Stage Review - The SpongeBob Musical (Bainbridge Performing Arts)

Stage Review - The SpongeBob Musical
Presented By: Bainbridge Performing Arts - Bainbridge Island , WA
Show Run: May 02 - May.18, 2025
Date Reviewed: Saturday, May 10, 2025
Run Time: 2 Hours, 35 Minutes (including a 15 minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

It’s just another day in Bikini Bottom for SpongeBob SquarePants, waking up to greet the day and his pet sea snail Gary, and ready to face whatever adventures await. Little does he know, what he’s about to face might be his most serious challenge yet, an adventure that will test his friendships, his confidence, and even his generally positive attitude. The plot of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, originally titled (and will be referred to here for simplicity’s sake) The SpongeBob Musical, has our hero trying to save his home from the impending eruption of Mount Humongous, something the news reports say will wipe out Bikini Bottom at the end of the next day. It’s a musical that was extremely well received on Broadway, receiving 12 Tony nominations, but that was before it hit a run of bad luck, its NY run cut short by theatre renovations and its subsequent national tour ended by Covid. Given that history, I’m not surprised that I haven’t seen a lot of theaters produce a local version of The SpongeBob musical, but the team at Bainbridge Performing Arts must know a few things that the others don’t. Their production of the musical story of a volcano threatening our favorite square sponge and his friends runs on stage at the Buxton Center for the Performing Arts through May 18, is directed by Adam Othman, and is sure to be a hit with kids and parents alike.

Not having seen The SpongeBob Musical before, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I figured it was geared more toward kids, but I didn’t know much at all about the music, or the songs, nor did I have an inkling about costumes; would they be fully immersive costumes? Would something that looked like a giant yellow sponge be walking around on stage, like a character meet and greet at a theme park? I had no idea what I was getting into when I walked into the Buxton Center this past Saturday evening, but it wasn’t long until my fears were allayed. First, though, there was the “show before the show”. Before Elizabeth Allum’s curtain speech, the audience is witness to one Patchy the Pirate, whose job it is to get the younger part of the crowd warmed up. Played by James Sgambati, Patchy interacts with the crowd, celebrates the odd birthday, and otherwise seems like he’s there just to enjoy the show, but what he’s really there for is to make a “pirated” copy of the musical with his mobile phone. Wrangled by security, Patchy is finally removed so the real festivities can begin. And when the show does begin, I‘ll just say that if there was a formula that a director could use which would show him or her how to build a musical that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and still be just about technically perfect, then the Bainbridge Performing Arts production of The SpongeBob Musical must have surely followed it. But, of course, there’s no such magic formula, so the fact that director Adam Othman has done just that with this production, this creative team, and this cast, is proof positive what an achievement this musical is. The first thing anyone will notice coming into the main “Hot Dog” stage of the Buxton Center is the set, and just like BPA did with their last show Eurydice, they’ve foregone the use of their curtain to make the most of the real estate available to them. Erik Furuheim’s set literally looks like it’s underwater, and his work, along with that from scenic artist Matthew Lazure and Matt Longmire, who created the projections for the stage and other areas in the theatre, has created an environment for this cast to perform in that can’t be anything else but Bikini Bottom. On the costume front, it turns out I never had anything to worry about, because no, Dawn Janow doesn’t have this cast walking around in glorified Halloween costumes, but rather human clothes that are designed creatively to represent each character, so there’s really no guessing as to which actor is playing which character, the only exception is Squidward, who has an extra pair of legs, but that’s about it, oh, and Mr. Krabs, who SpongeBob works for, has giant crab claws for hands, but his daughter Pearl, who is a whale, wears nothing that makes her look like one, in fact the only way anyone would know she is, in fact, a whale is that it’s mentioned in the story, and every time she walks, her footsteps are accompanied pnied by loud “thuds”, produced by Foley Fish Siriam Kanduri.

Siriam is another part of this uniquely talented creative team who, along with the phenomenal live orchestra, under music director Shawna Avinger’s watchful eye, provides the backing to the soundtrack that is the playlist for The SpongeBob Musical. His contribution is, as his character’s name implies, predominantly live foley, along with percussion, but he also participates in some of the ensemble dance numbers, of which there are some good ones as well, including a nice tap number in Act 2. Musically, the biggest surprise for me with this show is found with the list of composers of the show’s twenty or so songs. This list is a who’s who of pop, rock, and musical theatre, including Sara Bareilles, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, They Might Be Giants, The Flaming Lips, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, and Brian Eno, just to name a few. And to hear these songs put together, you’d never know that it was constructed by a consortium of talent such as this, there’s a good deal of continuity between them, which is quite remarkable considering the diversity of styles that have come together to produce the show’s music. The SpongeBob Musical creative team has built a complete production, perhaps one of the best all around from a design and performance perspective of the season to date, one that surely caters to kids, but is also accessible by parents and other adults, but at the same time does not sacrifice any quality in the service of that accessibility. Beyond the set, the costuming, and the quality of the music, there’s also the choreography, which Laura McFarlane, along with associate choreographer Elizabeth Posluns, have designed here, and what I appreciate about Laura’s work is not just how good the steps she has designed are and how well they go with the music, but how well the cast executes them, with confidence, synchronicity, and consistency. It proves how well the group is prepared, and how versatile they are, and I’m all for any show that features a high energy and entertaining tap number. Overall, this is a very active show with a lot of movement, not just in the choreography, but also with Adam’s blocking and even with the set work, which includes pieces that move on and off stage to represent particular locations throughout the show. And it takes a cast that comes with talent, and has the ability to contribute to a show that may seem simple given its primary intended audience, though is anything but, and that could be Adam’s biggest coup with his work here, his casting.

