Jacob Sutherland, left, and Ben Fisher play SpongeBob and Patrick in “The SpongeBob Musical.” They sang together in a preview performance at Waterville Creates’ First Friday celebration on Nov. 1. John T. Meader photo

The Waterville Opera House is set to continue its 2024 theatrical season Nov. 22 through Dec. 1 with “The SpongeBob Musical.”

Production times are 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, 23 and 29, with 2 p.m. matinées set for Nov. 24, 30 and Dec. 1. The Waterville Opera House plans to offer an ASL interpreted performance on Sunday, Nov. 24.

An ensemble cast of familiar characters is brought to life in an original story filled with comedy, friendship and bombastic musical numbers. When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends must come together to save their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up.

“This show brings the world of SpongeBob to the stage in such a cool way,” said actor Jacob Sutherland, returning to the opera house in the role of SpongeBob. “The actors aren’t wearing big mascot costumes — it’s much more about seeing how these undersea creatures might look as humans while maintaining the aspects of the characters that are most recognizable and beloved. Our set and costumes (from the sneak peeks I’ve seen so far) look amazing, and the songs are a blast!”

To help bring the world of SpongeBob to life, the opera house creative team utilized recycled materials and upcycled plastic waste into fully realized, colorful props and set pieces. In the build-up to the premiere, Waterville Creates hosted two free programs with artist Kim Bernard, allowing community members of all ages to upcycle materials and design their own props and set pieces to be featured on stage. Prop designer Nathan Sylvester estimates around 50 percent of props—including deep-sea flora and fauna decorating the set—are made from upcycled materials, according to a news release from the opera house.

“A large part of this play revolves around the conditions of our oceans and we felt this was a great way to highlight that while also being mindful of what we’re contributing to those conditions, and how we can improve them,” Sylvester said. “The way that the community came together and shared their creativity was very inspiring.”
While addressing serious matters like ecological health, The SpongeBob Musical nonetheless embodies all the silliness and outlandish comedy of its cartoon source material, aided in large part by the original songs from an impressive roster of popular artists, whose various contributions meld into a soundtrack filled with catchy earworms and a strong sense of humor.

“Every song in this musical is written by a different famous musician, which you might think would result in a messy disjointed sound, but it comes together so well (shoutout to the Broadway music coordinator and orchestrator Tom Kitt),” Sutherland said. “Even though I get to sing songs written by Panic! at the Disco, Plain White T’s, Cyndi Lauper, and more, my favorite song in the show is the song co-written by Tom Kenny (SpongeBob’s original cartoon voice actor) called ‘Best Day Ever’. This is the only song in the musical that was originally written for the cartoon, and this musical recontextualizes ‘Best Day Ever’ in a way I never would have expected, but that I absolutely love.”

Prior familiarity with the cartoon is not a prerequisite for falling in love with the musical, and the cast members stress that there is truly something for the whole family in this show.

“Whether you’re familiar with SpongeBob or not, this story’s themes of friendship, creativity, resilience, and care will resonate with you,” said actress Kendall DeBoer, making her WOH debut as the villainous Plankton’s evil computer wife Karen. “The show highlights the strength of community and teamwork in times of crisis, and does so while remaining quirky, lighthearted, and approachable. Expect to see some anthropomorphic, colorful, over-the-top sea creatures engaged in antics that are equal parts absurd, humorous, and heartwarming.”

Tickets cost $34-$36.

For tickets or more information visit operahouse.org or call 207-873-7000.

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