Cappies Review: WT Woodson High School Stages 'The SpongeBob Musical'

By Caitlin Sullivan
James Madison High School

FAIRFAX, VA — All is well in Bikini Bottom ... for now ... W.T. Woodson's production of "The SpongeBob Musical" immersed us into the seafloor community of Bikini Bottom as they faced the terrible threat of volcanic eruption and Sheldon J. Plankton's poorly made chum.

"The SpongeBob Musical" introduced a new spin on our beloved childhood characters from Bikini Bottom when it first debuted on Broadway in 2018, but the old characters are forced to face a new challenge: a volcanic eruption set to destroy all of Bikini Bottom. The only way it can be stopped is through the teamwork of our old favorites: Sandy, SpongeBob, and Patrick as they unknowingly side-step Sheldon's plan to stop them. With the use of modern ad-libs, the musical is able to ask why we don't stand together as a community during disasters and why do we employ the every man for himself mentality when disaster strikes.

The entire cast and crew at Woodson committed to bringing the colorful and undersea town of Bikini Bottom to life and all of its citizens. From character voices to a set that expanded beyond the boundaries of the stage, every person added something new to the show that brought their marine city to life.

Noah Tajudeen's (SpongeBob SquarePants) performance brought the adored SpongeBob to life. From Tajudeen's use of a character voice to portray SpongeBob's signature vocal style and slight airheadedness submersed the character to new undersea depths. Tajudeen's vocal performance was unmatched, using the full range to a falsetto belt.

Tajudeen's impressive vocal performance was supported by Hana Kewaisy (Sandy) whose bubbly country accent captivated the audience while her vocal performance dazzled. Together Kewaisy and Tajudeen chopped their way to the top with their duets and performances in group numbers, their voices always shining through the crowd. It would be remiss to leave out everyone's favorite star, Patrick Star played by Diya Selvan, who brought laughter to every corner of the auditorium. Selvan perfectly brought Patrick to the stage with a sleepy character voice and incredible vocal performance, especially for a role written for a tenor. Together, Selvan, Tajudeen, and Kewaisy brought our lovable trio to life with their incredible acting and singing, making us root for them all the way until their bubbly victory.

Rachel Sper's (Perch Perkins) added another astonishing vocalist to the already heavily stacked cast. Sper's vocal control and accuracy during "No Control" amazed and captivated. Sper's comedic timing and hilarious delivery also added humor to the occasional tense moment. Sper's backstage performance as Gary also brought heavy laughter and helped add to SpongeBob's character. Hannah Fidler and Ava Acosta's phenomenal dance performance, especially as SpongeBob and Patrick's emotions, added grace to a musical heavily reliant on humor.

Lea Mills and the props team worked incredibly hard to add to the drama of the undersea production. From glowing jellyfish umbrellas to a glowing briefcase containing Sandy's device, Mills added drama and humor to the musical. Claudia Braesch's costumes helped add color and life to the familiar characters of Bikini Bottom, especially the blue coral reef suit of Perch Perkins which helped to spotlight Perkins especially in her solo numbers. Leah Friedman's scenic design brought Bikini Bottom above water and to the Woodson stage, especially with the elaborate rotation of the main set pieces which us from Bikini Bottom to Mt. Humongous.

Woodson took us on an enjoyable throwback to our childhood with "The SpongeBob Musical" and left us wondering why we ever left Bikini Bottom.