A simple sea critter turns hero in First Stage's lively 'The SpongeBob Musical'

There must be a shortage of mirrors in Bikini Bottom, because the sea critters dismissing SpongeBob SquarePants as just a simple sponge can't see how simply wrong they are.

It will take a threatened volcanic eruption for this town to recognize how heroic the undersea world's most optimistic fry cook can be.

First Stage has opened its production of "The SpongeBob Musical for Young Audiences" at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, targeted at human critters 6 and older. This version is shorter than the Tony-nominated Broadway production and compresses the plot, but it keeps many of the songs created by such worthies as the Plain White T's, Panic at the Disco!, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend and They Might Be Giants.

When a looming eruption by Mount Humongous throws Bikini Bottom into a panicked tizzy, the evil Plankton (Jesse Bhamrah) and his computer wife Karen (Bree Beelow) see their chance for fast-food domination. Only the intrepid little yellow guy stands in the way, but Mr. SquarePants is dismissed by his boss and nearly everyone else as "(Just a) Simple Sponge."

First Stage double-casts the children's roles. The Sunday afternoon performance I saw featured Gracie Halverson as SpongeBob, Zach Church as loyal if obtuse best friend Patrick Star and Naima Gaines as Sandy, the science-minded squirrel.

Professional grownup actors Bhamrah and Beelow make a fine pair of cartoonish villains. This production has a strong adult cast. As SpongeBob's bitter, arrogant coworker Squidward, Doug Clemons gets the show-stopping song and dance number, "I'm Not a Loser," replete with a chorus line of sea anemones. Clemons had the thrilled audience on the verge of erupting out of their seats.

This kid-friendly musical has some surprising thematic meat for adults. While the Broadway musical premiered before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the story line includes a flustered, incompetent local government, blatant science denial and a mob effort to run Sandy out of town simply because she's a land mammal.

Tommy Novak directed and Katelin Zelon choreographed this show, which has a nimble ensemble of supporting actors. Jonathon Gideon filled in for music director Paul Helm as the foley artist, creating live sound effects throughout the performance.

Short talkbacks with the cast follow First Stage performances. This one raised some excellent questions from children, including a query about volcanoes on the ocean floor and a moral quandary: Why does Mr. Krabs love money so much?

If you go

First Stage performs "The SpongeBob Musical for Young Audiences" through April 2 at the Marcus Performing Arts Center's Todd Wehr Theater, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, visit firststage.org or call (414) 267-2961.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A simple sea critter turns hero in First Stage's 'SpongeBob Musical'