If you know what comes next after “Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?” then you’re the right demographic for The Spongebob Musical in Cardiff. Speaking of the audience, I didn’t realise the Sponge had such a cult following, some even dressed up: there was a good range of ages, from little kids to, well, kids in their 30s.
Based on the Nickelodeon cartoon that started in 1999, The SpongeBob Musical features the eponymous character becoming the hero, saving his town of Bikini Bottom from a volcano, while the villainous Plankton tries to take advantage of the situation. How do you put a cartoon on stage? SpongeBob doesn’t go down the Disney route – Sarah Mercade’s costume design alludes to the characters, instead of trying to replicate a sponge with a face onstage.
The results are inventive and colourful enough to make me imagine if The B-52s designed a musical – indeed they might be one of the few bands not providing a song for this show. With so many songs written by various artists, I was worried it’d be a mixed bag, but no. Amongst the more pop numbers are the Broadway-sounding ones, including (Just A) Simple Sponge and Bikini Bottom Day, while pre-existing numbers such as David Bowie’s No Control seems to fit in well.
The sponge himself is a yellow bubble shirt, and wearing that shirt is Lewis Cornay, who embodies the cartoon character. His voice was near the original, but he sings with the SpongeBob voice too. He is onstage almost for the whole show, and his interpretation of the character’s childlike optimism and fun is infectious: if Cornay is definitely the star of the show, the rest of the cast are having a whale of a time too (sea pun klaxon).
There are times when a cartoon doesn’t completely translate to the stage, but it’s so bright and colourful it doesn’t really matter – ultimately, it just adds to the charm. I didn’t know quite what to expect from The Spongebob Musical, but in the few moments I wasn’t giggling I sported a huge grin. I want to watch it again!
The Spongebob Musical, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Tue 6 June
On until Sat 10 June. Tickets: £8-£51.50. Info: here
words CHRIS WILLIAMS
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