By Megan Grabowski
“Are you ready, kids”?
“Aye, aye, Captain”!
Cranberry’s quaint Comtra Theatre welcomes land lovers of all ages to dive down to Bikini Bottom and watch Nickelodeon’s favorite sea sponge. SpongeBob Square Pants and friends sing and dance in The SpongeBob Musical, bringing to life the same comedic and quirky personality depicted in the animated series.
All your favorite television and movie characters from SpongeBob are featured, plus the addition of an ensemble of sardines.
This energized cast portrays a unique stage story; the residents of Bikini Bottom discover a volcano is ready to erupt and wipe out their town. It’s up to SpongeBob, his BFF Patrick Starfish, and Sandy Cheeks, an anthropomorphic squirrel from Texas, to save Bikini Bottom from destruction.
Friday’s opening night housed a mixed audience of both young and old and all ages in between. This was my first visit to Comtra, and my initial thought upon finding my seat was, ‘how in the world is the cast going to perform on this tiny stage?’ Kudos to director Brandon Keller for his inspired use of space, moving the cast fluidly from every corner and creating the feeling of a much larger performance area. This was also my first experience seeing or hearing the music to The SpongeBob Musical. Music director, Nate Copeland, keeps the band tucked away, but this by no means restricts the musician’s ability to please the audience. Songs by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Sara Bareilles, the Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, Panic! At the Disco, and David Bowie, are some of the diverse talents recruited for the project.
The simple yet clever and colorful set design of sea nets, anchors, tinsel seaweed, pool noodle coral, and curtains mimicking fish scales creates an enchanting vibe. The use of props, specifically Gary the snail, which received a lot of fan approval, increases the element of amusement. The costumes are a spectacle of color, especially Perch’s fish scale suit, Plankton’s bold striped suit, and the innovative design of Sqidwards extra legs and Larry the Lobster’s buff chest. The various Hawaiian shirts worn by cast members add a lot of charm to Comtra’s production.
Kelsey Marshall as SpongeBob and Dylan Baughmann as Patrick Starfish light up the stage with vibrant expressiveness and great energy. This is exceptionally evident early on in Act 1 during the musical number BFF. Lexie Brown playing the role of Pearl Krabs, dazzles the audience in “Daddy Knows Best” while singing alongside her father, Mr. Krabs, played by Zach Klingman. Act 2’s” I’m not a Loser“, performed by Zach Aaron as Squidward, in company with the ensemble, is one of my favorite performances, but I am partial to big tap numbers in musicals, so this easily seals the deal for me. Another notable number, thanks to choreography by Nick Cortazzo, is “No Control” performed by Perch (Palmer Masciola) SpongeBob, Mr. Krabs, Pearl, Squidward, Patrick, Sandy (Kristin Pacelli), and company,
Maybe you grew up watching SpongeBob or watching the cartoon with your kids or grandkids, or you are simply looking to see a show just for the sake of fun, then The SpongeBob Musical is one you won’t want to miss.
The show runs August 12- 14th and August 19th through 21st. Take note, the start time is 7:30pm. As of opening night, there are no masks or proof of vaccine requirements for admittance. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.comtratheatre.org/box-office/
Categories: Reviews
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