SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS Previews- Page 4

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/7/17 at 4:25pm

Yeah, I thought the whole story was jumbled. I was waiting for more of a payoff with Plankton, but nothing really came of it. The Pirates were confusing and random, and not sure why we'd give them an entire song... The band sounded canned. Like the beginning started and it just sounded like they were singing to tracks. Wish there was a way to get a more "live" sound out of it. 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 11/7/17 at 5:01pm

They didn't change the wigs from Chicago, as far as I could tell, but I think they should, especially SpongeBob's. It just needs to be restyled. If I recall correctly, he was actually wearing pants last night. I liked the shorts more. Overall, though the design really is beautiful and yes, the band was under the stage and the conductor was visible.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/7/17 at 5:24pm

Spongebob was wearing shorts last night and I liked his wig. I honestly thought it could have been his own hair actually.

Where were you sitting George? I was in the mezz and from there the wigs looked great.

Ripped, the band sounded a little "canned" because the balance was not great coming through the speakers. They really need to work on the sound- but that is obviously a risk anyone expects to take at an early preview.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/7/17 at 5:34pm

Oh totally! Since it's a big of a rock/pop sound I just wanted to actually hear it and it felt like I was listening to the recording.

The wigs looked good to me as well. But think Patrick's could use a bit of work. I wanted more of a nod to his character.

[jonah3500]

Posted: 11/7/17 at 6:27pm

nightnic001 said: "From pictures I've seen, only the foley artist is in the house. I rest of the band is somewhere else."

Where did you see that?

[10086sunset]

Posted: 11/7/17 at 11:50pm

If you have seen this show and have enjoyed it, I'm genuinely happy for you. I wish I could make the same claim. Unfortunately, I couldn't wait to get out of the theater. I found myself agreeing with the majority of what Ripped Man has stated. 

The songs were not memorable, the plot is a mess and the production value just seemed very cheap. 

The crowd sitting around me look disinterested. Saw a couple of people sleeping during the first act.

On the positive, the cast is giving it everything. I appreciated the amount of energy and passion they are throwing into the production. 

If this is a kid's show, it's WAY too long and boring. If this is a show for adults, it's also way too long and boring. A thirty minute cartoon can not sustain a 2:40 musical. 

Walking out, it reminded me of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. Like Spiderman, I felt the merch was the best part of the show. They will likely sell a lot of t-shirts and hats but not sure the same can be said for full priced tickets.

 

Updated On: 11/7/17 at 11:50 PM

[After Eight]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 7:05am

Sweet, good natured, and ramshackle. It has its ups and downs. Late in the show, a breezy number entitled "Best Day Ever,  evokes the winsome charm that I wish had been present all evening long. As it is, a number of songs provided pleasant listening, among them "BFF," "(I Guess I) Miss You" and "Bikini Bottom Day." "A few clunkers unfortunately weighed things down. I can't say the design was particularly pleasing to the eye, but two elaborate structures providing falling boulders were clever. I thought Ethan Slater gave a winning performance in the title role.

Whatever the show's shortcomings, I found it far more enjoyable to sit through than the screeds, bores, dirges, and affronts that win critical praise and passels of awards nowadays. For that, my thanks to the creators

[phan24]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 7:45am

I was there last night and had a lot of fun. I would definitely call this a spectacle as the show goes beyond the proscenium and the production values are pretty impressive. Overall, the leads are all great and work hard with the material, which at the end of the day is a cartoon story. Gavin Lee's performance even with a small role is great and his moment to shine will likely earn him a Tony nomination. I would love for Ethan Slater to also be recognized, he is charming from the beginning, has an incredible voice, and physically works very hard (seeing him jump, twist, turn so many times made my joints ache). And yes, Ethan wears pants now as opposed to shorts in the Chicago production, the pants overall work better for the look.

 Pearl, 19-year old Jai'len Josey, has an amazing voice and she is definitely a stand out, though no Tony-nominee material as someone had suggested above (but then again Elizabeth A Davis in Once got one, so anything is possible). (Side Note - Casey Nicholaw needs to at least consider her for Dreamgirls, she would definitely tear the house down as any role really).

The direction feels a little loose towards the end and it might need a little more focus to make it more potent, it's a little long currently.
 
