This year’s musical comes straight from the ocean floor. Hold on to your fins because “The SpongeBob Musical” is coming to LHS. 

This musical is comprised of many different styles of music, ranging from musicians like the “Waitress” star Sara Bareilles to the 1980s star Cyndi Lauper. This musical is for all audiences. 

The Spongebob Musical received 12 Tony Award nominations in 2018, tying with “Mean Girls.” Senior Payton Mucker, who plays Patrick Star, says that they are playing characters that people have grown up with.

“It takes all the characters from the original TV show and puts them in a musical,” Mucker said. “It’s such a powerhouse musical and extremely dance-heavy. There are so many dancing styles like tap dancing and pop dancing.”

Senior Sam Fultz, who plays SpongeBob, says that the show’s premise is that friendship is stronger than anything else.

“It’s different because it’s so much more strange and insane than any other show we have done in the past,” Fultz said.

Each musical takes hours upon hours of practice to get right. Junior Andy Rojas-Rodrigues, who plays Mrs. Puff, talks about what it is like being a cast member in “The SpongeBob Musical.” 

“Being a cast member is a very interesting experience,” Rojas-Rodriguez said. “The first week or two are a bit rough because of how new it feels, but once we get in the routine, it’s satisfying to watch the musical flow.”

Like many shows in McHale, many hours go into behind the scenes. Lights, sound and set design are key components to making a musical work. Junior Valeria Cortes talks about set design and tech. 

“We are doing a lot of foam carving,” Cortes said. “It’s messy, but it’s satisfying. I think, more than anything, sound will be hard because there are sound effects for everything.”

Tech isn’t the only thing that makes musicals into a reality. Musical directors Emily Brooke and Angela Ticen are new additions to the theater program.

“Ms. Brooke and Ms. Tyson were left with some pretty big shoes to fill,” Rojas-Rodriguez said. “Despite that, these teachers are doing an amazing job. They caught on to their new jobs very well, and I’m excited to see where they take this production from a musical standpoint.”

Senior Gretchen Prifogle, a dancer, says that the new directors bring so much energy. 

“They are younger and more excited,” Prifogle said. “Ms. Brooke is at dance practices and brings so much fun energy and help.” 

Many of the students in theater can agree that Brooke and Ticen bring something new to theater. Senior Layla Powell says that they are also very talented, vocally and piano-wise.

“They have taught me a lot more in a month than I thought I could learn,” Powell said.  “I am very grateful for them. I think they bring stress relief to the musical. They’re very understanding with work and busy schedules and such. They make sure to let us know that they’re here for us no matter what.”

Unlike Brooke and Ticen, this will be the last musical for the seniors.

“I try not to think about that much,” Mucker said. “There were so many times up to this point where I considered not doing theater. I stuck with it. That was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.”

Fultz says that he is trying to enjoy it as much as he can. 

“This will be my 18th show, but it’s my most important show,” Fultz said. “Once I graduate, I won’t be able to do something like this easily or ever again.”

Powell says that it is scary being a senior.

“It hasn’t quite hit me up that I am a senior, and I don’t really want it to because I feel like I’m gonna be a sobbing mess,” Powell said. “But it’s also exciting because I will get to come back and see all of my underclassmen friends and the growth that they have made in the theater community and the impact that I made on them.”