"Gary" in rehearsal for Quad City Music Guild's “The SpongeBob Musica" at the Prospect Park Auditorium -- July 10 through 19.
Friday, July 10, through Sunday, July 19
Prospect Park Auditorium, 1584 34th Avenue, Moline IL
A boisterous, hilarious, critically acclaimed adaptation of Nickelodeon’s long-running animated children’s sitcom SpongeBob Squarepants, The SpongeBob Musical enjoys a July 10 through 19 engagement at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium, the show's Quad City Music Guild presentation sure to demonstrate why this family treat earned 12 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical, and why the New York Times deemed it "a ginormous giggle of a show."
In The SpongeBob Musical, audiences will find themselves in the undersea city of Bikini Bottom, inhabited by the happy-go-lucky and ever-optimistic yellow sea sponge SpongeBob SquarePants and his equally quirky circle of friends and neighbors. SpongeBob’s pleasant existence is abruptly interrupted, however, when it's discovered that Mt. Humongous, a nearby volcano, will erupt within the next 48 hours and completely obliterate Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob, trying to prove to himself and the world that he is not “just a simple sponge,” resolves to save the day when everybody else has given up all hope, resulting in a fun, family-friendly, and timeless story of identity, crisis, and community. The show is also a witty allegory that examines and critiques the politics of the modern era, and does so in such a way where children will appreciate and understand the plot line, while adults can read between the lines and extract even more from the musical’s message.
A Broadway and touring sensation, The SpongeBob Musical features a book by Kyle Jarrow, with original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, and T.I. With additional songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny, and Andy Paley. lyrics by Jonathan Coulton, and music by Tom Kitt, the musical demonstrates how the power of optimism really can save the world.
Making his Quad City Music Guild directing debut with The SpongeBob Musical, and designing its set, is Anthony Greer, whose on-stage credits with the organization have included roles in Singin' in the Rain, 42nd Street, and Oklahoma! Tyler Belanger serves as the show's music director and Harper Clark its choreographer, with additional members of Greer's creative team including: assistant director Deb Shippy; assistant music director Cynthia Sanger; stage manager Grace Hagerman; costume designer Becki Arnold; lighting designer Ambrose Pennocksound designer Kayla Sierra-Lee; props designer Nicholas Betts; and producer Troy Stark.
Portraying the lovable SpongeBob, in his Quad City Music Guild debut, is Deven Reed, with additionally famed SquarePants characters portrayed by Myka Walljasper (Patrick), Taylor Bley (Squidwad), Lauren Casillas (Sandy), Joe Wren (Mr. Krabs), and Juni Garza (Plankton). Completing the show's gifted ensemble are: Evelyn Beltran; Izzy Dudek; Denice Durbin; Aliyah Fowler; Elliott Griffith; Ella Hansen; Sara Laufer; Kailee McCaw; Rori Myers; Blue Roland; Eli Schroeder; Kinley Sederquist; Dylan Sitko; Hunter Smith; Wyatt Snow; Avery Sondgeroth; Michelle Steen; Owen Steen; Keegan Walker; and Ava Weist.
Quad City Music Guild's The SpongeBob Musical runs at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium July 10 through 19, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $15-20, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-6610 and visiting QCMusicGuild.com.
