>>>
>>> GOOD
>>> GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME. UP FIRST IS THE NATIONAL TOUR
BASED ON THE BEST-SELLING YOUNG
ADULT BOOK SERIES BY RICK
RIORDAN THE PERCY JACKSON
MUSICAL.
MUSICAL.
MUSICAL. THAT WAS A SOLD-OUT HIT OFF-
BROADWAY EARNING THREE
NOMINATIONS INCLUDING BEST
MUSICAL.
MUSICAL.
MUSICAL. THE NOVELS HAVE SOLD MORE THAN
100 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE.
THE SHOW OPENS AT THE 5th
AVENUE THEATRE TONIGHT IN HERE
WITH A FIRST LOOK IS IT'S STAR
CHRIS.
CHRIS.
CHRIS. >>
CHRIS. >> ♪ THE SAME OLD STORY, THE
SAME OLD SONG, DON'T ACT UP
DON'T ACT OUT BE STRONG.
I KEEP MY HEAD DOWN AND I KEEP
MY CHIN UP IT ENDS UP ALL THE
SAME PACK YOUR BAGS, PERCY YOU
ARE ALWAYS TO BLAME.
♪ I NEVER TRIED TO DO ANYTHING
, I NEVER MEAN TO HURT ANYONE.
♪ I TRY TO BE A GOOD KID, A
GOOD KID, A GOOD SON.
♪ NO ONE EVER WILL TAKE MY
SIDE.
SIDE.
SIDE. ALL
SIDE. ALL I EVER DO IS TAKE IT.
I SWEAR I AM A GOOD KID.
GUESS I AM GOOD FOR NOTHING AT
ALL.
ALL.
ALL. ♪
ALL. ♪ EVERY BATTLE EVERY DAY.
NOBODY EVER TELLS ME HOW WOULD
YOU LIKE TO COME AROUND AND
STAY.
STAY.
STAY. YOU
STAY. YOU GET A BAD PAGE AND A BAD RAP
AND NO FRIENDS AND NO HOPE. ♪
ALL I NEED IS ONE LAST CHANCE
TO PROVE I'M GOOD ENOUGH FOR
SOMEONE. AND GOOD ENOUGH FOR
SOMEONE ♪ ♪.
>> COME ON OVER.
HOW DO YOU DO THAT AT THIS TIME
OF DAY?
OF DAY?
OF DAY? I
OF DAY? I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU MANAGE.
SO YOUR THE TITLE CHARACTER AND
YOU ALSO ORIGINATED THE ROLE.
TELL ME ABOUT PERCY.
>> SHE IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE
HERO.
HERO.
HERO. HE
HERO. HE STRUGGLES IN SCHOOL HE HAS
ADHD AND DYSLEXIA AND A SINGLE-
PARENT FAMILY AND THROUGHOUT
THE SHOW HE REALIZES THAT ALL
OF THESE THINGS THAT SOCIETY
TELLS HIM MY WEAKNESSES ARE
ACTUALLY HINTS THAT HE IS HALF
GREEK GOD.
GREEK GOD. >> SO THEY ARE NOT JUST
STRENGTHS.
STRENGTHS. THEY ARE GREEK GOD MATERIAL.
>> IT IS AN ELECTRIC AND FUN
SHOW.
SHOW.
SHOW. >>
SHOW. >> IT IS SOME OF THE MOST COLOR
I HAVE EVER SEEN ON STAGE BUT
WE REALLY TRY TO SEE THE WORLD
THROUGH PERCY'S EYES AND HE IS
THIS YOUNG PRETEEN BEING THROWN
INTO THESE CRAZY SITUATIONS.
>> HE SEES THE WORLD THIS WAY.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. THE MUSIC IS ROCK MUSIC SO WE
TRY TO USE SOME ROCK LIGHTING
EFFECTS THROUGHOUT THE SHOW SO
THERE IS TIMES THAT THERE'S BIG
FLASHES OF LIGHT AND THUNDER.
>> IT IS BASED IN PART ON GREEK
MYTHOLOGY.
MYTHOLOGY. TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY IT IS
KIND OF THE IDEA THAT GOD'S ARE
SUPERPOWERFUL BUT THEY ARE KIND
OF HUMAN IN THEIR MESSINESS.
THEY ARE MESSING AROUND AND IN
OUR STORY WE USE THAT AS WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN THE GENERATION
BEFORE YOU JUST DOES NOT HAVE
THEIR ACT TOGETHER.
IT'S JUST MORE OF THE CONCEPT
OF GETTING HANDED A WORLD AS A
GENERATION BEING LIKE HIS IS
THE WORLD WE WANT TO CONTINUE
OR TO HAVE OUR MARK ON.
>> SO THE BOOKS ARE VERY POPULAR
WITH MILLENNIAL AND YOUNG
PEOPLE BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE
A CERTAIN AGE TO READ THE BOOKS.
I THINK THAT IS WHY.
YOUNG PEOPLE RELATE TO THAT
FEELING AND THEIR OWN KIND OF
WHERE DO I FIT IN AND WHAT IS
THIS ABOUT AND WHY DO I HAVE
SUCH DIFFERENT VIEWS THAN MY
GRANDPARENTS AND WHAT DO WE DO
WITH THE FUTURE.
