If you’re a cynical person, you may see The SpongeBob Musical, playing at Lyric Arts through August 13, as just another way to sell T-shirts and phone cases emblazoned with Nickelodeon’s most popular cartoon character. (See: the merch emporiums at Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America.) That inkling may even seem to be confirmed upon attendance. At opening night on Friday, many theatergoers young and old donned their favorite T-shirts featuring the titular sea sponge and his aquatic cohorts.
If you dare take the plunge to Bikini Bottom, the underwater town where this story takes place — which has been recreated at Lyric Arts in a delightful backyard tiki bar aesthetic, with flowers cut out of watercolor LaCroix boxes and jellyfish festooned with Christmas lights — you’ll come up for air afterwards wondering how a musical so inventive and inspiring could have emerged from an animated kids TV show that only runs 11 minutes an episode.
The stakes in The SpongeBob Musical have been ratcheted up as high as possible to support a show that runs longer than two hours: Bikini Bottom is threatened by a volcano that will wipe out the town when it erupts the following day. SpongeBob SquarePants (played with boundless energy by Berto Borroto) and his friends Patrick Star (a lovable Justin Michael) and Sandy Cheeks the squirrel (Taelyn Gore, who offers an anchor of sanity for the absurdity to swirl around) want to solve the crisis with science. The rest of the townsfish would rather run away and start a new city, using an expensive escape pod offered by wannabe evil genius Plankton and his sentient computer Karen, though their main motive is not the wellbeing of the community.
The thrill of watching Lyric Arts’ production of The SpongeBob Musical does not come from this central dramatic tension, unless you’re in elementary school (the girl in front of me clapped her hands to her face when SpongeBob was at risk of falling off a cliff). Like Disney’s animated movies that have been adapted for the stage, we know there will be a happy ending here. This show is endlessly thrilling because of the ingenious devices original creator and director Tina Landau employed to translate this frenetic animation to the stage, and the total abandon the entire creative team at Lyric Arts gives to this must-see production.
If the stage version of The Lion King is the champagne of animation adaptations, then The SpongeBob Musical is a frozen margarita in a yard glass with a crazy straw. (You’ll have to settle for beer or wine at concessions, though.)
The show’s creators mostly stayed away from repurposing songs that were used in the TV show, besides the penultimate song and an obligatory curtain call singalong. Instead, they tapped a diverse set of popular musicians to write original tunes, including singer-songwriter (and Waitress composer) Sara Bareilles, rapper T.I., country group Lady A, and indie rockers They Might Be Giants, among others; a rejiggered David Bowie track is also included, which shows just how much he loved SpongeBob considering he wasn’t the biggest fan of musicals in general. Additional songs and lyrics are by Jonathan Coulton, with additional music by Tom Kitt (Pulitzer Prize winner for Next to Normal), and a book by Kyle Jarrow.
On the surface, what this style of composition creates is a musical akin to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with successive songs sung in wildly different styles. SpongeBob and Patrick duet on a cute acoustic ditty about their friendship in “BFF,” but in “Super Sea-Star Savior,” when the latter finds himself the unwitting leader of a new cult as the city’s dimwitted sardines latch onto him for guidance in the end times, we go into full-on gospel mode. And when Plankton describes his scheme to hypnotize the town in “When the Going Gets Tough,” he breaks into a rap with some serious stank on it.
(Side note: If you notice a difference between the songs performed here and the ones on the album, that’s because the original cast recording was made during the Chicago tryout, and changes were made for the final Broadway version that’s now locked and available for theaters like Lyric Arts. For example, Plankton gets a new rapid-fire verse that’s not on the album version. You’ll want to see Cam Pederson tackle that.)
In less capable hands, there are many pitfalls where this formula could feel hokey, or specifically aimed at kids. However, directed with meticulous chaos by Matt McNabb, the cast assembled here by Lyric Arts — which is half newcomers to this theater in a sizable 23-person company — gives it their all in every song, every dance break, and every gag. By fully embracing the material in all its ludicrousness, they’re able to completely bring the audience along for the ride. It’s one of those musicals where you can’t tell who’s having a better time: the performers or the audience.
This show would not work without a SpongeBob who fully commits, and Borroto delivers a performance that evokes the animated sponge without being a full-on impression, employing a mix of physical comedy chops, infectious charisma, and impressive vocal gymnastics. Don’t let the subject matter fool you, this is a taxing role to sing.
In a world built on the embodiment of optimism, the most memorable performances come from the cynic and the so-called villains. Noah Hynick’s entrance as Squidward, with two extra legs protruding from the back of his pants to get the requisite six tentacles, is what really kicks off the cascade of laughter throughout the show. His timing is perfection, he effortlessly swings between sarcasm, mirth, and despondency, and his palette of facial expressions proves you don’t need elaborate costumes or face paint to portray an animated character. Meanwhile, Pederson as one-celled organism Plankton and Waverly Ann McCollum as his computer wife Karen are proof that SpongeBob can make good on its promise of being for all ages, with full dedication to ridiculous bits like Plankton wanting to be called “big guy” while holding a martini.
These well-known characters are able to stick their landings because they’re supported by the hardest working ensemble in the Twin Cities. Unnamed characters don’t normally get their due, so I’d like to call out actors Aaron Dumalag, Nadia Franzen, Thomas Friebe, Emily Hensely, Morgan Kempton, Kate Piering, Marley Ritchie, Kelly Solberg, Alex Stokes, Jack Strub, and Kyle Szarzynski. Whether it’s busting out moves worthy of Beyonce’s backup dancers (choreography by Michael Terrell Brown and tap choreo by Hannah Weinberg-Goerger) or screaming at the top of their lungs for a 10-second joke, these performers aren’t afraid to leave their sweat on the stage. Without them, this show wouldn’t be a hit.
And a hit I certainly hope it is. From the excellent band, supplemented by Steve Eckes who adds sound effects live on the second level of the stage (be on the lookout for how he makes the bubble noises), to the elaborately kitschy costume, prop, and scenic design, there are a number of reasons to buy a ticket to Lyric Arts’ big summer musical, and enough jokes and catchy songs to justify a second outing.
There is of course the worry that those who aren’t familiar with SpongeBob SquarePants won’t be able to enjoy this musical, especially older adults who may see the subject matter as childish drivel (the overarching message of the show, while an important one, probably won’t convince them of this musical’s worth alone). But if the general public is able to accept that a Barbie movie can be for grownups, then I’m convinced the same can happen here.
Just take the older gentleman sitting next to me for example. He held onto his drink during the first act like a life raft, not eliciting so much as a “tee-hee.” But when the second act progressed, he started to become the first person to clap at the end of songs, and laughed at just about every line Michael uttered. Add one more person to the cult of Patrick Star.
The SpongeBob Musical
Lyric Arts
420 E. Main Street
Anoka, MN 55303
Playing July 14 – August 13
One Fan Show 
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