In my last theatre writeup before the pandemic hit (Passion, at Boston Court, on 3/8/2020), I wrote “Next weekend brings the MRJ Man of the Year dinner (and The Wild Party at Morgan Wixson). The 3rd weekend of March brings Marvin’ Room at Actors Co-op (FB) ; and the last weekend brings Spongebob Squarepants at the Dolby Theatre/Broadway in LA (FB) and the MoTAS/TBH Seder. ”
Well, The Wild Party was finally mounted by the Morgan Wixson in September 2022, and Marvin’s Room was finally remounted by Actors Co-Op in Februrary 2022. The MoTAS seder that year was cancelled. And as for our little Sponge? Well, COVID killed the tour and the engagement was cancelled. I was disappointed, as this is a show with great music (each song has a different rock artist) and a wonderful theme. Yeah, it was broadcast on Nickelodeon, but it wasn’t quite the same.
So when I learned an internet friend would be performing in a production of Spongebob up in Woodland CA, we decided to be spontaneous. We planned a weekend vacation to visit friends in Davis, and drove up to see the show and visit friends. However, I hadn’t restarted the writeups yet, so it never got written up.
Fast forward a few months. I discovered that the Theatre department of CSUN (Cal State Northridge) was planning to do Spongebob. If you aren’t familiar with CSUN Theatre, they are one of those unsung gems. I’m not talking about VPAC The Soraya. I’m talking about the theatre department: the academic training ground for actors. Just as CSUN has one of the top-notch jazz and music training programs (in fact, we’re seeing one of the products of that program tonight: Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band), it also has an excellent theatre training program, training actors for both TV and stage. We’ve seen some remarkable CSUN Theatre over the years, including Bat Boy, Hair, and Edges. So I set a reminder, and then booked our tickets to see Spongebob again. This would be a compare and contrast: How does a small regional theatre’s production of Spongebob compare with one from a strong theatre department. So this writeup covers both productions.
Now, if you aren’t familiar with The Spongebob Musical, it is very subversive. On the surface, you’re probably going: “Spongebob? Singing and dancing? Why? Isn’t this just for kids?”. The reality is that the show features original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A., Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At The Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, T.I., as well as songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny, and Andy Paley. If you haven’t heard the cast album, you should give it a listen. The plot touches on xenophobia (fear of the outsider), distrust of science, the ultimate value of science, women in science, climate change, and the power of friendship and positive thinking. The show works on multiple levels: The kids see a silly sponge and a starfish; the adults enjoy the music and the deeper story. So are you ready, kids?
The plot of The Spongebob Musical is summarized as “When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world!” The show opens with an introduction to the denizens of Bikini Bottom. Tremors indicate the undersea volcano will erupt. The town leadership just wants to hold meetings. The evil Plankton sees this as an opportunity for an evil plot. Spongebob and Sandy the Squirrel think it can be solved with science. Patrick wants to help, but soon becomes the object of worship for a school of sardines. Squidward just wants to be on stage, and Mr. Krabs just wants to make money. But after some adventures, science and friendship triumphs.
As I said, silly, but with a good message.
So how did the two companies do?
We saw the show first at the Woodland Opera House in August. This was a regional production, with community actors. My memory of the show is less fresh, but a friend was in the show as Patchy the Pirate (and he did a great job). What I do remember from the show was that their Spongebob, Erik Catalan, was excellent. I remember they did a great robotic Gary. I remember that, for their limited resources, they did a very creative staging. I also recall liking their Sandy and Patrick. Although there is a credit for a musical director and conductor in the program, there are no credits for members of the band.
CSUN’s production was very strong. I really liked their Patchy the Pirate (Joshua Sandoval), who did double duty as Mr. Krabs. He was out in the audience about 1/2 hour before, warming them up, joking around, playing with the kids. He set the tone exceptionally well. Performances were very strong, especially Casey Davis (Spongebob), Mo Tandrow (Patrick), and Arely Vianet (Sandy). I didn’t like their Plankton (Jack Shepherd) as much, as he was very hard to hear with his overplay of the access. Scenic and props were good, although I preferred the robotic Gary to the simple puppet that CSUN used. The Mt. Humungous in their set more closely resembled the Broadway production. CSUN had a real band, and live music is always special.
The Spongebob Musical seems to have exploded in popularly: It is fun to do, and allows the production to be creative. There’s not a lot of technology required other than a strong Foley board, and the language doesn’t require cleaning up. So although the Woodland production is long closed (their current production is Damn Yankees, though May 5), and the CSUN production is practically sold out (there are some seats for this afternoon; the final performance this evening is sold out), I’m sure there will be a production near you at some point. It is worth seeing.
You can find more information on the Woodland Opera House at their webpage. Their 2025 season has some interesting shows: Amalie is a good show and not often done; Something Rotten is loads of fun; and The Prom is a great show with a great message.
You may be able to purchase tickets to CSUN’s production at their Spongebob Page. The upcoming Fall season doesn’t have much of interest to me: Argonautika, Guarded, Wit, and Dialogues of the Carmelites. Most of the shows I don’t know; I saw Wit way back in 2008 at REP East. We’ll see what the Spring Semester brings when it is announced.
