic vocal performance, navigating the show’s punishing musical load with confidence and clarity. He brought a believable teenage vulnerability to the role, capturing the perfect mix of angst, sarcasm, and emerging heroism. His physicality, facial expressions, and timing grounded the show’s wild mythology in relatable emotion.
Ellie England portrayed Annabeth Chase with precision and poise, nailing both the intellectual sharpness and emotional complexity of the character. As the daughter of Athena, Annabeth is brilliant and battle-ready but burdened by the emotional absence of her mother. England’s delivery of the feminist anthem “My Grand Plan” was both vocally dynamic and deeply affecting — soaring with confidence while revealing the quiet ache of being overlooked. She matched Stephenson beat for beat, and their strong on-stage rapport added both warmth and spark to the show’s central trio.
Austin Le, who first appears as the hilariously unhinged Mrs. Dodds, was a comic revelation. Le tackled a parade of zany side characters with an infectious, over-the-top energy that lit up the stage. It was a genuine delight each time he reappeared, often stealing scenes with perfectly timed physical comedy and sharply defined character work. His performance was a masterclass in making the most of every moment.
The production also boasted a thrilling live band, featuring guitarists Niel Johnson and Sebastian Smith, bassist Kevin Jackson, drummer Aiden Smith, and keys from Jennifer Hansen. Their sound brought the score roaring to life — loud, tight, and polished — adding rock-concert punch beyond the original cast recording to the mythological mayhem.
Director Lauri Baird pulled out all the stops to elevate this community production, notably by partnering with students from the Aerobatics Circus Center, whose flips and tumbling gave the ensemble numbers athletic flair and visual excitement. This creative staging choice transformed group scenes into high-flying spectacles that matched the story’s mythic scale. Baird used aisles and the full stage space to truly play with and to the audience throughout the production.
Joe Governale’s lighting design was another standout, punctuating key musical and dramatic moments with dynamic color shifts, strobes, and timed cues that gave the show a cinematic sweep. Jen Jackson’s costumes smartly balanced modern and mythical aesthetics, clarifying character groupings and enhancing action sequences that might otherwise have descended into chaos. I was, of course, quite taken with the impressive backpack harness puppet for the Minotaur who stood out as monstrously large despite the cavernous space of the theatre.
While the microphones occasionally crackled like Zeus himself was meddling, the show was otherwise technically sound — full of heart, humor, and heroic ambition. The Lightning Thief is no small feat for any company, but CHAC’s production proved a thunderous success.
Community theatre thrives when it embraces community as much as theatre.
As a non-resident, it was neat to watch people so engaged and locked in to this show and to show up to their community in force. It felt like a space that was the hottest ticket in town for the community, and their enthusiastic response to actors, musicians and story elements throughout the show was telling. While the show’s run has already zapped to it’s conclusion, the show was strong and represented a herculean team effort to make such shockingly good theatre.
These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.
