Greek gods and demigods will soon be gracing the stage at the latest musical adaptation of a best-selling young adult novel by author Rick Riordan.
Taking the helm in a double role — as Grover Underwood, the cheerful and upbeat satyr, and as Dionysus, the Greek god of the grape harvest and camp director of Camp Half-Blood, also known as Mr. D, is Burnaby actor Ted Angelo Ngkaion. In a conversation with the NOW, Ngkaion spoke about his self-reflection in the days leading up to one of his first professional performances on stage post-graduation. His debut professional performance on stage, he said, was in a production titled Buto/Buto: Bones are Seeds, a collection of stories about Filipino immigration to Canada.
Playing characters on the opposite sides of the spectrum — a happy, fun-loving Grover versus the grumpy old Mr.D, Ngkaion said, was fascinating. He is ecstatic about bringing his childhood heroes to life on stage — with a rock musical twist. The timing of this play is fantastic, he added, with the Percy Jackson series that’s in the works.