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The Spongebob Musical. Based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg. Book by Kyle Jarrow. Original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A., Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! AT the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, T.I. and songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny, and Andy Paley. Musical Production conceived by Tina Landau. Additional lyrics by Jonathan Coulton. Additional music by Tom Kitt.
CSUN Cast: Casey Davis SpongeBob Squarepants; Mo Tandrow Patrick Star; Ashton Bianchi Squidward; Arely Vianet Sandy Cheeks; Joshua Sandoval Eugene Krabs / Patchy the Pirate; Cayla Rose Guili Pearl; Jack Shepherd Plankton; Emily Gomez Karen / Ensemble; Duncan Allan Perch Perkins / Ensemble; Jeremy Thompson Foley Artist / French Narrator; Georgia Ryan Bikini Bottom Mayor / Ensemble; Haley Josten Mrs. Puff / Ensemble; Gisele Lajevardi Old Man Jenkins / Ensemble; Jules Thompson Larry the Lobster / Ensemble; Jaycee Luther Security Guard / Ensemble; Arabella Roman Electric Skate / Ensemble; Alexandra Carreron Sardine / Ensemble; Angel Cole Sardine / Ensemble; Danny Magana Sardine / Ensemble.
CSUN Orchestra: Greg Nabours Conductor / Lead Pianist; Andrew Hudson Keyboard 2; Nicholas Ferrante Lead Guitar; Leola Gravley Percussion; Daniel Neufeld Percussion / Drumset; Alizah Chao Violin; Andrew Krenzinger Violin; Zachary Pickens Bass.
CSUN Production and Creative: Directed by Garry Lennon. Musical direction by Greg Nabours. Choreographny by Luke Arthur Smith. Completing the team: Mark Mendelsohn Scenic Design; Elizabeth A. Cox Costume Design; Hope Kozielski Lighting Design; Julia Pinhey Sound Designer; Joshua Payuan Cruz Asst Director; Whitney Kim Stage Manager; Vincent Shnaider Prop Lead Designer; Veronica Guiterrez Prop Asst Designer; Sam Sintef Production Lead Coordinator; Michael Roman Technical Director; Branden Sandoval Asst Tech. Director; Dan Weingarten Department Chair.
Woodland Cast: Erik Catalan SpongeBob Squarepants; Shane Burrows Patrick Star; Ernestine Balisi Sandy Cheeks; Alexander Quiñonez Squidward; Eddie Voyce Mr. Krabs; Marie Campbell Pearl Krabs; Ahlani Santos Plankton; Karen Fox Karen; Scott Griffith Larry the Lobster; Travis Lindquist Patchy the Pirate; Omar Huerta Perch Perkins; Marie Nearing Bikini Bottom Mayor; Jeff Nauer Old Man Jenkins; Ruby Schwerin Buster Bluetang; Danny Beldi, Naomi Catalan, and Honey Creer The Electric Skates / Ensemble; Vinn Christianson, Sheccid Donatt, Erin Doolittle, Lynsey Goldberg, Trey Reeves Ensemble; Trey Reeves Narrator.
Woodland Production and Creative: Directed and Choreographed by Staci Arriaga. Musical direction and conductor: Kay Hight. Rounding out the team: Josh Hilliard Production Manager; Lou Anderson, Kelly Lynn Jordan Stage Managers; Anna Walton Asst Stage Manager; Paul ZIndel Lighting Designer; Gabby Garcia Sound Designer; Marcia Gollober Asst Sound Designer; Mark Deamer Scenic Designer; Denise Miles Costume Design; Diane Haas Prop Master; Cameron Fuller Technical Advisor.
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Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; Geffen Playhouse (Mini-Subscription); 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.
Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):
- April: ♣ Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band at BofA/Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks.
- May: ♦ Hands on a Hardbody at Charles Stewart Howard Playhouse; ♦ Girl from the North Country at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Play That Goes Wrong at Canyon Theatre Guild (⊕)
- June: ♦ Jelly’s Last Jam at the Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ A Strange Loop at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Mrs. Doubtfire at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ You Can’t Take It With You (⊕) at Group Rep; and potentially some ♦ Hollywood Fringe Festival shows, although June is pretty well booked already.
- July: ♦ Peter Pan at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Sound of Music at 5-Star Theatricals;
- August: ♦ Clue at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Company at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages;
On the Theatrical Horizon:
Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica has announced their Mainstage 2024 Season, and it includes Bat Boy the Musical running Sept 28 through October 18. We saw Bat Boy back when CSUN did it in 2014; it is a wonderful musical about how a society treats outsiders. I also just learned about a theatre company in Fullerton, Maverick Theater. They are doing Evil Dead: The Musical , which is a hoot if you’ve never seen it (we’ve seen it twice). They also have some interesting other stuff on their season, and we might drive down for Santa Claus Vs The Martians in November. I also just learned that Jason Alexander will be doing Fiddler on the Roof , directed by Lonny Price, at La Mirada in November. Lastly, I saw on FB that Chromolume Theatre may be returning in late 2024 or early 2025. They always did some interesting musicals that were rarely staged. Interesting….
