TJ Theater Arts' 'The SpongeBob Musical' Makes Splash On Stage

By Asha Das and Sohana Bahl

Get ready to head down to Bikini Bottom, because Thomas Jefferson Theater Arts is preparing to make a splash with their production of "The SpongeBob Musical!"

Originally conceived by Tina Landau and Kyle Jarrow, "The SpongeBob Musical" is a stage adaptation of the beloved cartoon phenomenon, featuring original songs from Jonathan Coulton, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Panic! at the Disco, and many more. In Thomas Jefferson Theater Arts' (TJTA) production of "The SpongeBob Musical," the cast and crew work to maintain the iconic energy of the TV show while still bringing creative touches to make the show their own.

Junior costume and hair and makeup designer Zoe Viterbo carefully considers how to translate the bright, goofy characters from the cartoon into costumes for human actors to wear onstage.

“Because it is based on a cartoon, we have to keep in mind that it’s meant to be super cartoony and over the top. So we have a lot of bubbly looks, bright colors, and really bold silhouettes like there are in cartoons,” Viterbo says of the considerations she and the other designers think about when creating the costumes for this show.

“A lot of the things that we're playing around with are silhouettes and making the body type not be less human and more object or abstract,” Viterbo adds. “We have to figure out what animals [the characters] are, and what those animals look like in real life, and how we are able to interpret that in their fashion. So, is it in terms of color or texture or the way the fabric flows?”

Viterbo and the other costume designers also preserve essential elements of the character’s signature looks when designing their costumes and makeup looks.

“A part of it is trying to figure out what about those characters were so iconic that people remember them in that way,” Viterbo explains. “For example, for Spongebob, you think square pants, brown overalls, white, yellow, and so then, how would we be able to interpret that? Our version of the main three [characters], Sandy, Patrick and Spongebob, is a little more human [than the cartoon], but we still want them to pop.”

Sri Vellakkat, a senior and the musical’s very own Patrick Star, mentions his process in bringing
such a well-known character to life on stage. “[It’s a lot] of arms going out to get that cartoon
starfish-y body shape, lots of funky poses, lots of just being big and being out there and not
caring what the world thinks,” Vellakkat states. “Patrick really is this wonderfully, beautifully
complicated character, and [it’s fun] to play with that.”

In addition to his leading role, Vellakkat is a head set designer and dives into the process of creating a set that sends a message.

“We've used a lot of recycled materials to symbolize...a lot about pollution in this show," said Vellakkat. "We're using cans as flowers, cans as barnacles. We're having various types of foam and plastics as building materials. We want to use trash to show how the ocean is affected by [it].”

The role of SpongeBob Squarepants is played by TJTA’s own Ella Tysse, a junior who tackles
the difficulty of living up to the character on a daily basis.

“There's already... a strong foundation for the character already,” Tysse illustrates. “It has been pretty challenging because I have to balance the humanity of SpongeBob or else the character isn't interesting. But I also have to balance the cartoon nature of the character or else it isn't fun.”

Tickets for "The SpongeBob Musical" can be purchased at tjtheaterarts.com or at the door. Show dates are Feb. 2, 3, 9, and 10 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 3 and 10 at 2 p.m.