The SpongeBob Musical

“The SpongeBob Musical” was the perfect choice for CLSTG to involve both their junior and adult membership. It was a lively, colourful, high-energy production in which every person involved came across as having the best time.

If you have never seen the cartoon characters before it may take you a while to understand why there’s a squirrel living under the sea and a sponge living in a pineapple, but the musical tells a story of friendship, diversity and looking after each other and does it with absolute joy. “Bikini Bottom” where the characters live is under threat from a nearby volcano “Mount Humungous” which is about to erupt and destroy the town. SpongeBob and his best friends Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks need to work together to save their home, but panic makes the other residents turn against each other and it’s up to SpongeBob to prove that optimism can help save their world. Another unusual aspect of this musical is that the music is written by different contributors, its not a “juke box” musical but has a collection of numbers written especially for it by multiple writers including Cyndy Lauper, Aerosmith, David Bowie and Sara Bareilles.

The stage set revolved around a large media wall which was used to good effect to make the scene transitions seamless and perfectly portray the bright cartoon world. Along side this there was a mobile staircase and mobile platform moved into various positions depicting different areas including the accent of the volcano which was expertly choreographed using the stage crew. The crew were integrated into the action throughout which worked well. The lighting complimented the action and the colour wash of the stage floor to reflect the screen worked well. Lighting changes were slick and always musically appropriate. The sound was generally good although occasionally the band overpowered the vocals in the underscoring. The many costumes inspired by the original production were bright and colourful and enhanced the visual impact.

Lauren Benson as Perch Perkins perfectly delivered all the “news updates”, her diction was very clear which really helped the story telling. There is always someone trying to stop the happy ending and in this show it is Plankton together with his computer wife Karen. Alex Rochester as Plankton was excellent, his transition from lead roles in the junior productions to this one was seamless and he has the skills of a seasoned performer; Liv Poulter as Karen also gave a confident performance and together these two made a formidable team. Mr Krabs the grumpy, money obsessed owner of the “Krusty Krab” where SpongeBob works, was brought to life by Andy Smith. Andy ‘s bright red beard and hair, together with his perfected laugh and characterisation brought laughter all of his scenes. As his daughter Pearl, Isla Baker stood out with her powerhouse vocals in “Daddy Knows Best”.  A very different role than usual for Katherine Donald as the melancholy Squidward whose ambition is to perform a showstopping number, but he is interrupted at every opportunity. Once that number “I’m Not A Loser” was performed together with the accompanying sea anemones it was indeed a highlight vocally and visually. Squidward’s walk and expressions, together with the additional legs, caused hilarity. Rowan Allon as Sandy had the character just right and had a believable friendship with SpongeBob. Rowanne is always vocally strong and her duet “Chop to the Top” was particularly good. Patrick Star is a loveable character and James portrayed the warmth needed for this role, I especially enjoyed his changing reactions to his shoal of Sardine followers who were hilarious, and their number together “Super Sea-Star Saviour”. The lead role of SpongeBob is huge and Anya Siou totally took it in her very talented stride.  Anya’s vocals are superb but she also completely embodied this character, her energy, timing and delivery were excellent. Her song “Best Day Ever” absolutely summed up the time Anya was having on stage. Supporting principals and the ensemble worked hard throughout and brought the energy needed for this production, and a special mention for the very cute Gary the snail played by Freddy Benson, well done all of you.

The band did an excellent job with the eclectic score under Chinami’s direction, Sheralyn’s choreography was interesting to watch and reflected the characters and settings, I particularly liked the black light routine “Just a Simple Sponge” it was very effective. The increased production values as well as Adam’s growth as a director were evident throughout, well done. Congratulations to the production team and cast for bringing a funny, family friendly and feelgood show to your audiences, you embraced performing in a bigger venue. Thank you for the invitation and I’m looking forward to the junior section’s “Peter Pan” in November and to hearing what’s in store for next summer.

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