By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Billed as a “stunning” and “dynamic” stage show, The SpongeBob Musical is set for production at the Riverview High School Theatre, with the talents of Collins PK-8 School students playing a role as well.
It’s a natural fit, said Riverview music teacher Elizabeth “Liz” Stewart, who said the connection with Collins came via Jasmine Elliott, a student of Stewart’s and the upcoming show’s assistant musical director. Her mother, Erin, is the chorus teacher at Collins, a Riverview school in the Panther Trace community that, since its elementary school opening in 2005, has expanded to enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade 8, starting with the 2023-24 school year.
“Young kids love SpongeBob SquarePants, so why not engage them in the performance and give them an opportunity they otherwise would not normally be given,” Stewart said, about her reasons for involving young students in the high school production.
The SpongeBob Musical is set for eight April performances at Riverview High, including 2 p.m. matinees, April 12 and 19, in which Collins fourth- and fifth-grade chorus students are set to sing and dance in two show numbers, as crew members for Patchy the Pirate. The curtain rises at 7 p.m. for the remaining six shows, April 10-12 and April 17-19.
“The students from Collins have been practicing in class at their school with a video that we made for them,” Stewart said. In addition to the cast of 30 Riverview High thespians, she added, “we went to Collins on March 26 to conduct a two-hour dance rehearsal, which like the musical, turned out to be a lot of fun.”
Based on the animated Nickelodeon television series by Stephen Hillenburg, with book by Kyle Jarrow and musical production conceived by Tina Landau, the musical “chronicles the nautical and sometimes nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob,” an incurable optimist and “earnest sea sponge,” and his undersea friends.
Just how optimistic is SpongeBob SquarePants, as he sets out with friends to save their Bikini Bottom sub-marine world from the expected eruption of Mount Humongous? His catchphrase, “I’m ready, I’m ready, I’m ready,” says it all, in his quest to “find a better way” and “a way to save the life I love,” as he sings in the song, “(Just a) Simple Sponge.”
SpongeBob SquarePants launched in 1977 and quickly gained and retained acclaim as the No. 1 kids’ animated series on TV, generating, as reported, “a universe of beloved characters, pop culture catchphrases and memes, theatrical releases, consumer products, a Tony award-winning Broadway musical and a global fan base.”
On the Riverview stage, Marco Rodriguez is cast in the title role. Rounding out the leads are Eva Bigham (Sandy Cheeks) and Jose Suarez (Patrick). Featured roles are played by Yan Lebron Santiago (Squidward), Enrique Garnica (Plankton), Daniella Jimenez (Plankton’s computer wife, Karen), Aaron Innerarity (Mr. Krabs) and Angelina Arnaez (Mr. Krabs’ daughter, Pearl).
The choreographer for the show is Brandon Rodriguez, with student assistance from Jimenez (dance captain), Ariana Ortiz (stage manager) and Naya Wimbley (assistant director).
Rodrgiuez is a 2014 Riverview High graduate, who studied under Stewart and Daron Hawkins, who died in September 2013 and launched the theater program in 1998, the year Riverview High opened.
A graduate of East Bay High, “Hawkins was a legendary theater director,” said Stewart, who started his career at Riverview High 20 years ago as a music teacher. “Theater was Daron’s one true passion, and he was very driven to bring the highest quality to our theater and to the Riverview community.”
As for Brandon Rodriguez, “He’s very good at building a student’s self-confidence as they discover their ability to dance,” Stewart said.
In her years teaching at Riverview High, Stewart has been associated with both the music and theater curriculum, which includes choral groups, keyboard and AP music theory. She’s led numerous performing groups, including Candy Apples, Bella Voce, Harmonix, Vision, Victorian Carolers and various barbershop quartets.
In their quest to save Bikini Beach, SpongeBob SquarePants, Sandy Cheeks (a scientist) and Patrick (a playful starfish with a sometimes oblivious personality) hatch a plan to throw a device into Mount Humongous to prevent an expected eruption.
Courtesy Riverview High Theater
Riverview High actors pose in front and back, with Collins PK-8 students, after a rehearsal for The SpongeBob Musical.
This sense of impending doom, gloom and destruction does not dampen the spirits of SpongeBob, whose leadership by kindness shines bright in today’s world.
Cartoon lovers, this show’s for you, as it likewise is for people who love theater in general and musicals in particular.
“It’s a fun musical and a very technical musical,” Stewart said. “We even have a foley artist, played by Riverview senior Jabbar Blair, who as a sound designer has to ensure electronic and live instrument sound effects combine perfectly with the actors and pre-recorded music.”
Tickets are available online at www.rvhsfl.booktix.com/; the cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students, with a $1.28 and $1.09 fee, respectively, for adults and students. Otherwise, the cost is $12 for adults and $7 for students. Stewart said proceeds will pay for such things as show royalties and Thespy’s competitions for district- and state-level competitions.