A "new nautical day?"
Not exactly.
As "The SpongeBob Musical" opens, life for the residents of Bikini Bottom - SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Sandy Cheeks, Squidward Q. Tentacles, Gary the Snail, among others - is anything but cozy.
The world of Bikini Bottom, as scripted by playwright Kyle Jarrow, suddenly finds itself in the midst of an apocalypse. Once a violent tremor hits the town, the residents discover that their underworld paradise is about to be completely destroyed by a volcano.
Spoiler alert: To stop the volcano from erupting, it's up to you-know-who to save the day.
Who is it, you ask?
Good question.
Well, for starters, he's yellow.
He's anthropomorphic.
He wears brown short pants and a white-collared short.
He lives in a pineapple house.
He works as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab.
Get the picture!
Of course, you do.
A head-spinning musical jam-packed with enough jaw-dropping magic, color, brightness, imagination and flourish to thrust you into a giddy, sugar-coated frenzy, "The SpongeBob Musical," as presented by Fairfield Center Stage, is a sweet-and flavorful theatrical experience that pays homage to the long-running animated cartoon, its iconic characters and the much-loved, day-to-day shenanigans of the residents of Bikini Bottom.
Funny.
Classic.
Impressive.
Infectious.
Energizing.
Gumdrop gooey.
"The SpongeBob Musical" is everything you could ask for in a children's musical.
It is primed for all ages, all genders, all lifestyles and even those who aren't so sure.
It excites with a freshness that turns adults back into kids.
It bubbles over with giddy and heartfelt charm.
It also makes you forget the problems of the day - rising gas prices, outrageous grocery bills, road rage by the many assholes who clutter the expressways, the uncertainty of COVID - and dive deep into the magical world of Bikini Bottom.
Staging "The SpongeBob Musical" for Fairfield Center Stage is Joel Fenster who comes to the project with a knowledge and understanding of the material, the characters, the comedy, the drama, the music, the punchlines and the dialogue. As director, he is completely akin to the well-imagined adventures of the title character, his aquatic friends, the underwater city of Bikini Bottom and the big, melodramatic musical story envisioned by Jarrow.
Here, he tips the light fantastic. He raises the bar for avant-garde conceits. He knows how to get a laugh without any form of calculation. He swims and basks in the musical's underwater glory. He takes chances and runs with them. He cements the story's bubble-gum view of life in bold, broad rainbow colors. He also lovingly retains the light-hearted, animated spirit of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon much to the delight of everyone on stage and in the audience.
As "The SpongeBob Musical" moves from scene to scene and song to song, he works within the confines and restrictions of the budget and the venue at hand without ever once getting short-circuited or losing the bigness, the boldness or the animation of the entire project.
No brain freeze, here.
What you see is what you get as Fenster welcomes you into the 3-D coloring book world of the "SpongeBob" story with definitive strokes and touches that keep the musical's original concept happily and merrily alive.
Things are fast, fluid and well-timed to move the action forward without hesitation.
Everything happens for a reason. No two scenes are alike. No one gets upstaged. Nothing gets lost in the translation. Actors switch back and forth from supporting roles into members of the ensemble with necessary and creative achievement. And under Fenster's precise, imaginative direction, every single person on stage slides into their projected lead, supporting and ensemble roles, stamped and readied with the playful attitude and mindset set forth by Nickelodeon itself.
The bright, bouncy and eclectic musical score for "The SpongeBob Musical" is culled from a lengthy song register of pop and rock sounds from Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, David Bowie, T.I., Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, Lady Antebellum, Plain White T's, Yolanda Adams, Jonathan Coulton, Flaming Lips and Panic! at the Disco, among others. The songs, in order of performance, are: "Bikini Bottom Day," "Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise)," "No Control," "BFF," "When the Going Gets Tough," "(Just A) Simple Sponge," "Daddy Knows Best," "Hero Is My Middle Name," "Super Sea Star Savior," "Tomorrow Is," "Poor Pirates," "Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise #2)," "Bikini Bottom Boogie," "Chop to the Top," "(I Guess I) Miss You," "I'm Not a Loser," "Simple Sponge (Reprise)," "Best Day Ever," "Finale: Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise)," and "The SpongeBob Theme Song."
