Deven Reed in The SpongeBob Musical
SpongeBob SquarePants, an animated series created by marine biologist (no, really) Stephen Hillenburg, debuted in 1999 on Nickelodeon, became an underwater cultural phenomenon, and is still running today. It’s a success with both critics and audiences, having won four Emmys and six Annies, among other prizes. (Oddly, the show is also exceptionally popular in the Middle East). Sponges are real marine animals, and since ancient times have been used for cleaning (gross). Though artificial sponges were created in the 1930s, sea sponges are still harvested as cleaning aids (gross), but if carefully pruned, the animal will live and grow back, as no nervous system equals no pain. And SpongeBob is depicted as a classic yellow kitchen sponge, which is why his pants are square. Clear? Great.
Despite SpongeBob and friends’ insidious infiltration of virtually every aspect of life, I was largely innocent of their soggy charms. That changed on Friday, at Quad City Music Guild’s Prospect Park Auditorium, when I saw The SpongeBob Musical, which opened on Broadway in 2017 and was nominated for 12 Tonys. The book is by Kyle Jarrow. The show was co-conceived by Tina Landau. And the music? Several obscure songwriters contribute to the score, among them: Steven Tyler; Joe Perry; T.I.; David Bowie; Brian Eno; Yolanda Adams; Cyndi Lauper; Sara Bareilles; John Legend; Lady A; and musicians from Panic! at the Disco, The Flaming Lips, and They Might Be Giants. Music Guild’s production, meanwhile, was directed by Anthony Greer (who also designed the set), with Tyler Belanger serving as music director and Harper Clark as choreographer. It boasts a talented cast of 25, who bring heart, cheer, and laughs. And while many children attended on opening night, I hardly heard a peep from them during the show – it was the over-25 crowd who were clapping and screaming upon each first entrance of these beloved characters from the underwater city of Bikini Bottom.
This is a good place to dispel any nightmarish images you may have of performers in huge, unwieldy sports-mascot-style suits blindly bumbling into one another. The characters are all in human form, faces fully visible, their outfits in “cosbounding” style – that is, in clothing representing the colors and mood of each one’s animated counterpart. I applaud costume designer Becki Arnold for her attractive execution of that vision, as an actor can’t climb a volcano in cubical trousers. (Climb a volcano?! Yeah. Not a spoiler, as Mount Humongous is visible before the curtain opens.) And while I’m at it, kudos to Greer for said volcano, as well as the colorful coral reef elements and “sky flowers” from the animated series, which, for this prehistoric reviewer, evoke The Dating Game set.
SpongeBob is played by Deven Reed, new to this stage – and merciful Neptune, is he terrific! As limber and tireless as any animated hero, he expressively combines the joy and verve of Peter Pan with the sunny outlook of Mo Willems’ Piggie. The multi-talented Myka Walljasper, in lovable mode, portrays SpongeBob’s BFF Patrick, a starfish of very little brain – generally agreeable, but with a will of his own, as he hilariously abandons SpongeBob to become a cult leader. Sandy, a scientist squirrel, is wonderfully played by Lauren Casillas, whom I loved as Rosemary in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Augustana College in 2019. As Squidward, Taylor Bley matches SpongeBob’s baseless, Defcon 1-level optimism with his own omnipresent grumpiness. With green hair and four realistically flexing legs in dress slacks and shoes, he’s unexpectedly delightful tap-dancing with the ensemble in “I’m Not a Loser.” Keegan Walker plays reporter Perch Perkins and the parfait French-accented Narrator, intoning “A few hours later … .” SpongeBob’s boss Mr. Krabs (Joe Wren) and his adopted daughter, Pearl (Kailee McCaw), a whale and aspiring singer, provide family drama.
This brings me to the duo who stole my heart: the gloating Plankton (Juniper Garza) and his sassy computer wife Karen (Ella Hansen). Appearing atop his unpopular restaurant The Chum Bucket as the teensy copepod he is, Plankton descends into the bucket, which rotates to reveal a villain’s lair with control center occupied by Plankton (now enlarged to show detail), resplendent in glittering Wicked green – and Garza performs a jaw-dropping supersonic rap during “When the Going Gets Tough.”
There’s so much fun stuff to admire here: the ensemble’s candy-colored floppy, choppy anime wigs; the glow-in-the-dark sponges they wield during “(Just a) Simple Sponge;” the DJ-type guy in the corner providing cartoony sound effects throughout; the beautiful Jellyfish Field of floating pink umbrellas with iridescent blue tentacles; the tall cardboard-covered rolling stairs, which stagehands move and rotate to show SpongeBob and Sandy climbing and tumbling over the crags; the glowing-suitcase homage to Pulp Fiction; and the Fiddler on the Roof moment during the town’s evacuation, complete with fiddler. SpongeBob really plays the ukulele at the finale. And the iconic maroon house curtain is aquamarine blue!
I’m proof you don’t need to know the cartoon to like The SpongeBob Musical. If you’re already a fan, you’ll enjoy it even more than I did.
Quad City Music Guild's The SpongeBob Musical runs at the Prospect Park Auditorium (1584 34th Avenue, Moline IL) through July 19, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-6610 and visiting QCMusicGuild.com.
