Young actors portray Spongebob and Sandy as they prepare to scale Mt. Humongous during St. Mary's School's rendition of Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical.--NEWS PHOTO ANNA SMITH
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Students from St. Mary’s School brought many a Hatter’s beloved childhood characters to life with their rendition of Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical.
While the characters are well captured both in personality and in incredibly clever costuming choices – like the extra pair of “legs” complete with sneakers that make up Squidward’s distinct silhouette, or the use of a small plush to demonstrate Plankton’s diminutive size – the story itself is easily universal enough for anyone to enjoy.
Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical’s junior edition is a condensed version of the original broadway script, preserving the main plot beats and narrative while offering a run time more accessible for younger audiences.
With such a large cast of characters most of the audience will already be familiar with, it can be a unique challenge to get the dynamics recognizable, as there is less room for artistic licence as there might be for actors bringing new or unique figures to life.
However, the students at St. Mary’s quickly proved they were up to the challenge – from imitating many of the iconic laughs to performing entirely in what appeared to be boxing gloves as imitation crab claws. But perhaps most impressive was a strong sense that the core cast of friends truly and genuinely like each other in ways those familiar with Bikini Bottom lore would come to expect.
This is absolutely vital, of course, for a play about friendship, and the young actors certainly deliver, both in and out of the bright, bold musical numbers which drive the story along.
The set is almost a star in of itself, bringing in multiple levels to the performance. The elevated bridge allows for news anchors to tower over panicked crowds, shows how the words of an authority figure can linger in the back of someone’s mind and truly sell the size of the supposed “Mount Humongous” the cast is tasked with climbing to forestall certain doom.
And all while a large clock labelled “hours to doom” spins unceasingly overhead, naturally.
There is a sense of whimsy that permeates the entire show, and it shows strongly in many of the prop and set design pieces. While this is true to the energy of the cartoon itself, some of it is unique in a way only theatre can be. The use of small, twinkling lights and frilly parasols to create the effect of a jellyfish field, for instance, was a surprise and a delight to witness.
As the show has only one public performance for each cast of this dual-casted play, those interested in supporting these budding sea stars are encouraged to move quickly over to tixx.ca to secure seats for either today’s performance at 7 p.m. or Saturday’s performance at 11 a.m.
