Review: The Spongebob Musical by Magnolia Musical Theatre
by Brian Paul Scipione

 

I’ve never seen the SpongeBob SquarePants show, but since it is a wide-reaching cultural phenomenon, I am not only aware of it, but I know some of the characters and the theme song and some other tidbits of info. Like something about pineapples.

 

Whenever possible, I go to productions knowing very little about them. Also, I have a list of classic productions I have never seen because I want my first experience with them to be live. This is rarely an issue, and so I must say I was surprised that without whispered answers from a nearby expert I would have been quite lost during SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical AKA The SpongeBob Musical.

 

The SpongeBob SquarePants show debuted in 1999 and has been running ever since. Its 16th season was released this year. At the height of its popularity it attracted over four and half million viewers. There are four feature-length movies (the fourth is scheduled to be released this December). The stage musical made its world premiere in June 2016 in Chicago. The Broadway debut quickly followed in December 2017.

 

The Chicken-Little-like plot is simple: a volcano is set to erupt in Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends, must find a way to save their unbelieving fellow underwater denizens.

 

The show opened to rave reviews, and it would go on to be developed into many national tours and international productions. It received twelve Tony nominations but took home only that for best scenic design. Tina Landau conceived the musical; the book is by Kyle Jarrow. However, what made it unique was the long list of famous artists who pitched in and wrote original songs. Rattling them off sounds like reading an ACL Music Festival Lineup: Aerosmith, Lady Antebellum, John Legend, Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeros, Sara Bareilles, Plain White T's, T.I., Panic! at the Disco, Cyndi Lauper, Yolanda Adams, The Flaming Lips, and They Might Be Giants.

 

The costume designers did an amazing job from color palette to wig-work. However, most of the musical’s characters are anthropomorphized without their animal appendages. The starfish isn’t made up to be pink or even to look like a star. The squirrel has no tail. SpongeBob isn’t yellow and the character who is apparently a computer looked more like a member of the B52s.

 

There's a lot of discussion in the fan community on why they made these decisions and there seems to be agreement that they did not want the characters to resemble their cartoon counterparts too closely, for fear it would look like cosplay. So, while some characters are obvious—for example,the four-legged Squidward Q Tentacles—many others were not. Certainly, that's not an issue for those who have seen the show. Herein lies a level of irony: in a show clearly engrossed in spectacle, the costumes are gorgeous but don't seem to have anything to do with the show. What does a squirrel have to do to get a tail around here?

 

Magnolia Musical Theatre’s mission statement is “Our Mission is to provide Broadway-quality musical theatre experiences for ALL PEOPLE of the Central Texas Hill Country.” Though I missed their first two productions (Beauty and the Beast and Footloose), I can say they are certainly hitting that mark with a seamless, professional production indeed of Broadway quality. Choosing this production was key because there’s a lot to work with.

 

There are multiple genres of excellent songs; despite the simple plotline, every character’s story has an arc; and there are ample dance numbers. One might worry that having so many different artists contribute to the song list could result in a disconcerting mishmash of styles, yet that is not the case here. In fact, the lack of normal Broadway musical stylings such as vamping, call and response, and patter, perfectly fits with the story’s tone and setting.

 

 

It's hard to pick a definitive highlight of Magnolia’s production but the leading contender would certainly be the combination of Matthew Kennedy (choreographer), Annie Mawson (assistant choreographer), and the hours of practice the cast clearly put into the slew of amazing dance routines. To my knowledge there hasn't been a scientific study on why a deftly executed tap dance number stimulates utter joy in the viewing audience, but perhaps there should be.

 

Matching the superior dance routines was the power of a chorus that sounded richer and more impassioned than most Broadway choruses (to be fair, perhaps the grueling Broadway schedule zaps the performers' umph). Not the case here, for all fourteen members of the ensemble are vibrant, exuberant, and pitch perfect.

 

The production team has done a  whole lot with a little. Using simple blocks, they manage to really sell the scene when SpongeBob (DJ DelVecchio) and Sandy Cheeks (Carrigan Young) must climb a mountain. Also impressively inspired are the enchanting jellyfish props and the use of common kitchen sponges for dazzling background choreography during a SpongeBob song .

 

DelVecchio as Spongebob does a great job of leading a cast of standouts. Tanner Trigg is hilarious as Patrick and has a great sonorous voice to match. Carrigan Young dominated every scene she was in with her Texas accent, Texas charm, and gorgeous voice. Jacob Rosenbaum as  Squidward does great work making what I imagine an inherently unlikable character not only likeable but the star of his own show. He wants so badly to do his number that the audience wants it as badly. When it finally happens Rosenbaum and crew make it a total showstopper.

 

The two best scene-stealers are Matt Kennedy as Sheldon Plankton and Kara Moy as Karen the computer. The pair are a great comic duo and while they don’t have any songs together, they make sure that every time they are on stage they get barrels of laughs. The show’s chemistry works so well because every performer is playing the characters as truthfully as possible, giving room for the absurd story and scenarios to play out as a whole.

 

This is not cosplay or pantomime or even impressionism. It is a refreshing commitment to the wacky SpongeBob universe in all its glory.

 

How have I never seen the TV show?

 

 

 

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The Spongebob Musical
Magnolia Musical Theatre

July 16 - August 16, 2025

Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m.

Hill Country Galleria, Bee Cave