Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? If you didn’t immediately respond with SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS then you probably didn’t grow up in a SpongeBob household. As a kid of the ’90s, SpongeBob SquarePants was pretty much everywhere. Even to this day, my husband and I will quote what we consider to be the most iconic lines from the show. So, last night when I walked into the UC Davis Health Pavilion, I was thrilled to see the set decorated in giant flowers, nets, and beach gear, and I was ready to dive into Bikini Bottom.
Plunge into THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL where SpongeBob kicks off his day with a smile on his face and a positive attitude. Every day is a great day for SpongeBob and his friends until multiple earthquakes shake it up and they discover that the volcano, Mount Humongous, is going to erupt and destroy Bikini Bottom. With the town in panic and Plankton praying on people’s uncertainties, SpongeBob will team up with Sandy and Patrick to save the day.
I was expecting it to be silly and cheerful. While it performed very well in those aspects, I was not prepared for how much fun I would have. From start to finish, the show is filled with memorable toe-tapping songs, hilarious moments, and great adventures. This is also the first production I have seen where the songs were written by multiple musicians. And we are talking about some high-level acts like Panic! At the Disco, David Bowie, T.I., Cydni Lauper, John Legend, and so many more. Despite having very different musical genres, the songs flowed together smoothly and made for great storytelling.
Another aspect of the show that blew me away was the costume design. When taking a show that was originally a cartoon, you must be pretty creative to translate that into a live production with people. And the creativity shined so brightly here in Sacramento! For the main characters, they took key aspects of their iconic outfits and altered them to fit what we might see the average person wearing. The ensemble was filled with colorful outfits with varying textures to mimic different sea creatures and they were stunning. I found myself staring at costumes up and down to truly admire them. I was also entranced by how well the actors portrayed the mannerism of each character. From Wesley Slade (SpongeBob) wiggling his fingers and his iconic wave to Mark Evans (Squidward) keeping his hands connected together like tentacles, the whole cast fully embraced their characters.
I could go on for paragraphs and paragraphs with praise for THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL. No matter if you’re 10 or 110, you will leave this production with a smile on your face and a positive outlook on life. What are you waiting for? Say I’M READY for THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL playing now through June 30 at the UC Davis Health Pavilion. Learn more here.
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