When I first heard of Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” animated TV series, I didn’t get the appeal. “Really?” I thought? “A talking sea sponge in shirt-and-tie, shorts or underpants?” But haven’t we all embraced talking mice and daffy ducks et al for generations? Who am I to cast doubt?
My SpongeBob prejudice was completely undermined early one morning while tuning into the cartoon with our then young daughter from a hotel room during yet another “hurricane escape” vacation. I found myself not only chuckling at typical, over-the-top animated high jinks, but also becoming personally involved in the storyline. But what amazed me the most was hearing the sophisticated, college-level prose these loopy underwater creatures employed with abandon. Way above the head of a seven-year-old, I thought. But Alison appeared to get it (likely because of all the accompanying action and emotional expression).
What a wonderful way to expose youngsters (the show’s target audience is ages 6-11, though also popular with college students and adults) to an advanced vocabulary! At least that’s what I got from an episode we’d watched in our hotel room all those years ago. Wish I could remember which one, but I’m sure there are many more like it.
Finally, and perhaps best of all, along with personal and interpersonal dramas relatable to viewers of all ages, the shows end with an embedded (and far from heavy-handed) moral message about the rewards of doing the right thing. It doesn’t hurt that the main character’s naive optimism and persistence continually saves the day, while greed and meanness are the big losers.
Kids raised on SpongeBob will hopefully grow up to be kinder neighbors, while maintaining enough positivity and drive to make the world a better place. Maybe even save it – and humanity – from our baser instincts. The cartoon was first launched in 1999, decades before climate change became a buzzword global crisis. Nowadays, with the focus on our oceans as ground zero for saving the earth from man-made pollutants, the message of protecting all sea life is sure to resonate with fans conditioned to care about Bikini Bottom’s underwater inhabitants like a sponge (SpongeBob), a squid (Squidward Q Tentacles), a starfish (Patrick Star), and a crab (Eugene Krabs).
Educating the public about the wonders and fragility of marine life has long been a focus of the series’ creator and animator, Stephen Hillenburg, who’d minored in art in college but started out as a marine biologist and professor (marine biology and art being lifelong passions). Always sketching, Hillenburg would go on to study experimental animation at the California Institute of the Arts which facilitated what began as an unsalable comic book into the world’s most popular children’s show.
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL (original Broadway title, resurrected for touring productions) opened on Broadway in December 2017 and went on to earn the most Academy Award nominations (12!) for the 2017/18 season. It won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award for both Outstanding New Broadway Musical and Outstanding New Score.
Slow Burn Theatre Company is currently presenting this blockbuster musical, conceived by Tina Landau with book by Kyle Jarrow, at its resident home at Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater through June 23. The production boasts an exemplary, award-winning creative team and cast. I will get to the play’s plot shortly – in true SpongeBob fashion it’s exciting and hilarious, topical and weird (and for this full-length production, also earth shattering!) – but must say upfront that the show’s worth attending for its soundtrack alone.
The score showcases original songs by legends like David Bowie, Tom Kenny, and Andy Paley, with additional lyrics by Jonathan Coulton and additional music by Tom Kitt. And check out this contributing artist roster: Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex 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.
Slow Burn is known for its enthusiastic audiences, but at Saturday night’s opening, the atmosphere was even more electric than usual – with adult attendees skewing young (Gen Z couples and millennial groups dominated). But middle-aged and older SpongeBob fans were also represented; the cartoon series is celebrating its 25th anniversary, afterall. The vibe inside the theater, at times, resembled that of a rock concert (with even hints of “Rocky Horror”-style participation. I spotted a white-haired gentleman wearing a perfectly tailored SpongeBob shirt, tie and brown shorts).
A rather lengthy pre-show saw patrons dancing at their seats to a duo of high-energy DJs spinning pop songs from two brightly lit, prop-laden upper balconies. I actually recognized several hits from my line dance classes. As usual, Slow Burn’s set design was suitably spectacular. Credit goes to Timothy S. Dickey, who also served as technical director, and whose prowess immersed us in the flashy cartoons’ undersea world where all balconies were festooned with sparkling aquamarine streamers and the stage’s default was a neon, color-changing arc above a large, lit-up pineapple (SpongeBob’s home).
Another “tell” that this theatrical experience would be irreverently different was when company co-founder and artistic director Patrick Fitzwater, who typically greets us, went awol. (Fitzwater expertly directs all Slow Burn shows, including this one, where he also provided sound and wig design.) In his stead, Patchy the Pirate (Gianfranco Imbert) — an interloper dressed in full pirate regalia who’d mingled with the audience earlier and posed for group selfies — jumps the stage brandishing his cellphone to create a “pirated” copy of the show. We are treated to a slapstick vignette that ends when he’s finally caught by Security Guards, who then relay the reminder to silence our phones.
Jonathan Coulton’s iconic opening number, “Bikini Bottom Day,” introduces all the town’s inhabitants to much fanfare, cheers and applause. I salute book writer Kyle Jarrow for managing to include every popular character who appeared in 11-minute cartoon segments in the two-hour musical. Where much of human nature – the good, the ugly, the simply misguided or a-work-in-progress – is on full display. Stephen Hillenburg’s aquatic characters reflect a critical mirror on our own, earth-bound society – personally, socially, and politically.
“BFF” by Plain White T’s is an early duet performed by SpongeBob SquarePants (Anthony Llerandi) and his starfish best friend, Patrick Star (Marc Christopher) that’s emblematic of this patch of marine life where different species mostly get along (at least before they are confronted with a monumental crisis). We later meet SpongeBob’s money-obsessed boss, Mr. Eugene Krabs (Ryan Crout), a crab, and his starry-eyed teenage daughter, Pearl (Nayomi Braaf), a whale, who experience typical father-daughter conflicts. But then in their song, “Daddy Knows Best,” by Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Pearl is left wondering if her dad loves money even more than he loves her.
Because a musical rests very much on the quality of its vocalists, I must rave here that they are uniformly extraordinary. I wanted to single out a few but that wouldn’t be fair … they really are all perfect for their roles. Anthony Llerandi also makes his nonstop human portrayal of SpongeBob’s exaggerated physical animation and expressions appear effortless. Everyone’s performance is enhanced by Eden Marte’s music direction, lighting design by Clifford Spulock, projectionist Kacey Koploff, foley artist Tyler Johnson Grimes, and Nicole Alcaro’s prop design. And supporting it all, stage management by company co-founder Matthew W. Korinko.
Choreography by Reynel Reynaldo and dance captain Kalista Curbelo excel, and tap choreographer Nicolette Quintero gifted us with a show highlight in Squidward Q. Tentacles’ (Brian Klimowski) four-legged tap number with Sea Anemones to “I’m Not a Loser” by They Might Be Giants. Oft employed background dancers — like the ones in “Citizens of Bikini Bottom” — were always in top form, adding excitement and color in striking outfits by master costume designer Rick Pena. I especially appreciated his male and female pirate get-ups when they joined Patchy in storming the stage to perform Sara Bareilles’ “Poor Pirates,” the opening number for Act Two.
Sheldon Plankton (Alexander Blanco) and his partner-in-crime Karen the Computer (Lauren Horgan) may describe themselves as “tiny” but they loom large in their evil plans, relationship drama, and vocals. I also loved Karen’s dazzling costume that was sexy and not computer-looking at all. (Nor were their interactions.) “When the Going Gets Tough” (by TI, Domani Harris and Darwin Quinn) glorifies their opportunistic nature as they plot to desert the town and kidnap its inhabitants to achieve their fast-food business takeover dream.
