Greg Barnett is currently in the cast of the Percy Jackson musical The Lightning Thief at The Other Palace in London, originating the role of Mr Brunner in the UK premiere, also playing Hades and Poseidon. The Lightning Thief is booking until 31st August and Greg is the resident director and works with a cast including Max Harwood as Percy Jackson, Scott Folan as Grover and Jessica Lee as Annabeth. Last year, Greg played James in A Family Business, and in 2023, he played Belléme in Henry I, and throughout 2018, Greg was performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company playing Delio in The Duchess of Malfi, Belvoir in The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich and Jimmie & Cedric in Miss Littlewood. Having made his West End debut at the age of 10 as Gavroche in Les Misérables, Greg’s further credits include A Christmas Carol as Ebenezer Scrooge, Zorro and Sweeney Todd. During the COVID pandemic, Greg was the producer and host of the Monday Night at the Apollo concert series in aid of Acting For Others, and with screen experience, he played Jesus in Jesus: His Life for the History Channel in 2019. Catching up with Greg, he talks about his current role of Mr Brunner in The Lightning Thief at The Other Palace, performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company throughout 2018 and hosting the Monday Night at the Apollo concert series during the COVID pandemic.
You are currently playing the role of Mr Brunner in The Lightning Thief at The Other Palace, was there anything that drew you to the production?
I am indeed playing Mr Brunner, as well as Hades and Poseidon in the show. The comedy in the roles was what first drew me to the production. I always enjoy when I get to create larger than life characters and, when I read the script, I thought it would be fun to play this range of characters.
For those that aren’t familiar with the Percy Jackson franchise, can you tell us about The Lightning Thief and your character, without giving spoilers?
The Percy Jackson books are the second highest selling series to Harry Potter. It follows a boy who thinks his learning difficulties are holding him back, but turns out he is actually a half god and what he thought would hold him back turns out to be his superpowers as he heads out on a quest to recover Zeus’ lightning bolt.
What is Mr Brunner like to play, and how is it originating the character in the UK premiere?
Mr Brunner is a joy to play as are all the characters I get to play within the show. They’re all larger than life characters, I guess that makes sense with them all being gods, and it’s been lots of fun discovering their unique character traits.
What are you enjoying most about being the resident director for The Lightning Thief and how has it been taking on the role?
Now we’re open, the resident director side to my work has begun in full swing. I’m loving our cover rehearsals, mainly because we have the most awesome understudies. They all bring their own brilliant personal attributes to the roles they cover and it’s so rewarding seeing them produce work to such a high standard. We had a day before cover rehearsals had started when our cover Percy, Morgan Gregory, was on at very late notice. We had an hour to rehearse him in to the part. He was absolutely brilliant and proved himself a star in the making. Being part of the journey and seeing him smash it out there is why the resident role is so rewarding.
How is it working alongside the rest of the cast, which includes Max Harwood as Percy Jackson, Scott Folan as Grover and Jessica Lee as Annabeth, and what is The Lightning Thief like to be part of?
Max, Scott and Jess are great to work with and are all fantastic in their roles. As indeed are the whole cast. We are very lucky to have such a tight-knit group, especially as it’s not the biggest of backstage areas. The show is great fun to perform and it’s a genuine pleasure to do on a nightly basis.
How are you finding your time working at The Other Palace and how is the run going so far?
Really enjoying working at The Other Palace. It’s got a lovely inviting feel to the whole theatre, with friendly staff working in all departments.
What has it been like seeing the audience response to the musical and why would you recommend booking tickets to see The Lightning Thief, which is currently booking at The Other Palace in London until 31st August?
The audience response is making the job more enjoyable than I imagined. Meeting all the Percy fans at stage door and seeing how much it means to people is genuinely a major perk of this job.
Can you tell us about playing James in A Family Business?
James in A Family Business was a completely different beast to this one. The play was about nuclear disarmament and James was an advocate for retaining nuclear defence. It was intense, but rewarding.
In 2023, you played Belléme in Henry I, how was this?
Belléme was one of the most evil characters I’ve played over the years and, if I’m honest, I love playing the baddies.
What was it like performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company throughout 2018 in The Duchess of Malfi as Delio, The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich as Belvoir and Miss Littlewood as Jimmie & Cedric?
The RSC was one of those times when I got to eat, sleep and breathe acting. We would rehearse in the day and perform at night and, honestly, it was one of my favourite times in my career.
Over your acting career so far, you have been involved with many other theatre productions including A Christmas Carol as Ebenezer Scrooge, These Trees are Made of Blood as The General, Swallows and Amazons as Captain Flint, Zorro and Sweeney Todd, and made your West End debut as Gavroche in Les Misérables, what are some of your stand-out highlights?
Playing Gavroche in the West End at the age of 10 is the reason I do what I do and was one of those experiences that totally shaped my life.
As an on-screen actor, you portrayed Jesus in Jesus: His Life for History Channel in 2019, how did you find the experience?
Filmed this for three months in Morocco, which was another full-on life experience moment. Loved the job, loved the people, loved the experience.
Can you tell us about producing and hosting the concert series Monday Night at the Apollo during the COVID pandemic?
In the thick of the pandemic, we wanted to put on concerts to raise money for Acting For Others. So we put together some of the best performers in the country and had a blast getting back on stage for the first time after lockdowns.
Do you have any favourite theatre shows to watch and which would you like to see that you haven’t done so as yet?
So many shows I want to see. Looking forward to watching Punch when it opens at the Young Vic.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I love long walks with my dog. Dinner with friends. Keeping myself fit and healthy.
What are you looking forward to most for continuing your run as Mr Brunner in the UK premiere of The Lightning Thief, and what do you hope 2025 brings for you?
I met a kid at stage door a few weeks ago who told me this was the first show he’d ever seen and I could see how excited he was by it. I’m looking forward to a lot more of that and generally meeting all the wonderful Percy Jackson fans.
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