For a 2nd preview there were minimal mistakes (microphones in and out, Patrick tripping) but perhaps the most apparent one was during the 'Chop to the Top' choreo with Sandy, she had a quick interruption when a prop moved when it wasn't supposed to and made Lilly stop in her tracks briefly as she has to dance around it.

I would recommend it to people, it was just a lot of fun, and they succeed at making you feel nostalgic about SpongeBob as if it were a long distant memory, despite it still being on TV. One song about lost friendship definitely made some fans around me cry, so good on the production for finding the heart in that moment.

 

Updated On: 11/8/17 at 07:45 AM

[seaweedjstubbs]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 7:50am

I find it facinating how people either find the production value cheap or very impressive. Usually that's something that can be agreed upon. Can't wait to see this show from what I'm reading!

[tazber]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 8:16am

I thought it was colorful, endlessly inventive, and sweet natured.

It's also aimed squarely at the kiddies more so than other Bway family offerings.

Regarding production values, I thought they were ace. I especially loved the way they did the volcano.

The pirate subplot needs to go (apologies to Sara Bareilles).

Tom Kitt deserves some kind of award for finessing the disparate songs into a cohesive sounding whole.

 

[edmundog2]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 9:09am

There's nothing inherently wrong with the Patchy runner, it's just that the actor playing him has no presence or charisma. He did fine in his minor roles, and he certainly has an expressive and interesting face, but he just can not command the stage the way he'd have to. Patchy should be BALLS OUT THRILLED to be at a Spongebob show, and furious at being kicked out. This guy just seemed sleepy and mopey.

Loved most of the rest of it. They should definitely go back to the sweater vest and white shirt for Spongebob, though.

[markypoo]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 9:24am

Now then:

Can we concur on pants or shorts?
It's been stated that he's wearing both.
So, which is it?

[phan24]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 9:41am

Capri pants to be exact, but definitely not the short shorts he wore in Chicago.

[edmundog2]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 9:44am

Not exactly capris. More like rolled up highwaters. Same length, though.

[tbaker2]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 10:07am

smallvillefan16 said: "I can't believe this is taking up one of the theaters on Broadway. It should have just traveled for kids. This is embarrassing for Broadway."

How is this embarrassing for Broadway? Think back through all of the shows where your favorite cartoons or movie characters came to life on Broadway: Shrek, Suessical, The Addams Family, Beauty & The Beast, Lion King, and more! They were (still are) very successful concepts! 

Will this last long on Broadway? Possibly. Will this make Broadway a lot of $? ABSOLUTELY! 

 

Go see the show . . . and then you can say it's embarrassing Broadway! 

 

TB

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 10:07am

Saw the preview last night and this has got to be the most pleasant surprise Ive had in a long while. I went in thinking "hmm why does this need to exist again? A SpongeBob musical?" But within a few seconds of the opening number as the characters are introduced one by one, the music and actors exude so much unadulterated joy, heart, and fun that I was completely won over. Is it trying to reinvent the wheel? Not at all. But it will give you a full evening of non-stop energy and joy. 

I had a few minor quibbles: 1. The Patchy the Pirate segments feel very under-realized. He really is missing something, be it audience interaction, some sense of spontaneity, or a killer introduction. 2. I was surprised that they mostly made the songs by different artists work cohesively (thanks to some smart orchestrations it seems). But there are a couple that felt a bit jarring. And while most of the songwriters nailed it, some of the songs had incredibly simple lyrics in repetition (like, ya know...pop songs) which made me wonder if getting such a wide variety of artists involved was necessary. 3. Some sound balance issues still need to be worked out, especially in the early moments. But this is extremely common in early previews and will surely be worked out soon. 

But the positives far outweighed these. Ethan Slater is perfect as SpongeBob and will absolutely get a Tony nomination (and I expect many more roles will be coming his way). He exudes more energy than one could imagine. Gavin Lee has a fun tap number that shows off his dancing skills and makes the crowd go wild. Jai'Len Christine Li Josey plays Pearl (the whale, Mr Krabbs daughter) and at just 18 and in her Broadway debut is showcasing one of the biggest voices you're ever likely to hear. All of the cast members were brilliant at incorporating iconic bits from the show and really felt like cartoon characters come to life. Its also clear the designers had an absolute blast with this show. The scenic and lighting design are incredible, like a tiki bar on crack. There's also someone doing live sound effects, which was a neat touch to bring about the feel of the show (Spongebob makes squishy noises when he steps, tossed items make ridiculous crashing sounds, etc). If you have kids you want to bring to a show, I dont think I could recommend this one enough. The little ones last night were eating it up.

