Cal High’s theatre class brought an underwater adventure to stage last week with the production of “SpongeBob Squarepants: The Musical”.
The production, based on Nickelodeon’s iconic animated TV series, displays both extravagant set design and high-energy performances during its three-night run on April 23-25.
After months of rehearsals, set painting, and costume sewing, Cal’s drama department made a splash with their hour-long show.
The original musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2017, takes the familiar characters from the beloved cartoon and turns them into a Broadway worthy spectacle.
The show also adds heart and an original pop score, with musical contributions from artists such as Panic! at The Disco, Cyndi Lauper, and David Bowie.
The plot showcases the conflicts within Bikini Bottom after it is discovered that a nearby volcano, Mt. Humongous, will erupt and demolish the town. Trying to prove to his neighbors that he is not “just a simple sponge,” SpongeBob resolves to save the day after the others lose hope.
The show features senior Sofia DiPietro as SpongeBob, senior Sienna Helmer as Sandy Cheeks, senior Aly Kearnrey as Patrick Star, senior Armaan Golchin as Squidward, junior Camryn Ornelas as Mr. Krabs, junior Liv Alvey as Pearl Krabs, senior Manya Singh as Sheldon J. Plankton, junior Annalise Wedewer as Karen Plankton, and a full ensemble of Bikini Bottom residents.
“I chose Spongebob: The Musical because I want to grow my program,” theater teacher Laura Woods said. “I want lots of young people to come watch it so they can know what to expect when they get to Cal High.”
The cast has the same hope for influencing future Cal students to join the theater program.
“We’re hoping that this is a good way to reach out and say, ‘Hey, this is something that you can do when you get to high school’,” DiPietro said. “Hopefully we can inspire more generations to want to do theatre.”
The cast has performed shows for elementary and middle school students in the week prior to the shows on campus.
“It’s so much fun performing in front of little kids because they are just in awe,” Alvey said. “Even if I think it’s my worst performance ever, they’re like ‘Wow, that’s the best thing I’ve ever seen’.”
Though there was a near constant presence from either the ensemble or the dancers on stage, nearly every lead role got a chance to showcase their talents in a solo.
“Seeing [my daughter do her solo], it was amazing, I started crying,” Alveys’s mother, Niki Alvey, said, “I loved the dancing everyone did. Everyone was really great.”
The individuality of each cast member stands out in their production, the weeks at work evident in their performances.
“We had over 60 people audition,” Woods said. “It’s a cast of 35 and a crew of 20.”
Backstage, the crew worked hard to construct elaborate props and structures on-stage.Enthralling bubbles and a tandem shipwrecks decorated the stage, while plastic jellyfish hung from the ceiling. The cartoonish style of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob was reflected in the real-life set.
The platforms on set rise to about six feet tall, imitating the homes and buildings, and later the volcano, that makes up the beloved town of Bikini Bottom.
“It’s been great to watch them really create,” Woods said before the show.
The set design was student-made and designed by senior Kate Murphy, Wood said. It was then built by the second period tech crew.
Members of the crew describe designing the set as an extremely fun project that presented several challenges.
“I think everyone has had a lot of fun with this show,” Murphy said. “There’s been a lot of good vibes, but it’s also been very challenging from the tech side, but I think [the cast and crew] have bonded over that and we’ve all gotten a lot closer because of it.”
The cast exchanged flowers and congratulations following the performance, showing the community that this show has brought the cast.
“I’m going to miss all these people in my cast,” Alvey said, “A lot of them are seniors and this will be the last show for all of us.”
The ending seems to be bittersweet, with a cast full of seniors moving on to the next project, marking the end to their Cal theater careers.
“[The cast and crew] are just one big happy family,” senior lead choreographer Addie Mobarak said.