CANTON — The musical rendition of Rick Rioran’s young adult fantasy book “The Lightning Thief” is coming to the stage of Nelle Black Westgate Auditorium in Canton this weekend.
The fast-paced adventure centers around Percy Jackson, a so-called “half-blood” offspring of the ancient Greek god Poseiden. Played by sophomore Blake Barnes, Percy must learn about his godly heritage and find the eponymous thief of Zeus’s lightning bolt.
On Thursday, Canton’s amateur thespians held their final dress rehearsal, with director Randy Frye informing gathered parents that the show must go on.
“If someone is in danger, we’ll stop. If I’m in danger, we’ll march on,” he informed the crowd.
The play opens with an altercation between Barnes’s Percy Jackson and a mysterious substitute teacher played by Kylee Kilmer.
“Kylee has I think the most quick changes of the show,” Frye said of the young actor’s role. Kilmer makes many appearances in a variety of roles to antagonize Percy.
Junior Taran Bellows also engages in some quick changes as Percy’s camp friend Luke and also camp counselor Mr. D.
“This is one of the more challenging productions we’ve done in recent years,” Frye said of the show. “Our backstage crew is much more involved. They’ve done a great job. It’s a good, fun challenge to face.”
The plot will follow Percy along with his friends Grover, played by Gabe Blaney, and Annabeth, played by Gwendolyn Wile, as they quest for the lightning bolt to prevent a war among the gods.
Barnes is an old pro at Canton’s musicals; “The Lightning Thief” marks his fourth stage production at Canton.
“I’ve learned that the bigger the role the tougher it gets,” he said of his lead role.
While Barnes has much experience in musicals, eighth grader Gabe Blaney is stepping into his first major role.
“I’m very excited for it,” he said of his involvement. “The hardest part is all the memorization.”
During intermission on Thursday, Blaney said he was excited for his big song, Grover’s lament “The Tree on the Hill.”
Blaney, Wile, and Barnes will take their characters on an American odyssey, where they’ll fight monsters like chimera and the medusa and interact with Greek gods from Hermes to Hades.
Thursday’s dress rehearsal was in preparation for two productions this weekend, one Friday and one Saturday, both at 7 p.m.
Frye said he is thrilled to invite the Canton community to come out, watch the kids shine, and maybe learn a little bit about ancient mythology along the way.
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