See The SpongeBob Musical at The Kelsey Theatre for The Best Day Ever

by Angela Robb

As someone who was a child in the 1990s and early 2000s Nickelodeon was always on my TV and from its premiere in 1999 SpongeBob Squarepants was an immediate favorite. Even now over 25 (wow I’m old) years later the episodes from its prime hold up. Despite its target audience being children its humor is somehow even funnier from an adult’s perspective. SpongeBob Squarepants is still running in its 16^th season and expanded to include several feature length films and two spin off series. While the quality of the show isn’t as good as it was in its earlier years the show has cemented itself as one of the most beloved cartoons of all time. 

In 2014 when it was first announced that a musical was being developed about SpongeBob I was skeptical. Making a musical off of a children’s TV series sounded like it would end up being nothing more than a cash grab. But after its premiere in Chicago in 2016 and subsequent transfer to Broadway in 2017 I was absolutely proven wrong. I got to see it for myself when the production was filmed for, and is still available for streaming on, Paramount+. Everything about the show I loved and found that it combined its humor with heart and the design of the show was incredibly ingenious. When I found out Playful Theatre Productions would be opening the 2025-2026 season at Kelsey Theatre with The SpongeBob Musical I knew I had to see the show live and experience it for myself. 

The show follows all of our favorite characters from the classic TV series: SpongeBob Squarepants, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Plankton, etc. When a nearby volcano begins to erupt it threatens to wipe out all life in Bikini Bottom. All of the rest of the town’s inhabitants plan to vacate the town and flee to safety, but SpongeBob vows to not abandon the town he loves and save it from destruction. One of the things that is so unique about this musical is rather than one or two composers and lyricists that write the score each song is by a different popular artist including (but not limited to) John Legend, David Bowie, The Plain White T’s, Cyndi Lauper, and Panic! At The Disco. The show was nominated for 12 Tony Awards (tied for the most nominated show of the year) but only won for scenic design, one of the biggest Tony injustices in my opinion, but that’s a rant for another time. 

One of my big complaints I have with community theatre is more often than not shows tend to follow the same mold and copy off of the design of the Broadway production rather than creating something new and putting a new spin on the material. It usually ends up being a copy and paste rather than being creative and making something fresh. But from the second I walked into the theatre and looked at the set I was blown away by Shawn Simmons’ set design. He completely took his design into a different direction from the Broadway production. In the center was a large “Spongeasonic” TV with a scrim as the screen on top of a platform. Next to the TV were multiple VHS tapes labeled with different classic Nickelodeon shows with a twist: each show was renamed with a nautical pun; for example, Kenan and Kelp, The Secret World of Alex Mackerel, Blue Whale’s Clues, etc. On the platform was a VCR holding an orange VHS labeled SpongeBob. Simmons is one of my favorite set designers in the NJ theatre community and his work is always impressive. But his design for SpongeBob was the gift that kept on giving. Not only was the set filled with 90’s nostalgia and funny puns but as the show went on I noticed more nuances he put into the set until it finally clicked: this was an episode of SpongeBob we were watching on that TV. The whole thing tied into Frank Ferrara’s direction and overall vision for the piece. It truly felt like we were watching a special musical episode of SpongeBob. Images from the cartoon were projected onto the television occasionally which only added to the scenery. Bringing everything together was the “end credits” during the curtain call playing on the TV as each performer took their bow. Each actor was true to the character they were portraying but still put their own spin on the characters. Ferrara was able to instill perfect balance among the talent to keep things fresh and original while still honoring the world of SpongeBob. 

It’s always hard to play a recognizable character or a real life person and the entire cast of The SpongeBob Musical had big shoes to fill. All of the SpongeBob characters from their personalities to their voices to even the way they move are so ingrained in pop culture that there is no way anyone would see the show and not have a preconceived notion of how each character is supposed to be. As stated above, Ferrara really chose the best possible cast to bring these classic characters to life on the Kelsey stage. It wouldn’t be a SpongeBob special without an introduction from Patchy the Pirate and William Kamps portrayed SpongeBob’s number one fan who came all the way from Encino California to see SpongeBob live on stage. Kamps’ skills with improvisation were apparent as he started the show from inside the audience and had several bits where he had to interact with the audience members. Being the one who starts both acts of the show Kamps had a lot riding on setting the scene and he did so with natural energy and spunk.  

