A buoyant melody carries across the stage as SpongeBob sings beside his ever-patient companion, Gary, signaling the start of another whimsical day in Bikini Bottom. This moment opened “The SpongeBob Musical,” which debuted on March 7 as the annual spring production by the Portola High Visual and Performing Arts Department.
The musical followed SpongeBob, played by Lillian Chehade, Patrick, played by Logan Charlton and Sandy, played by Alison Bauchat, as they save Bikini Bottom from impending volcanic disaster. Auditions were held in October, marking the start of the production process. By November, the cast started brainstorming and rehearsing for three hours three times a week, according to ensemble member and sophomore Hannah Samarin.
“I really enjoyed ‘Super Sea Star Savior’ because it had a lot of tricks and cool elements, which were fun to perform,” Samarin said. “The song ‘I’m Not a Loser’ was also really cool because it was a lot of tap dancing. The tap section did make learning the dance more difficult, but it helped bring out everyone’s abilities and gave more opportunities for us to work it out together.”
The production faced tight timelines for both sets and costumes. Designers only had a month to build Mount Humongous and other scenery, while some unique costumes, like Squidward’s double legs, weren’t finalized until the last stress rehearsal, according to drama teacher and show director Samantha Sanford. Despite the time constraints, the team worked together to ensure different elements of the show came together for opening night.
“Typically, we use our orchestra pit, and those musicians tend to be hidden or forgotten about during the show, but by placing them on stage, they were able to be a central focus at times without being overly distracting to the story,” Sanford said. “It also allowed the actors to use that area of the stage to get closer to the audience. I think both of those things together allowed for the actors to be more engaging because they were closer to us, and allowed the musicians to have their moment to be celebrated during our show.”
The musical featured a variety of styles, from the lively opening number of “Bikini Bottom Day” to the emotional “(I Guess I) Miss You” and “I’m Not a Loser.” This range of songs allowed the cast to connect with the audience in unexpected ways, according to Chehade.
“Performing was so fun,” Chehade said. “I was really nervous in the beginning, but as soon as I got on the stage, I was really happy to just be there and perform. It was nice to make people laugh, make people enjoy the music and really just show our hard work and effort. That’s why it was so rewarding to finally perform for everyone.”