The songs themselves - vigorous, honest, kind, genuine, delightfully orgasmic - are catchy, engaging, tick-tock ready and very plot moving. Moreover, they are strategically placed throughout the story by the show's creators and naturally reflect the musical's important themes, undercurrents, animation, comic dazzle, eruption and roller-coaster, joy ride mania. Musical director Benjamin Doyle greatly enhances and enlightens this orchestral process for "SpongeBob," by using a hand-picked band of very talented musicians who seamlessly bring a flavorful flow, beat, style, sound and rhythm to all of the musical numbers, which naturally fuel and pump up the creative energy of the entire, on-stage cast, all of whom display extraordinary charm, finesse and confident musicality under his inspirational tutelage.
Shuffling the musical's bold, expansive and expressive musical cards, Doyle, as interpreter and storyteller, covers all the necessary bases of musical theatre with his band of orchestral players, reveling in the show's immediate delights, its rattle, prattle and charm, its harmonious phrasing and its easeful, tuneful Nickelodeon packaging. His fresh perspective and full command of the orchestra throughout the 2 1/2 hr. presentation adds additional thrust, dimension and sunniness to the already proven potency and popularity of the music itself. No matter what song is played, the musical accompaniment is stellar.
The choreography for "The SpongeBob Musical" has been devised, fermented and blueprinted by Lindsay Johnson who utilizes the size, space and depth of the Fairfield Ludlowe High School stage to full advantage crafting choreography and specific dance moves and tableau's that connect and reflect the talents of her large, community theatre cast. Not your typical Broadway musical stuff - this is Nickelodeon - not Fosse, Bennett, Champion, Stroman, Kidd or Robbins - what transpires most advantageously is fun house glitter glam, happy-go-lucky tap, skip, pop and hop and technicolor playground carnival involvement all rolled up into one.
It is cute. It is sweet. It is driven. It is playful. It is animated. It is commanding. It is reactive. It is sharp. It is direct. It is different. It also has a wondrous harmony about it. From production number to production number, there's a choreographic versatility to Johnson's work, mixed with cartoonish athleticism, lyrical expressiveness, frantic electricity and humorous Bikini Bottom prompting. Even better - a complement in itself - no two musical numbers are alike.
In order for "The SpongeBob Musical" to click, spike and resonate, the title character must be played by someone with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, personality and under-the-sea cartoonishness. You get all that - and so much more - from Marcelo Calderon who finds himself cast in the title role of SpongeBob SquarePants. Comically, musically and dramatically, this is a very demanding role which requires complete and total involvement from start to finish. As actor, singer and cartoon character, Calderon's keen, natural eye for musical theatre comedy keeps his onstage performance afresh with confirming musicality, authenticity, engagement and gerrymandered position, definition and practice.
They don't come any better that Jacob Rogotzke, who, cast, in the pivotal role of Patrick Star, comes to Fairfield Center Stage with an abundant pulse, a harmonious command and a down-to-earth naturalness that explodes, excites and gets a workout-ready immediacy whenever he's on stage. Not only is he the right choice to play Patrick, but his onstage camaraderie with Calderon, as dictated, in part by Fenster, recalls the side-by-side amusement and giddiness set forth by Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane in the 2001 Broadway musical "The Producers," by Mel Brooks.
As Sheldon J. Plankton, a selfish, evil-doer who concocts a crazy cover-up scheme for the citizens of Bikini Bottom alongside wife and partner-in-crime Karen Plankton (played here by Ashley McLeod), Jonathan David crafts a hilarious portrait of crime and greed, layered with appropriate dashes of vaudevillian melodrama and face-off, synced and inked with great comic timing, jitney thrust and British farce opportunity and reward. Both he and McLeod complement one another perfectly.