If anyone had big shoes to fill it was the actor playing SpongeBob himself. Benjamin Weidner played the absorbent, yellow, and spongey hero and stepping into such an iconic character wasn’t his only challenge. This was only Weidner’s second show and first as a lead. His only other stage credit is a six line performance from this past summer and immediately after closing auditioned for SpongeBob and scored the titular role. Despite that, Weidner is completely at home on stage and if I didn’t know he was a new actor I never would have guessed. He was not only able to nail SpongeBob’s iconic voice but was able to do it in a way that didn’t just sound like he was doing a SpongeBob impression. From his voice to his physicality he was a human embodiment of SpongeBob while still managing to be natural and not over the top. I was very impressed by his ability to change his vocal register as often as he did without losing himself in the process. SpongeBob wouldn’t be SpongeBob without his best friend Patrick and in this production he was played by Pat Rounds. Like his BFF, Rounds was perfectly cast. It was clear that he spent his life watching SpongeBob and preparing for this moment to shine in true Patrick fashion. He completely nailed the character voice and his acting performance was the ideal balance between the animated starfish we all know and love and Rounds’ own personal acting nuances he was able to bring to the table. He was able to effectively show all aspects of Patrick’s dimwitted yet loyal personality with humor and heart. Rounds and Weidner had incredible chemistry together and played off of each other very well. Both separately and together they were two of my favorite things about the production. 

Unfortunately for him, their neighbor Squidward Tentacles isn’t too far away from SpongeBob and Patrick’s shenanigans. Squidward, played by Aidan Stallworth-Glitz, also had a great balance with honoring our favorite big nosed grump and putting his own spin on things. Squidward’s arc primarily focused on his desire for stardom but forced to be concert organizer for a band who thinks he’s a loser. All of this culminates in his breakout number “I’m Not A Loser” which was an absolute show stopper. Stallworth-Giltz brought the house down during this number while singing on four legs (I mean tentacles). Rebecca Schledwitz played Sandy Cheeks, a land squirrel from Texas who calls Bikini Bottom home. During the pandemonium of finding out Bikini Bottom will be destroyed the townsfolk turn on Sandy for not being like them and bully her to the point where she wants to leave town due to their racism. Schledwitz brought a lot of heart to Sandy in the moments where she needed to be vulnerable when being ostracized for her race and also when she was being a good friend to SpongeBob in his time of need, though I would have liked to have seen more moments where Sandy is her sassy self. 

Michael Gilch played Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob’s greedy boss who has all of the makings of a villain: sets the main character’s conflict into motion by calling him “a simple sponge”, taking advantage of the upcoming disaster as a money making opportunity, and allowing his greed to overshadow his care for his daughter. But despite everything against him Gilch made Mr. Krabs into a character you couldn’t help but root for. His performance blended his unique take on the role with traits audiences expect from years watching the animated character. His hearty and gravely voice echoed his animated counterpart without slipping into caricature and his tiptoe like walk was perfectly reminiscent of Mr. Krabs’ shuffle.  His teenage daughter, Pearl, was played by Trinity Austin. Austin is a high school sophomore and has only been performing for about four years. Her age and life experience gave her natural parallels with Pearl, a character more interested in meeting her favorite band than taking over the Krusty Krab from her father who doesn’t quite understand her. She brought a convincingly “over it” attitude that captured the moody disinterest of a teenager and her beautiful singing voice tied the performance together. 

It’s not a show without a villain and in this show we had Plankton, played by Dan Keyser, and his computer wife, Karen, played by Chrissy Johnson. Keyser had a great balance between being funny and menacing. Not only was he a good mover but he was a surprisingly good rapper in his big number which was written by the rapper T.I.. Johnson also brought an unexpected talent to the table by being able to beatbox. This skill really tied together Plankton’s rap number “When The Going Gets Tough” thematically as well as in terms of character since he is a robot. She was able to fully emulate the spirit of a robot through use of vocals and physicality. Her voice was impeccably robotic and maintained it even while singing, and her movements were stiff and robotic. Individually, they brought their respective character to life but together their undeniable chemistry elevated every scene making their scheming even more entertaining. 

