Frankie Leo Bennett (SpongeBob) and the cast of “The SpongeBob Musical” at Chopin Theatre/Photo: Evan Hanover
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Who’s in a new musical up on the stage?
(Sponge-Bob-Square-Pants)
Appropriate for audiences of any age.
(Sponge-Bob-Square-Pants!)
With actors and dancers and puppetry, ho!
(Sponge-Bob-Square-Pants)
A fun time for all, why wouldn’t you go?
Sing along with a saltatorial sea sponge and his cast of fishy friends in Kokandy Productions’ “The SpongeBob Musical,” now running at the Chopin Theatre, directed by JD Caudill with music direction by Bryan McCaffrey. The score includes songs composed by classic and contemporary pop, rock and gospel music icons—including Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, They Might Be Giants, Plain White T’s, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie and Yolanda Adams.
Sound effects by Foley artist Ele Matelan elicits chuckles with every squip and squeak, and choreography by Jenna Schoppe, projected animations by Steve Labedz and a live band make for a recipe that’s even tastier than a double Krabby Patty with extra barnacle sauce!
A school of sardines as “The Cult of Patrick”/ Photo: Evan Hanover
In an underwater seascape of jewel-tone colors and sparkling glass coral reefs, the residents of Bikini Bottom go about their day as usual—a school of sardines flitter in pink 1960s mod-style dresses, a muscular lobster performs shoulder presses with an oversized barbell and a pirate hands out stickers to spectating landlubbers.
Tumbling into view is the porous protagonist, SpongeBob SquarePants (Frankie Leo Bennett). SpongeBob squeaks and squeezes through town on his way to his job as fry cook at the Krusty Krab, greeted by the lackadaisical Squidward Q. Tentacles (Quinn Rigg) and the owner, avaricious Eugene H. Krabs (Tommy Bullington). Ever the optimist, even SpongeBob gets a little blue in the gills when he is denied a chance to become manager of the Krusty Krab, later complaining to his best friend and neighbor, the dullard with a big heart Patrick Star (Isabel Cecilia Garcia)—“Oh, Patrick, Mr. Krabs said I’m not manager material!” “You mean like polyester?”
Their world comes crashing down around them (literally!) when an undersea volcano threatens to bury the town in boulders. Resident scientist, explorer and squirrel, Sandy Cheeks (Sarah Patin) creates a MacGuffin to save the day; but the plan is threatened by the diabolical Sheldon J. Plankton (Parker Guidry), played with wonderful camp, like a cross between Rutger Hauer in “Blade Runner” and David Bowie in “Labyrinth,” wearing a neon-green duster and laced-up, knee-high boots, side-by-side with his partner in infamy, cyborg-wife Karen the Computer (Amy Yesom Kim).
With the odds stacked against them, this team of squirrel-sponge-starfish ascend the perilous face of the volcano, but will they make it in time to save the day?
Bennett nails every aspect of the SpongeBob persona, from the high-pitched voice to the sparkle in his eye, with vocal chops that his animated counterpart could only ever dream of. Rigg’s Squidward is a mix of Milton Berle and Ray Bolger, spouting sarcastic put-downs with a nasal voice and moving with limbs as if covered in suction cups. Even when likenesses do not exactly match their cartoon counterparts, they are fully realized and lovable.
Caudill’s attention to detail mimics what makes the cartoon fun for kids and adults alike. Fast-paced action, quirky quips, eye-rolling puns, comical slapstick, inside jokes for adults (how did they not get an “Argh” rating?)… All seaweed icing on a kelp cake. You may have to see the show more than once to catch them all.
The choreography by Shoppe is explosive and precise. What looks like chaos is meticulously planned tracks of movement; it’s a wonder actors don’t slam into each other during raucous bouts of spontaneous hysteria.
With spot-on characterizations, tight vocal harmonies and plenty of action, Kokandy’s “The SpongeBob Musical” is not only fun for the whole family, but also for Millennials looking for whimsical childhood nostalgia.
“The SpongeBob Musical” presented through September 3 by Kokandy Productions, Chopin Theatre’s basement studio, 1543 West Division. $40, $30 for seniors and students, kokandyproductions.com/spongebob.
