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Post by anxiousoctopus on Apr 14, 2023 16:59:31 GMT
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Post by robertb213 on Apr 14, 2023 18:53:15 GMT
Felt more of a solid 3 to me 😀
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Apr 14, 2023 18:56:43 GMT
Felt more of a solid 3 to me 😀 I personally was leaning towards 4 stars. I adore the show but this production does have its flaws when compared to Broadway, but looking at it on its own merits I’d say it was a 4 star with the strength of the cast and costumes. (But then again it depends on if you read 3 stars as ‘good’ or ‘mediocre’. To me 4 stars = great with some flaws so not perfect. I know people class them differently.) |
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Post by robertb213 on Apr 14, 2023 19:01:51 GMT
Felt more of a solid 3 to me 😀 I personally was leaning towards 4 stars. I adore the show but this production does have its flaws when compared to Broadway, but looking at it on its own merits I’d say it was a 4 star with the strength of the cast and costumes. (But then again it depends on if you read 3 stars as ‘good’ or ‘mediocre’. To me 4 stars = great with some flaws so not perfect. I know people class them differently.) Fair, and great that you love it so much. The cast and whole aesthetic of the show are brilliant, I just found the story and songs lacking a bit. Enjoyable fun though. |
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Apr 14, 2023 20:00:59 GMT
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Post by robertb213 on Apr 14, 2023 20:25:41 GMT
The review is pretty badly written, to be fair ("would of"..."rememberable"?). The show is much better than 2 stars. |
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Post by properjob on Apr 14, 2023 21:55:10 GMT
I've just seen it at Birmingham from a very good but cheap seat from an offer mentioned earlier in this thread. The Hippodrome was pretty empty but they have already sold out of programs by Friday which suggests they were expecting even fewer people.
I enjoyed it, it is great fun. I've never watched any episodes of the show but might look some up now.
There are still some missed mic cues and it is much closer to two and a half hours than the two hours listed on the website.
There were children that were too young for it and I think you need to be older to appreciate the theatricality of it.
It has a talented and hard working cast with the leads also in the ensemble. The "people off the tele" fit seamlessly into it.
I think it is a word of mouth show that may therefore struggle on tour because it won't be in one place long enough to find its audience.
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Post by drowseychap on Apr 15, 2023 2:17:49 GMT
I was there for first performance in Birmingham stalls were quite full lots of small children seems to enjoy it very silly panto type show … which seems a contrast from what I’d read on broadway ?
Never seen SpongeBob but quite enjoyed it overall looks ok but when you look closer some of the pieces do look rather cheap
I was pleasantly surprised by Gareth Gates played the part well and sang well his tap was ok got one of the biggest cheers and applause of the night …. But again I could see how with a real tap dancer how it could steal and stop the show . Lead guy playing sponge bob was fantastic .
Felt it was aimed too much like a children’s show panto style than what I’d read about USA productions …
Ticket prices are quite high in a smaller theatre maybe would look and feel better ? Luckily I got a cheap offer ticket
3/5 from me.
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Apr 15, 2023 11:46:52 GMT
I was there for first performance in Birmingham stalls were quite full lots of small children seems to enjoy it very silly panto type show … which seems a contrast from what I’d read on broadway ? Never seen SpongeBob but quite enjoyed it overall looks ok but when you look closer some of the pieces do look rather cheap I was pleasantly surprised by Gareth Gates played the part well and sang well his tap was ok got one of the biggest cheers and applause of the night …. But again I could see how with a real tap dancer how it could steal and stop the show . Lead guy playing sponge bob was fantastic . Felt it was aimed too much like a children’s show panto style than what I’d read about USA productions … Ticket prices are quite high in a smaller theatre maybe would look and feel better ? Luckily I got a cheap offer ticket 3/5 from me. I think that’s an extremely fair assessment! It’s funny because I know exactly what you mean about it Vs the Broadway version - the Broadway version was madcap but didn’t ever go too into pantomime so still had this artistic edge to it, but Selladoor seems to have leaned into the panto camp and lost a bit of the edge (which I know is a bizarre thing to say about SpongeBob The Musical). |
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 16, 2023 13:27:22 GMT
As people are talking about offers, has anyone spotted any offers for Bradford next week? I’ll be in the area so hoping to see this.
