Kings Theatre, Portsmouth – until 21 July 2024
Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock
5*****
Having been a fan of SpongeBob SquarePants on tv and the film in my younger years, I was excited to hear they’d made a musical -I was even more excited when I heard the first chorus of this amazing cast singing as they knocked my socks off!
A very easy storyline-SpongeBob (Casper Horn) along with his best friends Sandy Cheeks (Ella Burgos) and Patrick Starr (Stanley Searl) must save the town of Bikini Bottom from a volcano, that if it erupts will wipe out the whole town! With determination, grit and a lot of effort this wonderful trio manage to save the town and become Heroes! I was absolutely astounded at the sheer talent this cast had, but Casper Horn as our eponymous hero knocked it out of the park. He was the perfect embodiment of SpongeBob – his vocals, mannerisms and reactions were spot on at every turn. There was one moment during ‘Just a Simple Sponge’ that Horn actually made me recoil in sheer joy at how impressive he was. Burgos and Searl were also perfectly cast in their roles as Sandy and Patrick, giving gravitas and vocals that one can only dream of! I was enthralled at every moment during the show because of these three, but also the ensemble were brilliant. They were completely focussed, giving a professional performance. One member of this ensemble caught my eye each time he was on stage with his brilliant dancing and energy, bringing the extra edge to the production-a massive well done to Bobby Watkins for this. Costumes were provided by D and S Costumes, which solidified the image being created on stage.
Overall, this is the perfect production directed by Paul Clements and one that every member of the company should be proud of. I was so taken aback by this amazing cast and cannot wait to see how these young people will start to storm the West End in years to come. I’m just disappointed it doesn’t have a longer run, so that more people can enjoy these hard work and talent this cast has.