SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical stopped in Madison to do shows from October 8-13. When I heard about it, I couldn’t have been more excited to see it. Spongebob was a big part of my childhood and many others, childhood. Now, mix my love for the TV series with a musical and I was stoked.
When we first got to our seats, there were a few actors on stage playing some instruments and jamming out. The atmosphere was very upbeat and fun. As we inched closer to showtime, the actors slowly dwindled away. The stage was decorated with coral around the edges and a pineapple screen was down to hide the rest of the stage. The introduction to the show consisted of the infamous Patchy the Pirate being arrested by security guards for trying to see Spongebob. This set the mood for the rest of the show.
We start out with Spongebob starting his day and traveling through the city to meet all of the characters. We end up at the iconic Krusty Krab. When I first saw Squidward, I was amazed. The costume somehow made it look like he actually had four legs and they shifted opposite ways when he walked.
We are soon confronted with the main issue in the show. There is a volcano that is going to explode and wipe out all of Bikini Bottom. So the people of the city have to come up with a plan to save the town. Sandy comes up with a solution using math and science, while Plankton suggests that they buy a rocket to fly themselves out of the town. The people end up siding with Plankton, which never ends well. So, Spongebob, Patrick and Sandy have to save the day.
Throughout the show we see Spongebob and Patrick’s relationship begin to fall apart, Sandy is being run out of town and Pearl and Mr. Krabs are having issues. The show integrates some meaningful messages about discrimination throughout the performance which was surprising. I think that it was a good way to help advocate for equality in a way that is seemingly harmless.
The show also used non-conventional set-pieces which made it more interesting while also focusing the audience’s attention on the characters themselves. This allowed the actors to really be the star of the show. Each actor had an amazing voice and was so dedicated to their character that it transported me back to my childhood. The most memorable set was the volcano. It consisted of a bunch of boxes stacked on moving carts that could be climbed on. There was one point during the performance where they laid a ladder across the two moving carts and the actors climbed across it to reach the other side. I would be lying if I said that my heart wasn’t pumping during this scene.
While the costumes weren’t too over the top, they immediately got the iconic look of each character down and added a modern twist. Spongebob still had his iconic boots, socks and suspenders. Partick still had his shorts, Sandy had her astronaut suit, Squidward had his orange shirt and Mr. Krabs had giant red claws with a blue outfit. The most surprising character was Karen, Plankton’s computer wife. The actor wore a silver dress. She also had a computer screen to push along the stage that looked identical to the character in the TV series.
My favorite moment out of the entire show was Squidward’s tap dance number. The number was over-the-top and I loved it. The back-up dancers were amazing and helped Squidward do a fast costume change. He went from wearing his normal orange shirt to a sequined jacket. The dancing was in sync and the entire scene was so much fun to watch.
Overall, SpongeBob Squarepants: The Musical was a blast to see and I’m so glad I went. I would highly recommend this show to anyone and everyone. The actors are amazing and the high energy and jokes will have you leaving the theater wanting more.