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Post by ladidah on Apr 17, 2023 8:13:03 GMT
I think this may struggle because its hard to know who it's for - is it for millennials who loved the show in the 2000s, with adult jokes and references; or is it a cute cartoon musical for kids.
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Post by viserys on Apr 17, 2023 8:34:54 GMT
I think this may struggle because its hard to know who it's for - is it for millennials who loved the show in the 2000s, with adult jokes and references; or is it a cute cartoon musical for kids. I think that has always been the show's problem. When it opened on Broadway it seemed like a cheap money grab by Nickelodeon, so I ignored it. When it got a lot of Tony nominations, that got my attention and I ended up enjoying the cast album a lot, but by then it was too late as the show was already closing. Last year's tour here in Germany also didn't sell very well and I think due to the same problem: Adults wouldn't go because they'd expect a silly children's musical and prices were too high for a typical family show. It was a pity for the very talented cast and creative team that stuck very closely to the Broadway concept of using "recycled human trash floating in the oceans" for a lot of the sets, props and even costumes. Looks like the UK now has the same problem(s), but my guess is that this will have a long happy life for amateur groups and schools. |
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Post by sam22 on Apr 17, 2023 11:11:37 GMT
I missed this when it was local to me last week due to being in London so thought I wouldn't get to it. I was then browsing and saw it is at Royal Festival Hall for a few weeks in the summer as never been to that venue and wasn't much on for a Sunday matinee that I hadn't seen already. I've seen a few clips and listened to the album so looking forward to seeing how it's done.
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Apr 17, 2023 12:03:18 GMT
I think this may struggle because its hard to know who it's for - is it for millennials who loved the show in the 2000s, with adult jokes and references; or is it a cute cartoon musical for kids. I think that has always been the show's problem. When it opened on Broadway it seemed like a cheap money grab by Nickelodeon, so I ignored it. When it got a lot of Tony nominations, that got my attention and I ended up enjoying the cast album a lot, but by then it was too late as the show was already closing. Last year's tour here in Germany also didn't sell very well and I think due to the same problem: Adults wouldn't go because they'd expect a silly children's musical and prices were too high for a typical family show. It was a pity for the very talented cast and creative team that stuck very closely to the Broadway concept of using "recycled human trash floating in the oceans" for a lot of the sets, props and even costumes. Looks like the UK now has the same problem(s), but my guess is that this will have a long happy life for amateur groups and schools. That’s always been the painful thing for any fans of this show, you have to front-load talking about it with anyone with clarifications that ‘no it’s not a show for babies… yes they turned that into a musical… no but seriously it’s really good just give it a chance’ I still take issue with them overlooking the tap dancing experience requirements for Squidward, but stunt casting some roles was a pretty good decision for getting adult bums-on-seats. I’ve seen it twice on your already and both times I overheard a lot of adults exclaiming in surprise how good it was. The song Not A Simple Sponge kind of sums up the show in ways: “There is more to me than just my name” |
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Post by ladidah on Apr 17, 2023 14:21:03 GMT
It could have used some promotion on TV I think, Ant and Dec or the Lottery Musical Show.
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Post by sam22 on Apr 17, 2023 14:43:01 GMT
I missed this when it was local to me last week due to being in London so thought I wouldn't get to it. I was then browsing and saw it is at Royal Festival Hall for a few weeks in the summer as never been to that venue and wasn't much on for a Sunday matinee that I hadn't seen already. I've seen a few clips and listened to the album so looking forward to seeing how it's done. Dear Sam I'm afraid you won't be able to tick RFH off your list as SpongeBob is being done next door at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Doh! Thanks for that, saw that when booking then totally forgot. I haven't been to either so at least I can tick QEH off but I'll have to go to RFH another day  |
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Apr 17, 2023 15:23:14 GMT
It could have used some promotion on TV I think, Ant and Dec or the Lottery Musical Show. I hope they do (although there will be the typical barrage of ‘wtf is this sh*t?’ stuff on twitter that always appears when any musical ever performs on TV ever.) |
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Post by properjob on Apr 17, 2023 17:20:02 GMT
I do think in an ideal world it would have had a long run in one place to allow potential audiences enough time to realise what it is but I can see that isn't possible. It was a pity it wasn't ready or they couldn't get on the lottery event in Manchester.
