The Gods are real. Like the Greek Gods… Well, Half Bloods. 

The thespians of Manchester have done it again with yet another successful Drama Club season come and gone. Though they broke status quo last year with the cult classic of Disney’s High School Musical, they went bigger, better, and a bit more mythical with this year’s production of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. 

Senior, Anthony Raimondi, took center stage as the title character, Percy Jackson. With many adaptations of the Rick Riordan book series, it was gripping to see how Anthony would portray such a role. During the preparation of the show, Anthony explained he planned on making his character of Percy, “seem like a stupidly innocent boy who’s very ironically funny, however, can also be an unstoppable force when made angry.” Anthony did just that. He put his own artistic spin on the son of Poseidon, while also adding a side of comic relief while dealing with themes of identity, loss, finding your strength, and the power of friendship. 

The entire quest of self discovery couldn’t be achieved if it weren’t for Percy’s two noble friends, Grover, played by Marisiya Goins, and Annabeth, played by Drama Club President, Casey Cribbin. 

Percy’s satirical sidekick, Grover, had a laugh out loud, admirable performance which brought out the character’s true cheerful and upbeat nature. Marisiya Goins was the unrivaled choice for Grover, the brave and great protector. The costume for Grover was ideal, it was simplistic enough but perfectly conveyed Grover’s most noticeable features like his horns, goat legs, and hippie aesthetic with his tie dyed shirt and fringe vest. All in which truly helped bring the character as well as the mythical beings to life on stage. 

The voice of reason on the entire quest was Annabeth, following in her mother’s footsteps (Goddess of Wisdom, Athena). Casey Cribbin showed the sensitive side of a character who has always been the smartest and toughest person in the room, yet she was still never viewed as the hero. All of this is expressed through one of the power ballads in the show, “My Grand Plan”, a self-critical, pivotal, song about Annabeth’s longing to be noticed and seen by her mother that she wanted to make proud. Casey flawlessly belted out the ballad as Annabeth rises up from the typical demi-god stereotypes. She is a smart and bookish leader, who struggles to stand in the shadow of her absent parents, like most half-bloods. This Hermione type character proves time and time again they are just as capable of being the main hero of their own narrative even with the help of their friends, which makes the perfect trio. 

Vice President of the Drama Club, Dylan Delmonico, served as multiple characters in the show as well as taking up the role of Assistant Director. Taking his final at Manchester was emotional but without a doubt, Dylan not only amazed audiences as Mr. Brunner turned Chiron with his long wavy locks and matching tail. But his transformation to the God of the Underworld, Hades was transcendent. Following last year’s production of High School Musical, Dylan stunned audiences with his multiple costume changes as the theatrical and dramatic, Mr. Darbus. His final sparkly red jacket was such a fan-favorite, he brought some of his Darbus roots to the Underworld. Taking inspiration from 70s icon, David Bowie from Labyrinth, playing such an ideal and royal character like Hades, it was only fitting to have the famously gothic draping sleeves, elaborate ruffled shirt, and of course, now blue sparkly jacket. The character wouldn’t be complete without his high flamed blue hair. Dylan vocalized his comfort on the stage as Hades, “[The character] brought me to be fabulous and with such an amazing outfit, just made me be myself”. He continued to express his love for the arts and how much the Drama Club has impacted his high school experience, “It was a bittersweet weekend but felt amazing to leave my mark on the high school stage.” 

The Lighting Thief is unlike any other show, it was much more action packed, full of perfectly choreographed fight sequences that kept audiences on the edge of their seats. In the opening of the show, Anthony shared a battle sequence with English teacher, Ms. Vecchione as Mrs. Dodds who is later revealed to be a Fury (not a “Furry” like Percy jokes about). Other Sister Furies were cameoed by Mrs. Gymioty and Kelsey Hoban. The Drama Club were privileged enough to have been trained in stage combat techniques by a professional Stage Combat Director, Terri Mclntyre. 

On behalf of the Drama Club, everyone would like to express their gratitude and appreciation to all who can to support the arts this weekend. 

Each musical note sung, musical number danced, or sword fight battled, this year’s performance just proved that Drama is more than a club, it’s a family. If there is anything to take away from The Lightning Thief, it’s that Half-Bloods stick together.