Inspirations Theatre Company’s The Spongebob Musical – 25 September 2026, Dronfield Civic Hall
Review by Peter Taranaski.
Recently Me and the little one went to see the SpongeBob SquarePants Musical at Dronfield Civic Hall. Based on the SpongeBob SquarePants animated series (and films), we had some trepidation about what was to come.. well I did, my daughter didn’t. Modern musicals do not always hit and adaptations of child-friendly works can vary depending on how much effort has been put into translating these IPs. As a result these musicals can feel like a cheap imitation and not always have something interesting to say. The SpongeBob Musical was none of these things and Inspirations Theatre’s version here was an unmitigated joy from start to finish.
Inspirations Theatre Company is an amateur drama company which boasts a cabinet of accolades including “Theatre Company of the Year”, “Best Youth Musical” and “Best Production” in the NODA Awards. They have a mixed cast of children to young adult and everyone is used well here. One thing is for certain; if we take this performance, it is clear that they love musicals even more than we do… and that takes some serious doing.
SpongeBob SquarePants first launched in Chicago in 2016 before making the transition to Broadway in December 2017. It was, and still, is an incredibly successful musical whose yellow and porous main star took twelve Tony nominations in the following year. It would be easy to write off the musical as a quick grab to shoehorn the zany world of Bikini Bottom with a handful of semi-famous musicians looking to get new eyes on old songs; but that is far from the truth. It is filled with several fantastic artists that wrote new songs specifically for the musical, and their signature glow takes root in all aspects of the production including works by: Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie & Brian Eno, They Might be Giants, Panic! at the Disco, and many others. On the night the sound equipment (Chris Grimshaw) kept up with the star power of song writing and Matthew Szadura (Musical Director) has brought out the best in these songs and each performer’s tribute to the characters. The unashamed fun, absurdity and endless optimism are the keys to SpongeBob’s world and Inspirations theatre group have truly found a way into these key themes.
It all starts as the sun rises on Bikini Bottom and from the very beginning, there is a sense of purposeful joy. The first song, “Bikini Bottom Day”, brings this energy early and doesn’t really let up for the whole show. Matching the television show in feel, the production is a fast one. Many parts of the background set are beautifully designed, yet lightweight and nimble, allowing the cast to bring the till area from the Krusty Krab as quickly as the couch in Patrick’s house to the space. The stage itself is used exceptionally well. It is a big cast when you factor in the dance routines, roller-skating, and Patches the rebellious pirate (Daniel Hunt), but everything flows and there is wonderful choreography which is particularly noticeable in bigger songs like “I’m not a Loser” where the dancers tap skills are brought to the fore. It all flows like the most sparkling river, and as it moves we get an interesting story that will (most importantly) translates the slapstick of the cartoon for children, it also has a few interesting things to say about cults of personality, politics, friendship and ambition as it does so.
A big stand out is the character choices and performances. As the Creative Director (Joshua Mason) has emphasised, the stage actors have found ways to spot and break the cartoon mannerisms out of the animation in front of our very eyes. The physicality is astounding with what seems like substantial work being put in to bring the exaggerated reality of a cartoon into the real space. For example, the French Narrator (Lilith Squires) balances the campiness, overblown accent and bright spark that is the heart of the musical, and at times Tobias Spencer (Larry the Lobster) looks like he is popping out of the television itself with his bodybuilder more than looking the part. There are also many great songs.
The BFF song is particularly bouncy and infectious, it changes speed more often than SpongeBob’s accelerator pedal during a driving lesson. Both SpongeBob (Matthew Alsop) and Patrick (Xavier Gabrych) have fantastic chemistry. Xavier plays into Patrick’s surf-dude persona excellently. He flails, his voice is like an electrified bat, it goes all over and assaults you. Like all the cast for their character, Xavier finds the facial expressions, the vacant look but also takes on the job of making a slightly more imposing stature of Patrick bend in unfathomable ways. I never thought I would see this good a representation of humanised starfish anywhere. We love Sandy as a character and the song that embodies her most is Lady Antebellum’s “Chop to the Top”. When she isn’t doing Karate alongside SpongeBob she is showing us a great range of sadness, enthusiasm, fear and fearlessness. Her Texan Accent was something else and she possessed the necessary energy and enthusiasm for informing us about “Science Y’all”. We always have time for her and Silvia Cagnasso is loveable without losing the sternness and resolve that the character requires.
Our daughter had many things to say about the show, “He is not a simple sponge, he is a silly one”, “I really like the songs” and “I love it”. The song that stood out in her memory was, “Daddy knows best”. Like an avalanche on the horizon, it just keeps growing in size. The generosity of heart and spirit in Pearl (Darcy Thompson) is the mirror opposite of Mr Krabs’ love of profit margins. John Lewis (Mr Krabs) has nailed the verbal tics and salty turns of phrase that the character has and Darcy Thompson is exceptional as the melodramatic teen throughout the show. Pearl was one of my daughter’s favourites, probably as someone she identifies with but, it is true to say that they captured the attention no matter what scene they were in. The musical makes her central sometimes, and the actor never failed to deliver. Our daughter was also fascinated by Ella Cameron (Karen the Computer’s) retro 80’s jumpsuit and delightful evil turns alongside Gabriel Lawson (Plankton). She said, “That’s not how Plankton’s wife is”, for indeed she is ever more villainous here having found a new spark in the characters’ marriage. Lawson plays the bad guy well, his biggest strength is the fast rap he performs during Plankton’s key musical part in “When the Going Gets Tough” which the audience was really loving.
There are many other fun turns here including from Noah Lloyd, a slightly more upbeat Squidward than we are used to, but one whose hunched posture, whiny complaining and stardom-seeking behaviours entertained a lot. Lydia Ward plays a bureaucratic nightmare of a mayor, and all the stars who play the Rock Band the Electric Skates (Olivia Thorne, Ruby Randle, Molly Fitzsimmons-Flynn) are having a whale of a time (excuse the pun).
Of course, the show really does to a large part hinge on the title character. Matthew Alsop is a great Spongebob Squarepants. His arms and legs do not seem to be attached to his body as he spins, jumps, skips and throws himself into everything the character requires and more. There are several moments where he shines like a platinum disc on a wall of hit records. Alsop never faulters. If we were doing to choose a great representative of the character,”Hero is my middle name” is the kind of upbeat, fist-pumping number that, like Spongebob, we all need in our life at least a little. Alsop seems to emobdy the character not just through voice and posture, but also in spirit.
If you have peered into the absurdity and simple joy that is SpongeBob SquarePants and have liked what you have seen, then the musical is a slam dunk and Inspirations Theatre have perfected the look and feel of this modern family classic. There is not much else to say about this show so I will end on our daughter’s quote that sums it up perfectly:
“It was excellent.. amazing”.
