The problem with Spongebob — Page 2

I really enjoyed SpongeBob. It was the best adaptation of the season, hands down, and possibly one of the best adaptations in musical theatre. It took a property that, on paper, seems impossible to adapt to live performance and did so with aplomb and a boundless well of creativity. I also appreciated its messages (unlike Jesse Green, I DO think it has something to say, and something important, too!), which is something the cartoon series doesn't really do.

But at the end of the day, it is still held back, pretty much by design, by its source material. A musical based off a madcap, frantic Saturday morning cartoon- no matter how well it translates to the stage- is still going to feel more shallow than something serious-minded like The Band's Visit.

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I ended up seeing Spongebob a few weeks ago. I was a huge fan of the show growing up, and I’ve been listening to the cast recording since it came out.

The show itself was as fun as I thought it’d be. The crowd was probably the most enthusiastic I’ve ever seen on Broadway (I think even more so then the crowd was when I was at Hamilton).

The set was amazing- glad it was honored at the Tonys. Especially the volcano of boxes and ladders. The book was hilarious- jammed full of references to the show, but funny enough on its own.

I really only had a few quibbles. I was not a fan of Wesley Taylor’s Plankton. The actor on the recording does the “voice” a lot better. Wesley had some weird accent that made it hard to understand anything he said. The rap number is a lot more fun when listening to it on the recording. In the theatre it was a lot cringier than it thought it would be, but the audience seemed to love it. “No Control” also felt super out of place.

The first act as a whole was entertaining, but the plot really meandered along. The second act seemed a lot more cohesive and consistent in tone. The volcano climbing scenes were awesome to watch as well.

Curtis was on as Spongebob. He did a great job, but I wish we would have seen Ethan. The standouts were Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and Pearl. The cast as a whole were so energetic.

My dad saw it with me. He really did not want to see it, but I convinced him. After act one I could tell he was not a fan so far. Afterwards, he told me that he loved the second act. I think it takes a bit to warm up to the weirdness of the show.

To end on a positive note: “I’m Not a Loser” is one of the best musical numbers I’ve seen. Just pure joy. It almost made me tear up. Maybe it wasn’t necessarily the number itself, maybe it was out of my sadness that this quirky, joyous musical would soon be gone. I’m glad I got to see it while I had the chance.