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Post by drowseychap on Apr 18, 2023 1:12:51 GMT
As people are talking about offers, has anyone spotted any offers for Bradford next week? I’ll be in the area so hoping to see this. Always worth looking on Travelzoo the Birmingham dates were on there £22.40 |
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Apr 18, 2023 10:36:08 GMT
Mickey Jo Theatre released a video review
What I agree with:
- Not A Simple Sponge being amazing.
- Gareth Gates being miscast but still trying his best. He’s apparently giving it his all, but the role needs a tap dancer and character actor like Gavin Lee.
- The costumes not being as creative as Broadway (but that is down to budget and cast size because of touring)
- Mt Humungous being a bit underwhelming, especially when they discuss SpongeBob squeezing through things when there is no visual clue what they’re talking about. The ‘squeezes’ in the book are the ladders on Broadway, so the staging should have found some solution rather than just leaving it to your imagination.
- Some of the outfits being better than others. Pearl’s outfit doesn’t represent her enough as being a whale, so the ‘we’re not the same species’ joke doesn’t land during Daddy Knows Best.
- The lack of set pieces making locations less obvious.
The things I DISAGREE with:
- The songs not being cohesive. This seems to divide people - some (like me) love the mismatching of musical styles, but others see it as a flaw. The original director did it purposefully to show how different the citizens all are, so it is an intentional feature rather than a flaw. Imo it depends on your personal taste in music / musical theatre songs whether you like it or not.
- Not A Loser being a bad song. This made me actually mad because in my opinion it is one of the best in the production. Mickey Jo says the lyrics are ‘pointless and repetitive’ but the point of the song is that it’s lyrically clever with double and triple negatives, and is more of an act-y song, and when done right it gets standing ovations for good reason. He also says a lot of the songs are bad, which is harsh as most people I’ve heard talking about it love most of the music (their ‘skip song’ usually depends on their music taste)
- The sound effects being distracting. The original production had a devoted sound effect guy, but this version has the cast taking turns and I love that they’ve kept it in. He says that some jokes got interrupted by sound effects but I can’t think of any time that happened when I saw it. I love the makeshift feel of it all.
- The band being visible being a bad thing. He says he doesn’t understand it in shows where the music isn’t the central focus, but I can’t think of any case of a band being visible as a negative. The violinist and guitarists emerge to be part of the ensemble multiple times, while the drummer and keyboardist are always on show, and I really enjoy it.
Looking at the comments, most people agree with his opinions about the set and costumes, but disagree about his opinion on the songs.
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 22, 2023 10:28:07 GMT
I did manage to make the Wednesday matinee in Bradford, which ended up being the only show I could attend. No offers that I could find, but my £20 seat allowed me the choice of sitting almost anywhere in the Stalls (with the support of the very helpful ushers).
It's years since I've been to the Bradford Alhambra and it's a lovely looking theatre. Unusually, I had a bag with me as it was too early to check into my hotel, and very unusually in this day and age, there were no bag searches. They did leave the side doors open as well, perhaps to see if anyone wanted to slip in off the street and join the audience.
You may gather that this one was not too full, but the cast still gave it their all. I have no idea how much of the stuff on stage is done every performance, as there were a few occasions when there was more laughter in the wings than in the audience. I presume the Wednesday afternoon show is also the one attended by audience members who would normally aim for a relaxed performance, based on some of the audience activity, but never mind. The baby in the front row was very behaved (possibly asleep).
Let's face it. This is not a show to take too seriously. The odd added self-pleasure joke never hurts anyone. You get the exceptionally talented Hannah Lowther, who may well have a twin based on the number of times she's off-stage, then back on in a different costumes, with barely seconds between the two appearances. You get the totally adorable Lewis Cornay as Spongebob, who manages to have a smile on his face throughout of the type I'd need plastic surgery to hold. You get some really well cast celebrities too. And somehow, despite all being done on a shoestring budget, it works.
The biggest problem with this musical is its name. People expect a show for children. I've never seen the original show, but I expect this bears very little resemblance to it. It's the kind of show I could imagine touring universities for late night performances to students and it would do very well.
