Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? That’s right! SpongeBob SquarePants!

Now, SpongeBob and all of his Nickelodeon friends will take the stage next week when the EHS Theater Department puts on The SpongeBob Musical.  Performance dates are March 8-10, with Friday and Saturday’s showing beginning at 7 p.m., followed by a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Students and Seniors get in at $12 a ticket, while adults cost $15.  Tickets can be purchased online or in person.

Sophomores Ian Kelly, who plays Mr. Krabs, and Michael Tapp, who plays Patrick, expressed how they believe the musical is going as of now. “I feel that the musical had a couple rough patches early on,” Kelly states, “but we’ve persevered and are working to bring the best show we can. It’s a very fun reimagining of SpongeBob, which is a classic childhood show for a lot of people.” Explaining more about his role, Kelly adds, “I play Mr. Krabs, and I try to bring that character to life throughout the show, as my fellow cast does with their characters. I think Korbin [Hershberger, a junior] and Michael [Tapp] do great as SpongeBob and Patrick [respectively].” Continuing, Kelly notes that the music will be especially fun juxtaposed against such a neon stage. “It’s as fun as the cartoon, and it balances themes well. The music tracks are great, too! Artists like Panic! At the Disco, They Might Be Giants, and Aerosmith wrote some of the tracks, which will be performed by our pit orchestra. Overall,” he concludes, “it’s a very fun show to be a part of, and I’m sure it’s even more fun to watch.”

Michael Tapp agrees with Kelly. “It’s going relatively well, even though there are nerves here and there.” However, Tapp is confident all of that will be smoothed out in the end. “I think people should go see it because it’s a fun experience for the whole family–young and old! “

Mrs. Kristin Baker, director, talks about it in more detail. “It is an extended version of several SpongeBob plots,” she begins. “The basic plot is that there is a volcano that’s about to erupt. In times of crisis, communities come together or get divided and blame each other for things. So, it’s kind of a commentary of what happened during COVID and how our country has times of crisis.” Continuing, Baker states, “It’s kind of a call to say: Let’s stay positive, unify, and work together instead of being divided. That’s kind of the theme.”

So, how does this compare to other productions Baker has staged?  “Mean Girls was more focused on ages 13 and up, while this is more of a kid’s place. So, we try to alternate family-friendly versus mature topics.” However, more notable are the number of props and stage cues that audiences rarely take into account. “We have so  many props that may be on stage for only a minute or two, which keeps the stage crew on their toes constantly,” Baker asserts. The work behind this play has been very difficult with long hard rehearsal days for the cast, crew, and all the people working behind the scenes to make this musical possible.

If nautical nonsense be somethin’ you wish, then make sure to get tickets for this over-the-top yet under-the-sea musical.