Who lives in a pineapple under the sea, but is currently making a splash on the Birmingham stage? Well me hearties, it’s the iconic children’s cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants of course.

Colourful, frenetic, slick, and gloriously silly are just some of the ways to describe the SpongeBob Musical at Birmingham Hippodrome, which brings a much-needed splash of colour and high energy fun to lift any spirits dampened by the dreary Spring weather.

The show, which first hit Broadway in 2016 and is now on its first British run, features the star billing of Pop Idol alumni and musical theatre favourite Gareth Gates as Squidward and Ru-Paul’s Drag Race legend Divina De Campo as Plankton.

Gates is a comedy gem here, squeaking along the stage on four feet and bringing the loveable but long-suffering character to life whilst De Campo demonstrates her high soprano and four octave vocal range in the role of Plankton and was the clear fan favourite in the audience.

Elsewhere, the charming and vocally fabulous Lewis Cornay plays the inimitable SpongeBob, the hilariously goofy Irfan Damani takes on the role of Patrick Starr and the wonderfully talented Chrissie Bhima stars as Sandy Cheeks. The trio are clearly ones to watch, bringing beautiful chemistry, comedic timing, and slap-stick humour to the roles. Much like all the other characters, they are somehow everything you would expect them to be in human form, and more! 

The set design of this big-budget show is an unapologeticly dramatic, colourful, and flamboyant display of rich colours and textures, supported by extensive use of video and clever lighting, whilst the costumes are eye-catchingly shiny, beautiful, and meticulously created. There’s an important ecological message connected with the set design too, with recyclables used to illustrate the need to be environmentally friendly.

The choreography is simply fantastic, the stand-out scene sees Gareth Gates taps dancing with four legs in a chorus line of stunning amoeba – yes really.

But for me, my favourite part was the blistering and eclectic soundtrack, brought together from over 20 world-class artists, which takes you through a journey through countless genres including hip-hop, country, rock, and pop.

Musical stars who contributed to the soundtrack include Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants and David Bowie.  It’s fun trying to spot which artist wrote each song as you watch this multitalented talented cast, backed by live band the Electric Skates, bring them to life on stage.

The SpongeBob Musical is a real undersea gem. The cast are having as much as a ball as the audience here, and when the energy is this infectious, it’s hard not to be swept up in a glorious wave of escapism.

4 stars

Reviewed by Fiona McCartney, Thursday 13 April at Birmingham Hippodrome - showing later this summer at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Tuesday 27 June - Saturday 1 July