SpongeBob Musical is the Musical You Never Knew you Needed
We all know the bubbly and charming world of everyone’s favorite sea creature, SpongeBob SquarePants! But did you know that the sea pineapple dweller has a Broadway Musical?
The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage! brings the critters of Bikini Bottom to the big stage. The show stands as a stand-alone special episode for Season 12 and is a televised version of the Broadway Musical.
The story follows SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick facing a crisis when an active undersea volcano suddenly erupts. This causes a frenzy in Bikini Bottom, just exactly what Plankton needs for one of his schemes. Together with the genius squirrel Sandy Cheeks, SpongeBob, and Patrick must save the day by making the best day ever!
Not convinced to watch it yet? Here are some of the reasons why you should!
Incredible Set Design
Many remember Bikini Bottom to be just a regular undersea city, but not in this musical! Bikini Bottom’s set design displays colorful neon patterns and oceanic elements like kelp, jellyfish, and iconic floral patterns. The play also gets creative in making different scenes look outstanding, like Patrick’s stretchable couch and Mount Humongous made with boxes and paper. Most impressively, all of the items and designs in the set are made from recyclable or recycled materials!
The set utilized various projectors to create on-stage effects, making the show more cartoony. The lighting used played a critical role in setting the mood of the set and complimenting the props and costumes. The stage feels like a glimpse of the cartoon episodes we watch on weekday mornings,
Charming Character Designs
SpongeBob SquarePants contains iconic characters that are hard to imagine outside of their original appearances. But all it takes is a little imagination, and that’s exactly what happened in the musical!
SpongeBob wears a bright yellow shirt with square patterns and brown pants with a checkered design. He feels like an ’80s paper boy, which lets Ethan Slater pull off SpongeBob convincingly! Patrick exudes stoner surfer vibes with his tie-dye shirt and pink floral button-up and shorts. An Elvis-esque pompadour hair stands atop his head, representing the conehead Patrick has in the cartoons.
But the most eye-catching of them all is Squidward! Gavin Lee wears Squidward’s standard brown shirt and mint green pants -with a twist! Since Squidward has four legs, Lee wears an extra pair of prosthetic legs that functions similarly to a normal leg!
Amazing Performances
The cartoon’s outlandish theatrics and catchy tunes remain in the show’s musical adaptation. The show features a variety of musical numbers, each with a different theme!
Super Sea Star Savior showcases gospel-themed lyrics mirroring Patrick’s sudden guru status. The performance exhibits Danny Skinner’s insane vocal runs and belting techniques, all the while trying to sound like Patrick. The duet of Mr. Krabs (Brian Ray Norris) and Pearl (Jai’len Josey) in Daddy Knows Best left people in awe because of the two’s stellar performance. When The Going Gets Tough leans toward the R&B/rap genre, performed by Plankton (Wesley Taylor).
The show also pays homage to “Best Day Ever”, a song from The SpongeBob Movie.
Inspiring Messages
More than being funny, entertaining, and bizarre, the SpongeBob Musical also has a heart.
The musical tells the perfect messages for kids and adults alike. SpongeBob and Squidward’s arc narrates how one should not believe in words intended to bring you down and overcome it. SpongeBob constantly gets called a “simple sponge”, with no one believing he could be the manager of Krusty Krabs. On the other hand, Squidward gets reminded of his artistic mediocrity and was branded a “loser”. Both characters went beyond their struggles through a music number, uplifting spirits, and teaching determination.
Social concepts were also introduced in the show. No one believes in Sandy Cheek’s ingenuity because she’s a land mammal and does not belong. The Mayor of Bikini Bottom constantly lies to her citizens despite the crisis being actually more alarming than initially thought. These story arcs teach kids about discrimination and politics while staying in the child-friendly lane.
Overall, The SpongeBob Musical instills values behind the energy and fun!
The musical went on to bag multiple award nominations in 2018. The show won Outstanding New Broadway Musical and Outstanding New Score at Outer Critics Circle Awards. And why wouldn’t it? David Bowie, Panic! At the Disco, and Lady Antebellum wrote songs for the show!
So have a trip down Nostalgia Town with SpongeBob the Musical!
Want to read more articles like this? Click here!