>> AND JUST AS A SOCIETY.
ESPECIALLY IN SCHOOL I HAVE
EXPERIENCED THIS SO DIRECTLY
BUT WHAT WE HOLD UP AS STRENGTHS
IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. KIDS ALL
HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BRAINS
AND ARTISTIC BRAINS AND MAYBE
THEY CAN'T SIT STILL DURING
CLASS AND HOW DO WE LIFT UP
THOSE KIDS TO ACTUALLY FIND
THEIR STRENGTHS RATHER THAN
BRAINWASHING THEM INTO THINKING
THAT THEY HAVE NO POWER.
THAT IS A HUGE PART OF THE
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. >>
STORY. >> WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO FIND
OUT WHO YOU ARE WHICH IS HARD
ENOUGH AS IT IS.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR OWN
TEENAGE YEARS DO YOU DRAW
ANYTHING THAT HELPS YOU TO
RELATE?
RELATE?
RELATE? >> TOTALLY.
>> TOTALLY. I WAS ALWAYS THE KID UP THE
FIELD TRIP WANDERING AROUND
TEACHERS ALWAYS THOUGHT I WAS A
LOOSE. I WAS ALWAYS THE KID
THAT GOT ASKED THE QUESTION TO
SEE IF HE WAS PAYING ATTENTION
AND I WAS ALWAYS PAYING
ATTENTION I JUST DID NOT LOOK
LIKE IT.
LIKE IT.
LIKE IT. >> WE OF THE KID AT BASEBALL
THAT LET THE BALL ROLL BY
BECAUSE YOU ARE PLAYING WITH
THE GRAPHS.
THE GRAPHS. >> I BRAIDED THE GRASS.
>> WHAT IS THE AGE RANGE THAT
YOU THINK WOULD ENDED ENJOY OR
UNDERSTAND THE SHOW.
WITH LITTLE KIDS GET IT?
>> WE HAVE PENS THAT TURN INTO
SWORDS AND SHOES THAT FLY AND
SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS THAT TURN
INTO MONSTERS.
INTO MONSTERS. THE KIDS LOVE IT.
THE PRETEENS AND TWEEN'S ARE
GOING THROUGH THE EXACT SAME
STUFF IN THEIR OWN WAY.
FOR COLLEGE KIDS IT IS A
CELEBRATION OF FINDING YOURSELF
AND GOING THROUGH THAT AGAIN IN
A WAY THAT ENLIVENS THEM.
PARENTS RELATE TO IT ALSO
BECAUSE IT IS ALL ABOUT HOW YOU
PARENT A KID THAT DOES NOT GET
THE SUPPORT IN SCHOOL.
>> AND YOU REMEMBER YOUR OWN
CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE AS HE
WATCHES KIDS GO THROUGH THAT SO
IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE SECOND
TIME AROUND AND HE CAN'T
ABSOLUTELY TRANSFER THE LIFE
LESSONS.
LESSONS.
LESSONS. THEY HAVE TO BE EARNED SO WHAT
DOES THE TITLE MEAN THE
LIGHTNING THIEF?
LIGHTNING THIEF? >> IT IS ALL ABOUT SOMEBODY
STOLE ZEUS'S LIGHTNING AND ALL
SIGNS POINT TO PERCY.
PERCY IS JUST AS CONFUSED AS
EVER AS TO WHY ZEUS THINKS HE
STOLE HIS LIGHTNING.
HE GOES ON A QUEST TO CLEAR HIS
NAME AND TO ALSO SAVE HIS MOM
WHILE THE WORLD IS TRULY ON THE
BRINK OF WORLD WAR III
>> SO NO PRESSURE.
>> HOW TO DO THAT STARTED
SINGING AND AND MUSICALS?
>> MY OLDER BROTHER WAS ALWAYS
A MUSIC GUY AND HE WAS A
CELEBRITY IN MY MIND.
I GREW UP THINKING IF I COULD
BE COOL AND MUSICAL THEATER
THAT WAS THE COOLEST THING I
COULD POSSIBLY DO.
I GOT STARTED WILLIE YOUNG AND
IN HIGH SCHOOL I KNEW IT WAS
NOT A HOBBY ANYMORE.
>> THIS IS WONDERFUL FROM ALL
POINTS OF VIEW THE MUSIC AND
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT YOU
DO WITH IT AND THE LESSONS THAT
WE WALK AWAY WITH.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. THE PERCY
JACKSON MUSICAL IS ONLY HERE
FOR A LIMITED TIME.
IT OPENS TONIGHT AND RUNS
THROUGH SUNDAY. WE HAVE A PAIR
OF TICKETS TO GIVE TO ONE LUCKY
VIEWER.
VIEWER.
VIEWER. GO TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND
ANSWER THE QUESTION IN THE
COMMENTS BELOW THE POST AND YOU
COULD BE THE WINNER.
THANK YOU AGAIN.
IT IS LOVELY TO HAVE YOU HERE.
>>> WHEN WE COME BACK IN YOUR
CHILDREN'S BOOK PLAYER SEATTLE
GUIDANCE COUNSELOR WHO