Review: SPONGEBOB: THE MUSICAL Amuses at Victoria Theatre Association's Schuster Center

Even if Spongebob has never been your cup of tea, there is something for everyone to enjoy at SPONGEBOB: THE MUSICAL, playing until Sunday at the Schuster Center for the Performing Arts.

SPONGEBOB: THE MUSICAL, with book written by Kyle Jarrow and songs written by an assortment of popular artists including Cyndi Lauper, Lady Antebellum, Panic! at the Disco, Steven Tyler, and Sara Bareilles among others, is based on the Nickelodeon cartoon created by Stephen Hillenburg. Thanks to the variety of song composers, multiple genres of music are covered throughout the evening which adds to the fun atmosphere. Add that to all of the fun colors in the costumes and set, both by David Zinn, you are set for an evening of and spectacle. Tina Landau's direction keeps the action moving and includes some exciting use of set pieces to accent the action. Don't want to give to many details so I don't spoil it.

The star of the evening is Lorenzo Pugliese as Spongebob himself. His commitment completely sells to the audience that he is Spongebob. Added to his voice and his athleticism in the part, makes for one of the most impressive performances I have seen in quite some time, especially in the number Simple Sponge Reprise. I loved watching what he would do next. All of the actors did a great job embodying the characters that you would expect from the cartoon. Most notable were Cody Cooley and his dancing feet as Squidward, Daria Pilar Redus as Sandy Cheeks, Zach Kononov as Eugene Crabs and Beau Bradshaw as Patrick Star. Tristan McIntyre added just the right villainous note as Plankton.

Five performances remain to see SPONGEBOB this weekend. Tickets are available at www.ticketcenterstage.com or the box office at the Schuster Center that opens two hours prior to every performance. Turn off your worries for a little while, tune up your imagination and go have fun for a few hours. Tickets remain starting at just $26.

Photo Credit: Victoria Theatre Association