Quite a few of the cast were staying at the same hotel as me too, which was nice. It's a funny world we live in where actors have moved on from theatre digs. I had a great time anyway. This will never win any awards, but I'd happily see it again.
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Apr 22, 2023 17:56:07 GMT
The biggest problem with this musical is its name. People expect a show for children. I've never seen the original show, but I expect this bears very little resemblance to it. It's the kind of show I could imagine touring universities for late night performances to students and it would do very well. This is a very eloquent way of summing up the challenge of marketing the show (and I don’t think the marketing team are entirely succeeding). The NickWatch giveaway does stall the opening of both acts and makes it feel panto-y (although I know it’s necessary because of the NickWatch partnership helping fund the show) while the main body of the show is far more of a student/young adult vibe |
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Post by annette on Apr 23, 2023 5:30:50 GMT
I did manage to make the Wednesday matinee in Bradford, which ended up being the only show I could attend. No offers that I could find, but my £20 seat allowed me the choice of sitting almost anywhere in the Stalls (with the support of the very helpful ushers). It's years since I've been to the Bradford Alhambra and it's a lovely looking theatre. Unusually, I had a bag with me as it was too early to check into my hotel, and very unusually in this day and age, there were no bag searches. They did leave the side doors open as well, perhaps to see if anyone wanted to slip in off the street and join the audience. You may gather that this one was not too full, but the cast still gave it their all. I have no idea how much of the stuff on stage is done every performance, as there were a few occasions when there was more laughter in the wings than in the audience. I presume the Wednesday afternoon show is also the one attended by audience members who would normally aim for a relaxed performance, based on some of the audience activity, but never mind. The baby in the front row was very behaved (possibly asleep). Let's face it. This is not a show to take too seriously. The odd added self-pleasure joke never hurts anyone. You get the exceptionally talented Hannah Lowther, who may well have a twin based on the number of times she's off-stage, then back on in a different costumes, with barely seconds between the two appearances. You get the totally adorable Lewis Cornay as Spongebob, who manages to have a smile on his face throughout of the type I'd need plastic surgery to hold. You get some really well cast celebrities too. And somehow, despite all being done on a shoestring budget, it works. The biggest problem with this musical is its name. People expect a show for children. I've never seen the original show, but I expect this bears very little resemblance to it. It's the kind of show I could imagine touring universities for late night performances to students and it would do very well. Quite a few of the cast were staying at the same hotel as me too, which was nice. It's a funny world we live in where actors have moved on from theatre digs. I had a great time anyway. This will never win any awards, but I'd happily see it again. Actually it did win some pretty big awards in the US ( Outer Critics and Drama Desk for Outstanding New Musical and Score and 12 Tony nominations). I personally think it was robbed at the Tonys ( it was beaten by The Band’s Visit) because of general snobbery and the notion that it was just a cynical cash grab by Nickelodeon, which it most certainly wasn’t). I agree about the name of the show and the marketing issues the show faced in the US and now here in the UK. It’s really unclear as to who the show is aimed at and when people are told it’s for everyone ( which I genuinely believed the Broadway version I saw was), it just seems to put potential audiences off. It was a hard sell even in the US ( I think it just about ran a year on Broadway, followed by a tour that I think got cancelled due to Covid) and what publicity there has been here has not been particularly good. I agree with the poster who said TV exposure would have helped. It’s a funny, intelligent and wildly imaginative show (with the right cast) so I really hope decent word of mouth helps to increase the audience numbers for the rest of the tour. |
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Post by Mark on Apr 27, 2023 10:34:07 GMT
I'm going up to Oxford to see this tonight, it looks horrendously sold with only about 10 rows worth of the stalls unavailable. Upper two levels closed off it would seem. A shame because it is a really fun show. I really hope I'm wrong but my gut feeling is this won't last long, so I'm glad to see it early on in the tour.
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Apr 27, 2023 10:49:13 GMT
it looks horrendously sold with only about 10 rows worth of the stalls unavailable. Upper two levels closed off it would seem. what a shame! I'm off to see it in Oxford too, hopefully it makes it to the London run, but if not at least I will have seen it already |
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