Cast to bring ‘SpongeBob’ to life

The anticipation is rising among Aurora High School’s musical cast and ensembles as they finish final preparations for their production of “The SpongeBob Musical,” which opens Thursday and runs through Saturday at the Middle School Theater. 
Amidst the flurry of final rehearsals and other preparations, the leading cast members took some time to reflect on the progress they have made since the musical’s announcement last fall.
When choir director Jason Frew first announced what show the school would be doing sometime in November, senior Grayce Gustafson said the cast was initially uncertain about the production because most of them had never watched the TV show as kids. 
“A lot of the cast was never allowed to watch SpongeBob,” said Gustafson, who plays Sandy the Texas squirrel in the show. “It was like, ‘Are we really doing this?’ Mr. Frew would never not pick a kid-friendly show so that part I just trusted was going to be okay, but from my parents’ perspective, it was too inappropriate for me to watch as a kid, so why would we put this on?’”
Senior Jacob Inman, who plays SpongeBob’s best friend, Patrick Star, said despite their initial skepticism the cast and crew have grown to love the musical.
“We’ve warmed up to it since we got through the script and we got through essentially most of the music in the (TV) show,” Inman said. “We learned it’s nothing like the show and a completely different genre.”
The show takes SpongeBob and his friends on a journey to find a way to stop the underwater volcano named Mt. Humongous from erupting and destroying Bikini Bottom. Through the obstacles they face along the way, SpongeBob learns selflessness and bravery and that anybody can be more than a “simple sponge.”
Before being cast for her leading role as the optimistic SpongeBob SquarePants, junior Eva Yllescas said she was prepared to take on any role in the show. 
“I knew that this was my last musical,” Yllescas, who originally auditioned for the role of Sandy, said. “So this audition, I wanted to come in so prepared... and no matter what part I got, whether it was a minor or a big role, I did the best I could. I was just really proud that my hard work paid off.”
While the role was originally designed for a tenor male lead, Yllescas said SpongeBob’s range was unexpectedly high for tenor voices.
“When I was learning the SpongeBob songs, I remember talking to my mom, I was like, “I have no clue how a boy is going to be able to sing this,’” she said. “I was like, ‘I don’t think there’s any boy here that could this, let alone, in a very talented musical theater world. It is high, very high notes.”
Being a soprano, Yllescas dedicated a lot of time and research to getting her voice to match her character’s, using the original Broadway actor, Ethan Slater, as a key reference.
“I’m constantly looking at his Instagram, scrolling down and seeing TikToks, she said. “(I’m) researching acting tips, because suddenly when you’re acting you forget how to be a normal person,” she said. “There are mannerisms I try to do and there’s a lot of research that had to go into this and time outside of actual practice.”
Other actors, also relied on media clips from the show to help develop their characters. One was senior Lucas Talkington who plays the money-hungry Mr. Krabs.
“I’ve watched a few videos of Mr. Krab’s song and putting together in my head what I’ve seen from Instagram reels or YouTube videos of SpongeBob and how Mr. Krabs acts,” Talkington said. “I wasn’t allowed to watch SpongeBob as a kid, either.”
For junior Scott Bennett, who plays Squidward Q. Tentacles, the role allowed him to step out of his comfort zone as an actor.
“I would say this is great for me because Squidward is all the worst parts of me,” Bennett said. “He is grumpy, he’s rude, he’s emotional but he’s so passionate about his projects. I feel like some days I wake up and I truly do sound like him and it’s horrible. Then I take a cough drop and I’m fine but (on stage) I’m mostly letting myself be horrible.”
Senior Dane Comer, who plays Sheldon D. Plankton, said the musical’s quirkiness challenges actors to let loose with the comedy.
“The ensemble does a great job,” Comer said. “They make me seem like I’m (supposed to be) really short on stage. I think playing Plankton takes a lot of just being stupid and less of being a serious, evil scientist. There are moments when it’s just a slippery slope. You speak and speak and it just ends in something dumb and loud and you’re just super emphatic about it. Then it’s just like, ‘Oh, I’m playing Plankton.’”
Just as the characters try to figure out a way to save Bikini Bottom from soon-to-erupt Mt. Humongous, the cast has gone through its own adventure of learning a variety of musical genres such as rap and country.
“It’s weird because the very first song is all over the place,” Gustafson said. “It’s slow when (Comer) comes on, it’s kind of upbeat when (Jacob Inman) comes on, then it’s country when I come on. It’s the same song, but it’s all these different aspects and it’s cool to see how everybody adjusts.
“It’s extra weird because we’re starting with some country beats and then as we get further into the show, things just go wavy and then suddenly right before the last song, it’s full gospel,” Inman said.

Snow delays
While the students were excited at first to have a snow day or two, the pressure to get the show ready for opening night grew as the production missed 21 hours of practice over the past few weeks.
“It’s stressful because we’re putting on a performance and we want everybody who comes and who pays for the tickets to enjoy it,” Gustafson said. “It’s hard because everybody has sports. I don’t know if we had one rehearsal where everybody’s been there, which is fine, because it’s good to be involved, but it’s hard. I know that we want everybody to be there because it’s hard to get into the groove if not everybody’s there, but I think we’re doing pretty good as of now.”
Despite Mother Nature going against them, the cast and crew have been making sure every minute counts. 
“We’re definitely getting the feels now with costumes and with our lights and with microphones later on this week,” Gustafson said.
“When you get those other aspects of the show, it feels real and it kicks everybody’s butt in gear.”
Gustafson said the cast and crew’s time together has helped them make “SpongeBob” the best musical it can be.
“It almost comes down to the bond we have as a cast,” she said. “You wouldn’t necessarily call it a bond looking at it from the outside, but as you keep going with the show, you know whose going to be there when and all the things just flow together... You have your people who you’re always with and know they’re going to do at that specific moment. You can always count on that.”
As opening night approaches, the cast members expressed their hope that the community will turn out and watch them shine.
“I think it’ll surpass everyone’s expectations whether they like SpongeBob or not,” Talkington said.
Comer added that she believes the musical will bring a lot more fun than what the audience will expect.
“I think this musical is a blast from start to finish,” Comer said. “It’s going be so much energy, so much life. You’re going to feel that throughout the entire theater.”
Bennett shared his excitement to see the cast and crew’s hard work pay off in front of a live audience.
“I know there’s a stigma around SpongeBob as a piece of media, as a show and as a musical,” Bennett said. “But there is so much in this production that is lively, energetic and meaningful. There is so much effort that we poured into it. I think that shines through in our performances and what we’ve done as a cast and a crew.”
The cast members thanked Frew, Karrie Wiarda, parents and donors for helping the musical production get ready for opening night.
“We’ve all put in so much work and so much time has been put into this,” Yllescas said. “The amount of people that have helped that we don’t even know about, like all the parents, how many people have donated and everything. It’s so nice for this whole production to have an audience there.”
Tickets for “SpongeBob the Musical” are available to purchase online. Curtain times are 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 1:30 and 7 p.m. on Saturday.