Under the Sea: "The SpongeBob Squarepants Musical" takes Abilene High School stage this week

Nov. 2—Yes, you read that right.

Abilene High School is presenting a musical based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon, SpongeBob Squarepants. The musical follows SpongeBob as he tries to save his home of Bikini Bottom from an erupting volcano and the plans of Sheldon Plankton.

Dannette Whiteley, director of the show, said, despite the reputation the television series has with some adults, "The SpongeBob Squarepants Musical" has positive themes that apply to our society today.

"The storyline, I think, has been very well written because it has great themes of community, acceptance, coming together and the source of community when there's tragedy. I feel like coming off the last couple of years we've had, we've seen the (most) ugliness of people I think that I've ever seen, so it really speaks to that theme, especially at the end of the show," Whiteley said.

Whiteley said the music for this musical, "challenging," due to its music and props. The musical has many moving set pieces that need to be moved on and off between each scene. The music numbers each vary in style, but this allows more students to show off their talents.

"This is my first lead (role). It's a lot of work. It's pushing myself vocally and singing notes that I didn't think I could do," said senior Gabriella Guillen, who plays Sandy Cheeks.

Senior Marcus Frey plays SpongeBob. This musical is the first he's ever performed in. Whiteley said has had fun watching Frey perform and learn how musicals work.

"When we did our first full run and I realized, 'wow, this is starting to become a show now. This is legit,'" Frey said about his favorite moment of acting in the musical.

The main villain, Sheldon Plankton, is played by Jacobi Robinson. The role allows Robinson to showcase his break dancing skills, Whiteley said, and his voice versatility in how he can rap and give a gospel flair to his singing voice.

Whiteley said the musical number that shines in the high school's performance is the tap dancing number.

The opening night of "The SpongeBob Squarepants Musical" is Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Performances will also be Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 6 at 3 p.m. Tickets will be for sale at the door or can be bought beforehand at the AHS office. K-12 grade student tickets are $8, and adult tickets are $10. All performances are at the AHS Auditorium.

"Give it try. Don't turn your nose up to it just because it's SpongeBob. It really does have a great storyline and it's got some really fun music," Whiteley said. "The kids have worked so hard. On Saturday (last week), we rehearsed from seven in the morning to 10 o'clock at night, so these kids are committed to putting on a good show."