The hard part about reviewing a show with a cast as large as this one is that it’s not possible to call out all of the actors and give them their proper due and each performance, especially those in the ensemble. All I can really say in that regard is how well they all perform together, and that for an ensemble that includes actors representing a range of ages, they are all equally adept at presenting their parts with the high level of quality that Adam clearly has instilled in the overall production. And while the members of the ensemble are all very good, from the Sardines who follow SpongeBob’s BFF Patrick as a sort of mystical cult leader to the hip hop dancers in Plankton’s rap, “When the Going Gets Tough”, or the tap dancers in the Squidward-led “I’m Not a Loser”, it’s the lead and supporting casts that truly stand out, and that starts with SpongeBob himself, played by Reese Sigman. What Reese has done with this role is truly special, from his voice, which is incredibly and uncannily similar to SpongeBob’s, to his expressive facial gestures, the way he moves across the stage, presents the character to the audience, displays the good hearted nature of SpongeBob as well as his more human side when boss Mr. Krabs tells him that he’s not management material, and just generally seems to embody this character, it’s a masterful piece of acting, which seems odd to say about someone playing a sponge, but I can’t overstate how good Reese is in the role. His voice doesn’t fluctuate at all throughout the show no matter whether he’s happy, sad, singing, or speaking, and he’s quite acrobatic as well, but what I especially like is how he presents SpongeBob in his relationships, with Patrick, played by Dana A. Benson, Squidward (Franco Benicio Weaver), and the scientifically minded squirrel Sandy Cheeks, played here by Anna Vizzare. Each of these actors also puts in good performances, for instance Dana as Patrick is good as the friend who is torn between helping SpongeBob save the town and his new found role as a mentor to the group of young Sardines. It’s his one chance to “be somebody”. The duet between Reese and Dana, “BFF”, is a wonderful song about friendship, it’s fun and so well performed by these two. And while “BFF” is fun and uplifting, “(I Guess) I MIss You”, their duet in Act 2 is a sad, but also sweet and heartfelt follow-up, and just as nicely performed, with wonderful harmonies between Reese and Dana. One other thing to note, on the production side, is the vocal balance, and how in numbers with ensembles backing the leads or supporting actors, those lead voices are never overshadowed by the ensemble, which is a good thing, especially in Reese’s songs, if only because his vocals are so good.

While Patrick takes some time to find himself, it’s Sandy who is the brains behind the plan to stop the eruption from taking out the town. Anna Vizzare is a good Sandy, the squirrel with the plan, vocally she more than holds her own with them, and the way she portrays the character is done very well. This group isn’t the only one planning for the end of the world, though, the evil Sheldon J. Plankton and his computer wife Karen have convinced everyone that they are building an escape pod, and instead of trying to help SpongeBob, the couple try to come between him and his plan at every turn. Talena Laine is Plankton and Helene Minassian is Karen, the smart, flirty, and at times a bit sexy, Computer, and together they’re evil, but in that funny way you see in these sorts of stories, as they plot, plan, and unknowingly rediscover their relationship as a result. While I like what they do throughout, their highlight has to be in the rap song “When the Going Gets Tough”, which features Talena rapping faster than a modern major general, Helene beat boxing and displaying her excellent dancing skills,all leading to an entertaining, and completely in sync, hip-hop dance. It’s quite impressive, and one of the highlights of the whole show. Of course their escape pod plan may not be on the up and up, but they’ve convinced “Negative Nelly” Squidward, who takes it upon himself to organize a benefit concert to raise money for the escape pod scheme. Franco Benicio Weaver is so good as the squid whose glass is always half empty, and his tap performance in “I’m Not a Loser” is super. In fact, if there’s a true show-stopper in The SpongeBob Musical, it’s this one.

As I said, the whole cast is top drawer, with other highlights including Kendra Truett as the Mayor of Bikini Bottom, as well as Reed Viydo and Kristin Sorensen as Mr. Krabbs and his daughter Pearl. Kristin shows her musical chops in “Daddy Knows Best”, a song about Krabbs being more interested in making money than in paying attention to her. From a production standpoint, “(Just a) Simple Sponge” creatively uses flourescents and neon painted props to add a nice touch to the song, and some of the other visual and sound effects from Deirdre and Matt Hadlock and the rest of the creative team set The SpongeBob Musical apart from other productions in the area.

Some may see The SpongeBob Musical on the schedule at Bainbridge Performing Arts and think to themselves, “I’ll let the kids have this one, it’s not for me.”. For anyone out there who has had a similar thought, let me be the first to tell you to put that right out of your mind. This is a show that, yes, is based on a television show that is designed for kids, but it’s something that can be enjoyed equally by kids and parents alike, as well as those without children., and the BPA production is done with such a high level of quality that it will be appreciated by any lover of musical theatre. From top to bottom, the scenic design is beautiful, the musical numbers are performed with power and clarity, the choreography is challenging and executed with precision, and the overall production value is superb. All of this comes together to create a superlative piece of musical theatre that is delightful, entertaining, and in a word, fun.

The SpongeBob Musical runs on stage at Bainbridge Performing Arts’ Buxton Center through May 18. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org/.

Photo credit: Adam Othman