Cast in the roles of Pearl Krabs and Eugene Krabs, Ainsley Dahlstrom and Brian Crook are the ideal father-and-daughter duo, each bringing humor, sonic boom and tremendous vocal charge to their respective roles and important musical numbers. Playing the part of Gary the Snail (a role shared with CJ Newsom), the domesticated house pet of SpongeBob Square Pants and the only child of Sluggo Star, Virgil Watson is the ideal choice to bring the popular character of Gary the Snail to life. He's sweet and adorable, which is exactly what the part calls for. But whenever the spotlight is upon him, there's a unaffected charm and radiance about the young lad that should serve him well, acting wise, if this is the path he chooses to follow.
Ainsley Novin, an important member of the "SpongeBob" ensemble, is featured in several of the show's big and splashy musical numbers. Here, as in other musicals that have recognized her God-given talents, Novin's dedication to her craft is polished, driven, charismatic and noticeable whenever she's on stage. It's a gift she wears particularly well. The charismatic Brian Bish, who transforms himself into the role of the fashionable Mrs. Puff, brings drag queen splendor and LQBTQ mystery to the role, matched by a gender-bending playfulness that thrusts his character front and center whenever he's on stage.
Sandy Cheeks, an American squirrel from the surface who wears a white diving suit and other marine-life regalia to survive underwater, is brought magically to life by Alexis Willoughby, who, here in FCS's colorful presentation of "The SpongeBob Musical " commands the stage - that's command with a capital C - with a showstopping performance that fills the theater with pop influence, groomed dazzle, lively tonal musicality, exhilarating wit, breezy charm and well-positioned profile. Vocally, she delivers her power ballads and other character-driven musical numbers with finesse, thoughtful selection, wise resiliency and Broadway caliber versatility. Acting wise, she's the perfect fit for the part of Sandy Cheeks. It's a role she conveys with old-fashioned charm, fresh ideas, cemented nuance and light-hearted enthusiasm.
Squidward Q. Tentacles, a four-legged Bikini Bottom octopus who dreams of putting his one-man, song-and-dance show center stage is all its Technicolor glory, gets the full-star, 3-D treatment by Eli Newsom who confronts the idiosyncrasies of the popular character with the delightful, spazzy, full-power dash envisioned by the show's creators and has one helluva time with the demands, sparkle and ingenuity of the original material. Like Willoughby, he too puts the right spin on his character, bringing impressive style, humor, fun and relevance to the part. His big number "I'm Not a Loser," which arrives halfway through Act II, is performed and sung by Newsom with the showstopping excitement indicative of his octopus' character, chock of Busby Berkeley/Bob Fosse razzle-dazzle, impeccable breeze and buckle-up-kiddo achievement.
As presented by Fairfield Center Stage, "The SpongeBob Musical" is sweet, candy-coated, bubble-gun fun and floss in bright Crayola crayon colors that snap, crackle and pop with the adventuresome spirit the popular, iconic Nickelodeon TV show is famous for. It also comes gift wrapped with bright, three-dimensional Technicolor theatricality from a design team that includes Kevin Pelkey (set and scenic design), Natasha Fenster (costume design), Chris Gensur (sound design) and Foley Artists (sound effects). The latter is implemented flawlessly by Shea Frimmer who performs all of the sound effects LIVE (you'll find her off to the side of the proscenium stage) in full view of the audience.
As with other FCS productions that include "Cabaret," "Dreamgirls" and last year's "Mamma Mia!" the cast is lively, cheerful and naturally high. The songs are perfectly in sync with the storytelling. And the happily ever after ending never once disappoints all those kids, parents, teenagers and adults in the audience who willingly succumb to the amusement of the "SpongeBob" story and life under the sea in its very magical, inviting, invigorating saltwater world.
Production photos of "The SpongeBob Musical" by Kate Eisemann Pictures and Jessica Cammero
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