Are you ready kids?…I can’t hear you! Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhh!
Opening this past week at The Gladstone Theatre was TotoToo’s highly anticipated Spongebob: The Musical, featuring the beloved characters from the hugely popular, cult-classic television show on Nickelodeon. Directed by Lisa Dunn, this show has garnered a lot of hype since it was announced as being part of TotoToo’s season, among both regular theatre-goers and non. And at last, the time has come! I count myself among those who have been anxiously awaiting the opening of this show. Having seen (and loved!) the television show, but being unfamiliar with the musical, I was intrigued to see how it would play out. And I am going to shout this next part, because I think it’s important to note: THIS COULD VERY WELL BE MY FAVOURITE MUSICAL TO DATE!
The Venue:
I’m a regular patron at The Gladstone Theatre, and I find it offers a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all theatre-goers. The theatre itself is loaded with state-of-the-art equipment, allowing for exceptional sound and light quality; it boasts a versatile stage set up, providing the space for maximum artistic creativity. There is a small lobby area with a bar and a coat check, which offers just the right amount of room; you can walk through it with ease, but you’ll also almost certainly bump into friends, new and old, from the theatre community. The staff are always helpful and friendly, and on more than one occasion, I have seen them go above and beyond in their customer service. My only complaint about The Gladstone is that it has no parking, and depending on the night you go, parking could pose a challenge. I would recommend wearing comfortable shoes in case you need to walk a block or two.
The Show:
Spongebob awakens one morning, full of his usual positivity and zest for life. He heads to work at a local restaurant, The Crusty Crab. On his way there, the audience is introduced to the main characters of the show. When violent tremors begin in Bikini Bottom soon after, it comes to be discovered that these are predicting a volcanic eruption, anticipated to wipe out the entire village within two days. A solution is needed to either stop the eruption or to escape Bikini Bottom. Each character reacts to the impending Armageddon in their own (often hilarious!) style. Will the residents be able to save Bikini Bottom? Or will dark forces interfere?
Standout Performances:
This show was particularly difficult for me to narrow down the standout performances, simply because there were SO MANY INCREDIBLE elements! It can feel impossible to choose. After reading the list of cast and crew, I am not surprised. Spongebob was comprised of some of the very best talent that Ottawa has to offer; I am not exaggerating when I say that the directing team, the production team, and the cast included many Ottawa ‘All-Stars.’ In fact, many of them have been named as my standout performers in previous reviews. But a few reeeeeeeeally stood out, and I can genuinely say these elements and individuals are what made this show my favourite of all time.
The first standout performance was not an individual, but rather the entire vibe and atmosphere of The Gladstone on show night. Everything from the ocean-themed décor, the staff wearing Hawaiian shirts and hats, really fun (and delicious!) themed drinks at the bar, a vibrant merch table, and finally the soft, rhythmic sound of what seemed to be ukulele music playing over a speaker really set the tone for the experience to come. I must admit that when I arrived at the door to The Gladstone itself, I wasn’t at my best. I’d had a long day, was quite tired, and was frustrated by the lack of parking, which made for a long and cold walk. But the instant that I walked in the doors, I was immediately transported to somewhere else…somewhere warm, tropical, and ocean-like… the world of Bikini Bottom!
I was awestruck by the flawless portrayal of Spongebob by Alex Davidson. The quality of his performance alone would have been enough for this to have been one of my favourite shows of all time, that is how good he is. His mannerisms, body language, voice, and even his annoyingly positive attitude were the embodiment of Spongebob. Davidson’s interpretation of Spongebob’s crying fits/tantrums was spot-on, and was hilarious! In all the theatre that I’ve seen (a LOT!), I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a character portrayed as accurately as Spongebob was by Alex Davidson. Davidson also had great vocals and movement throughout; a favourite song for me was Best Friends Forever, a duet between Spongebob and his BFF Patrick (Mason Timm). The two had some really great moments, and the song itself felt quintessentially, authentic Spongebob Squarepants.
Next up for my standout performances is Luc Cormier (Squidward Q. Tentacles). Cormier’s portrayal of this intentionally annoying character was perfect! If you haven’t seen the television show, you’ll have to take my word that Cormier’s facial expressions and demeanor were spot-on in terms of likeness to his television counterpart. Equally impressive was his ability to maneuver around the stage in a costume that did not look simple to operate (think multiple legs!) The song, ‘Not a Loser’ further demonstrates Cormier’s talent: he TAP DANCES on those squid legs! His comedic timing was perfect, and I loved every scene he was in, he really made the show!
The next standout performer is Alianne Rozon in the role of Karen the Robot. If the name sounds familiar, it might be because Rozon was recently a stand-out performer in her role as ‘Toto/Puppeteer’ in the Wizard of Oz with Orpheus! I would imagine that portraying characters like a puppet dog and a robot are not easy, and in both shows, Rozon wowed the audience. As Karen the Robot, Rozon never broke character, even when motionless, despite very funny things happening on stage around her. Her timing was excellent, and she had the audience laughing throughout the show. A particularly funny scene had her experiencing a glitch in her programming, causing her to repeat some movements and shut down. It was brilliant!
Next up is Noah Pacheco in the role of Sheldon J. Plankton. No stranger to my standout performers, he was fantastic in Spongebob as well. He portrayed this character extremely well, but what took his performance from great to ‘standout’ for me was his unexpected hip-hop/rap that seemed to come out of nowhere. It was awesome! What a multi-talented individual!
Behind The Scenes Recap:
Behind all great shows is a phenomenal team, working to bring it to life and to ensure that things run smoothly. Sadly, quite often these people do not get the credit and recognition that they deserve; they are rarely seen or heard, rarely given the accolades that they are so deserving of! The hard-working people behind the scenes of this show put together such an incredible show, which has appeal for all ages! Huge congratulations to Director Lisa Dunn: you’ve done it again! The creative genius that would have been required to put this show together cannot be overstated! One of my favourite behind the scenes aspects of this performance was the sound design by Justin Ladelpha, who treats the audience to a variety of creative, unexpected, and hysterical sound effects throughout the show. Notably, the walking sound effects for Squidward and Mr. Krabs were hilarious. I feel as though the sound effects added an additional dimension of humour to an already funny show.
The set was minimal but functional, allowing for the story to play out without the distraction of large or elaborate set pieces. The props and costumes (with the exception of a few characters, whose costumes were nothing short of brilliant: Spongebob, Squidward, Karen, and Sheldon) were bright, yet understated, which worked really well for this show. I loved the inclusion of glow in the dark pieces! The addition of Gary, Spongebob’s pet snail, was fantastic, used sparingly throughout the show, adding additional comic relief and an adorability factor. The way that Sheldon Plankton was portrayed on the performer’s boot was really clever too. The make-up design was incredible for Spongebob, Karen, and Squidward, but I didn’t really notice any other characters standing out.
In case you haven’t figured it out, I absolutely loved this show! There was not a single moment where I wondered when it might be over or looked at my watch to see what time it was. I loved every minute of the show. It was engaging, fun and hilarious through and through! When you go (not if you go, because you’ll regret not seeing this), know that you don’t have to have seen the television show or movie to enjoy the stage musical! However, if you’re familiar with the characters, you’ll be able to appreciate all of the jokes, the facial expressions, the fine details, and the set and costumes more than if you were to go in blind.
Spongebob The Musical runs from November 28th to December 7th. I highly recommend getting tickets before it’s gone; it’s a theatrical gem that you don’t want to miss!
