The SpongeBob Musical

Sunday, August 2nd, Frank and I and Alex went to see The SpongeBob Musical at our local Bankhead Theatre in Livermore. The oceanic backdrop in the lobby helped to get us in the undersea mood. The stage was illuminated in the blues and greens you would expect for an underwater habitat.

We were sitting right behind the rail and there was a Pirate warming up the audience. He claimed to be SpongeBob's #1 fan. I was also bemused that the child in a lower row was wearing a yellow sponge costume.

Alex got comfortable  in his seat and settled in with his program. Frank had to climb over him to get to his adjacent seat.

I knew very little about SpongeBob SquarePants... other than that he "lives in a pineapple under the sea". I studied briefly (very briefly) the night before on Wikipedia. It is amazing how little I know about a series that is in its 17th season and has been renewed for an 18th and a 19th season. SpongeBob SquarePants is the longest-running American children's animated series. Only one song was vaguely familiar to me, the theme song. Lest you forget, (or maybe never knew) you can here it at this YouTube link to refresh your memory. Another quick scan of the musical summary on Wikipedia revealed that the plot is of a "save the world" intensity. An erupting volcano threatens to obliterate the neighborhood of Bikini Bottom but can SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends save the day? 

How was the show? The costumes were super colorful, creative, funny, tongue-in-cheek, and widely varied. The action was non-stop, hectic, acrobatic, and chaotic in a sea of splashes and crashes of extremely clever sound effects amid boisterous singing. The sardines was a half dozen kids in shocking neon pink moving in perfect unison, crammed together. What a crack-up! The science was awesome; only a brilliant scientific mind could invent an eruptor interrupter. There were many musical numbers, both melodious and cantankerous. The only problem was that Frank and I understood only about 10% of the lyrics at best. Alex laughed and clapped his enjoyment throughout; he could not have cared less about the absence of diction. His reaction made our going a complete success. Here is the list of songs. I suppose I could research them but why? I get the gist from the titles alone.

Once out in the lobby after the show we looked at two posters of cast photos. I was looking to capture a good picture of the squid character, but I could not succeed from either of the posters. I offer these images I pulled off the internet instead. The way the performer danced and cavorted around on his four legs tentacles was a hoot! 

Before we left, I had Alex and Frank pose for an under the sea photo. If you look near the bottom by Frank's knee you can see SpongeBub SquarePants' pineapple home. We did not know what to expect from this show but it did not disappoint. Successful outing accomplished!

Sound of Music

Saturday afternoon, July 25th, Frank and I went to a 2:00 matinee performance of The Sound of Music at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. We left in plenty of time but some sort of incident or hazard on the freeway ahead of us really backed up the traffic. It was like a domino effect. Although we'd been to this theatre many, many times, I got off at the wrong exit and had to navigate a different route to our parking garage. Once there later than usual, we had to settle for a spot farther away. Huffing and puffing, we ran (as much as folks our age can run, especially with a rollater), and reached the exterior door of the building right at 2:00 on the nose. Fortunately other patrons must have been late, too because we plopped into our seats, sweaty and breathless, for a show that did not start until 2:10. Whew!

I had brought snacks and so, other than a moderately-paced dash to the bathroom at intermission, we were golden. The fact that this particular musical was The Sound of Music was fortuitous, since we were familiar with the storyline and the songs from the movie. There was no stress with straining to hear or understand... just pure tuneful bliss helping us to relax. There were only two songs that were new to me: How Can Love Survive and No Way To Stop It. We enjoyed the staging and the music.

The casting was extremely well done. The children were talented and excruciatingly adorable. Mother Abbess's voice and her singing truly did justice to the classic Climb Every Mountain. A rough start certainly turned out to be a fantastic outing.