‘Quirky’ SpongeBob musical opens Jan. 15
- J.P. Antonacci
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
J.P. Antonacci
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
The teenage cast of “The SpongeBob Musical,” a Young Theatre Players production on stage in Simcoe this month.
SpongeBob and his friends band together to save their undersea home of Bikini Bottom from an imminent volcanic eruption.
Their quest is set to original songs written for the show by artists as diverse as Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, Panic at the Disco, John Legend and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.
“The music is incredible. Every song is its own genre. It’s so mixed,” said co-director JP Cullen, who described the show as “lighthearted fun.”
Along with “very upbeat” song-and-dance numbers, co-director Lilly Shearer said the musical offers a message of togetherness in divided times.
“It’s a story about community and caring for each other and not excluding each other,” she said. “And it’s heartwarming.”
Young Theatre Players (YTP) teaches performance and theatre production skills to students from ages eight to 18.
“The SpongeBob Musical,” which runs Jan. 15 to 25 at Simcoe Little Theatre, features a cast of 24 young actors from YTP’s senior company. Their longest-tenured student, 16-year-old Katie Gorzo, plays the title role.
“I’m absolutely loving it,” said Gorzo, who debuted in the cottontail chorus of “Velveteen Rabbit” when she was eight years old and has mostly performed in supporting roles since.
“But I started to like that,” she said. “I liked not being in the spotlight and being able to back up the bigger characters in the show and kind of being my own little star in the corner.”
Now in her eighth season with YTP, Gorzo admitted to being “a little scared” of how audiences will rate her performance as SpongeBob in a show she called “cute and quirky.”
“I’m trying to put my own spin on it,” she said of a character she described as a perpetually positive people-pleaser “who’s just really happy to be a fry cook.”
But any jitters she may have are overshadowed by eagerness for the curtain to go up on opening night.
“I honestly feel more excited than pressure,” Gorzo said. “I know all my songs, I’m the star of the show and I feel so awesome.”
Cullen, who is also YTP’s artistic director, has watched Gorzo grow into a confident performer and a “reliable” and “accountable” offstage leader.
“Katie has always been a very dependable student. She will jump in when we need her,” Cullen said.
“It was her time to hit that stage to be that star. She deserved it. She has earned it for the amount of time that she’s been here and the amount of work she’s put in.”
Young Theatre Players is in its 41st season and Cullen has been there for most of them. She started with the company 32 years ago as a child actor and has stuck around ever since.
Today she devotes at least 20 hours per week to YTP and splits her time between acting as business manager and artistic director. The director role sees her do everything from choose shows to lead rambunctious eight-year-olds in drama games designed to foster teamwork and communication skills.
“A lot of it has to do with them feeling supported — knowing that my heart is in it as much as theirs is,” Cullen said. “I’m here to help them shine and help them grow.”
To Gorzo, being on stage is “a way to let out the inner me.”
“I love that I can come here and just relax and have fun,” she said.
“Any time I’m here, I always feel like I’m super loved. Everybody’s always so kind and it’s just such a welcoming, warm space that I can be myself in.”
- J.P. Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
The SpongeBob
Musical
Presented by Young Theatre Players
When: Jan. 15 to 25 - Thursdays and Fridays, 7 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m.
Where: Simcoe Little Theatre, 33 Talbot St. N., Simcoe
Tickets: $17.50 each, available at youngtheatreplayers.ca
Run time: About 90 minutes with intermission
Production team: Directed by JP Cullen and Lilly Shearer, music direction by Shauna Barrow, choreography by Marley Kirk.
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