“It’s a beautiful Bikini Bottom day!”
Last weekend at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, “The SpongeBob Musical” brought everyone’s favorite nautical sponge to the stage.
Opening in New York City in 2017 as “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical,” the show was a big success, garnering 12 Tony nominations.
However, it didn’t gain positive attention only from those who saw it on Broadway. When the musical released its cast album, a large number of theatre lovers — including myself — fell head over heels in love with the show’s music.
When the national tour was announced, I couldn’t be more excited to go and see the show in person. While excited, I had to confront the possibility that the national tour wouldn’t be as good as the original Broadway run or, at least, the cast recording.
To my surprise, the show mostly held up to my expectations.
In order to get any sort of enjoyment out of “The SpongeBob Musical,” you have to opt into its world. Yes, SpongeBob is childish. The show is by no means serious and tends to lean towards goofy more often than not. I can understand why many who see the show will dismiss it as “for little kids” or “cringey.”
However, going into the show with an open mind gives one the opportunity to experience one of the most fun musicals I have ever seen.
The show’s story sees SpongeBob and friends trying to figure out how to deal with a volcano that is about to destroy Bikini Bottom. With only 36 hours to react, the town falls into chaos. SpongeBob, the only person who seems to be taking the situation in stride, is tasked with bringing everyone back together and finding a solution to their impending doom.
Whether you are five or 55, chances are you’ll be laughing almost the entire time the curtain is raised. “The SpongeBob Musical” is full of humor not only for little kids, but also more nuanced adult humor.
This comedy is paired with some truly fantastic songs. Each song in the show is written by a different person, with names such as Brendon Urie, David Bowie and John Legend on the playbill. While not every song is all that memorable, “(Just A) Simple Sponge,” “Bikini Bottom Day” and “Hero Is My Middle Name” will go down in my book as some of the great musical songs of the past decade.
The national tour did a fantastic job casting. Every actor does a great job embodying their respective characters, with the highlights being Lorenzo Pugliese as SpongeBob and Beau Bradshaw as Patrick. While these two were able to act incredibly well, they faltered slightly in singing. Some really big moments in the play were hindered by voices cracking during high notes, which was a big letdown.
As far as singing goes, Daria Pilar Redus stole the show as Sandy. She never missed a beat, with her songs sounding the best in the show.
Overall, the national tour did a great job translating “The SpongeBob Musical” from Broadway to tour. The show gives off an incredible feeling of goodwill and happiness, promoting being good to fellow humans no matter the circumstance. I simply can’t envision anyone seeing this show and not having a huge smile on their face the whole time.