[BroadwayBeebe]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 10:29am

Add me to the really loved it category! It’s far from being the best musical ever, but it was the most fun I’ve had in the theatre in a long time. I agree that the patchy segments were rough, but I tend to agree with the poster above that this actor was just not Patchy the pirate and was partially at fault for its short comings. I thought the scenic design and lighting were both excellent and I enjoyed a great deal of the costumes. Ethan Slater gave the kind of performance that makes you wonder why you haven’t seen him before. He was spongebob and I thought he was just incredible and Gavin Lee was everything I wanted Squidward to be. Pearl was killer and two individuals agreed as they literally convulsed in their seats every time she opened her mouth. The plot in thin, but in the end I didn’t care. The songs are mostly great with a few clunkers, but in the end I didn’t care. The biggest compliment I can give to this production and especially the creatives is that it felt like spongbob. If Spongebob wanted to sit and watch a musical about himself this is exactly what he would want it to be like. In terms of capturing that whimsy and heart of the cartoon they hit it right on and that’s why I said walking out that I can’t wait to see it once it’s frozen. It’s not perfect, but Spongebob was never perfect. It’s got a lot of heart and lifts your soul up in positivity; that’s spongebob.

[markypoo]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 10:44am

Using the words disparate and cohesive in the same sentence is something of a redundancy, but if Mr. Kitt does manage to pull it off as triumphantly as you say, then more power to him.

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 4:31pm

When I first heard about this show I was dumbfounded.  Why?  On Broadway?  It seems like something for a theme park.  Even with the glowing reviews here for the previews I'm a bit skeptical.  I hated Matilda and wasn't a fan of Aladdin (thought the whole production looked cheap) and the thought of screaming children in the theatre more than makes me question seeing it (but it sounds like the children fall asleep?).  

I've seen the tickets on TDF and am tempted.  I doubt my husband would even entertain the idea of going but some of the comments here have been useful.

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 4:47pm

Patchy was unnecessary and the only purpose I could find for that character was to tell people to turn their phones off and not to interrupt the show. Ironically, during poor pirates I was on my phone writing my intermission update. I was so confused as to his purpose and what he was doing and the lights didn't go down on cue. Jon Rua was an amazing Charles Lee so I don't know how he couldn't pull that off.

[adagio]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 5:09pm

edmundog2 said: "There's nothing inherently wrong with the Patchy runner, it's just that the actor playing him has no presence or charisma. He did fine in his minor roles, and he certainly has an expressive and interesting face, but he just can not command the stage the way he'd have to. Patchy should be BALLS OUT THRILLED to be at a Spongebob show, and furious at being kicked out. This guy just seemed sleepy and mopey.

Loved most of the rest of it. They should definitely go back to the sweater vest and white shirt for Spongebob, though."

The Patchy bits went over well in Chicago - did they change actors by any chance? Because the guy I saw last summer was pretty "balls out thrilled" (love your phrasing).

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 10:21pm

Bikini Bottom Day is in my head and it will not leave. LOL 

I also like Tomorrow Is. Does it still close Act 1? Does it have alot of emotional impact performed live? Seems a little out of place amid the other pop and rock numbers, but it's quickly growing on me. 

And apologies if this has already been discussed, but if the score gets a Tony nom, do all the songwriters get noms and Tonys if they win, or maybe just Kitt will be recognized? Has a show like this ever been nominated? 

Oh yeah, I'm in love with Ethan Slater. And since his best friend is "Patrick" I'm a shoe-in to be Ethan's BFF, right?? :) 

[nightnic001]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 10:36pm

Yes. Jon Rua was not in the Chicago cast. I believe it was Jason Michael Snow, who is no longer with the production.

[asoftplacetoland]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 11:42pm

https://youtu.be/qz3aURQiH_Q
Another review.

[edmundog2]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 11:44pm

And this isn't the only time I heard that Chicago audiences loved Patchy. I really think it's the actor. If he had our attention from the start, we'd all love "Poor Pirates", but he just seemed to be going through the motions. I don't know, hopefully he'll settle into it after a few weeks of previews.