Featured in the ensemble was Denise Carey as The Mayor of Bikini Bottom, an original character that cheekily captured how useless the government can be in times of crisis, Lisa Ernst as Mrs. Puff, bringing trademark fretfulness and comedic timing to the boating teacher, Anthony Fania as Larry the Lobster (and Dance Captain), completely nailing Larry’s big, goofy energy with exaggerated bravado, and Ed Forsthoffer as Perch Perkins, the straight man amidst the chaos grounding the comedy with the seriousness of a reporter. Rounding out the company was Kacey Cavalieri (Electric Skate), Megan Thompson (Electric Skate), Kori Wright (Electric Skate), Juliana Davies (Gary the Snail), Mark Shifton (Old Man Jenkins), Aimée Robidoux (Sardine Priestess), Edgar Mariano (Sardine Priest), Kheil Canono, Sean Gavin, Lindsey Grelis, Michaela Huntley, Caraline Kamps, Kendal Plumstead, Ethan Shaev, and Tom Bessellieu (French Narrator). Each member brought something special to the table and Ferrara did an excellent job of finding moments for each performer to shine. Whether it was dancing in the front of a chorus number or having some lines or dialogue he made sure that he knew where everyone’s primary skill was best utilized. 

It’s not a musical without vocals and music, and in this production Shannon Ferrara served as the Vocal Director and François Suhr served as the Music Director. With a show that features so many different styles of music both Ferrara and Suhr had their work cut out for them. Ferrara’s guidance ensured every performer delivered strong and polished vocals that went beyond natural ability. Suhr’s skilled conducting of the live orchestra brought the score to life with energy and precision. Together they elevated the cast’s performances and made the music a standout element of the show. Equally impressive was Joan Schubin’s choreography which balanced the various musical styles in the score with a matching style of dance. She smartly chose to spotlight the strongest dancers by featuring them at the forefront of group numbers. 

Jeffrey Kelly created a vibrant undersea atmosphere with his lighting design. One effect that impressed me the most was incorporating a shimmering iridescent effect that mimicked the sunlight on the waves above. Evan Paine’s sound design maintained a balanced quality of sound despite a few microphone issues. One of my favorite things about The SpongeBob Musical is the use of on stage foley to create sound effects housed in a tiki hut called the Sound Bar. While it added a creative touch some effects, like Squidward’s tentacle sounds and the rumble of the volcano, were too soft while others, like the ticking of a clock, were too loud.  The foley cues also slipped out of tempo with the band which was very distracting. Despite that the use of sound, on stage and off, played an important role in shaping the world of SpongeBob. Nancy Scharf's prop design helped bring all the elements of lighting, sound and set design together wonderfully.

Tina Heinze’s costume design leaned heavily on the Broadway production for inspiration, which at times felt a little too close, but ultimately worked well with this staging. Especially since the set design and direction took on a more original interpretation it was nice seeing a touch of creativity carried over from the original Broadway production. The costumes reminded me of “Disney bounding” which are clever work arounds that suggest the character rather than recreating them literally. This was done on a simple level with Mr. Krabs’ claws being humorously represented with red boxing gloves and also on a more complex level with Squidward wearing a harness as pants with extra legs built on to create his tentacles. I really missed Sandy’s iconic helmet, though it made practical sense why this couldn’t be recreated on stage. On Broadway this effect was depicted by the actress sporting an afro to create the illusion of something round around Sandy’s head. While in this production an afro wouldn’t have made sense I wish something was able to substitute it to convey that effect. The ensemble costumes were colorful and inventive from ensemble members wearing Heeley’s to mimick swimming fish, to hula hoops framing schools of fish, and beanies sprouting eyes and tentacles. 

Watching this production felt like dusting off a well-worn SpongeBob VHS tape, with it’s plastic holding familiar yet fresh surprises. Just as the scenic design intended, the show played like a cherished episode brought to life. For anyone who grew up with SpongeBob or simply loves theatre that makes creative choices and thinks outside the box, this production is a joy worth experiencing. Don’t miss the chance to see SpongeBob at Kelsey Theatre this weekend before it closes. This production perfectly captures the magic that has kept SpongeBob so beloved for generations and is one of my favorite community theatre productions I have seen in some time. 

The Spongebob Musical runs now through Sunday September 28. You can purchase tickets here: https://www.purplepass.com/events/319099-the-spongebob-musical-sep-26th-2025