By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Bikini Bottom isn’t all that different than up here on land.
And that’s not a good thing.
It has ineffectual politicians, greedy folks, sensationalizing TV news personalities, gullible camp followers, and mobs attacking scientists and folks unlike themselves, in this case a scientist squirrel.
Also, people tend to dismiss the talents and abilities of people. And that includes Bikini Bottom’s most famous denizen, the cook at the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob SquarePants.
All this comes to the fore when an imminent volcano eruption threatens to destroy Bikini Bottom. Will the town be saved? Will the residents have to flee? Will they all be hypnotized into having an insatiable appetite for chum burgers?
To find out, you’ll have to venture to the undersea world of “The SpongeBob Musical,” which opens tonight (April 22) at 8 p.m. in the Maumee Indoor Theatre. The Waterville Playshop production, directed by Matt Zwyer, continues Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets, $17 and $15 for students and seniors, are on sale at the door or at www.watervilleplayshop.org.
All this starts out with SpongeBob (Dylan Coale) extoling what a beautiful “Bikini Bottom Day” it is. SpongeBob is the Little Mary Sunshine of the ocean floor. But his celebration is interrupted when his employer Mr. Krabs (Rick Schmitz) tells him that he’s not suited to be manager of the Krusty Krab restaurant where he works as a short order cook. SpongeBob is just a simple sponge who doesn’t absorb much.
And then the big dance number is disrupted as the floor begins to quake.
The volcano on Mount Humongous is ready to blow. The disaster will happen at sundown the next day. The town folk go into a tizzy. What to do? Who to blame? The mayor (Marsha Cochran) assures them that a committee will be formed to develop an initiative to study the situation and come up with a plan. Meanwhile stay inside. SpongeBob visits Patrick (Matthew Badyna) who is distraught because all his TV programs have been preempted. At SpongeBob’s urging they play childish games, and declare themselves BFFs, though the dimwitted starfish has a hard time deciphering the initials.
The mayor summons the town sea creatures together again, and announces … well, no progress. Desperate, she asks for ideas. Sandy the Squirrel scientist (Avery Snyder) suggests relieving the pressure to prevent the volcano from erupting. She’s dismissed. Patrick suggests just closing their eyes so it’ll go away. A few people are willing to consider that. Maybe an escape capsule to evacuate the population? That costs money.
As everything spins out of control, the evil Plankton (Tanner Strock) and his female sidekick Karen (Shannon Ruhe) who run the competing restaurant figure out a way to turn this to their advantage.
Meanwhile Squidward (Jeffrey Beam), SpongeBob’s temperamental opposite, dreams of launching his own show. Maybe the concert to raise funds to pay for the capsule will enable that. Mr.Krabs’ daughter Pearl (Jordan Mizerek) just wants to meet her favorite band, The Electric Skates.
Patrick attracts disciples who see him as the “Super Sea-Star Savior,” a tune fittingly penned by gospel singer Yolanda Adams.
The score consists of songs commissioned for the show from a host of musical luminaries including David Bowie and Brian Eno, Panic at the Disco, They Might Be Giants, the Flaming Lips and others. The seven-piece band, led by Jenny Jackson, rocks out on the music providing a solid foundation for the vocals.
The costumes by Joe Barton give the look of a cartoon without being overly fussy about replicating sea creature anatomy. Squidward has the most elaborate get-up with four tentacles. Beam shows Squidward’s determination in the way he tries to get those tentacles to dance.
The earnestness in which the actors inhabit the characters brings the world of Bikini Bottom to life.
That starts with the title character. Coale takes his character, for all his silliness, seriously. His ebullience about life is infectious, and we feel his disappointment. The actors never condescend to the childishness of the characters. That’s just how they are – and maybe just how we all are in certain ways.
While there’s camp in the spoofs on popular culture, there’s also a lot of heart as well.
