Every year Frelinghuysen Middle School puts on an amazing musical. Last year it was Shrek, and this year it was The SpongeBob the Musical! Don’t let the silliness of the cartoon deceive you, this musical is a funny and thoughtful musical about accepting others for who they are and including everyone, no matter their background. The cast of SpongeBob was led by amazing performances by Miles Schmidt as SpongeBob, Brianna Gumpper as Sandy, John Vuotto as Patrick, Omar White as Mr.Krabs, Elsie Gonzalez as Plankton, Olivia Plitt as Karen, and Dina Varghese as Pearl. With hard material and sets to produce, this cast and crew were really put to the challenge. The musical was directed by Mrs.Stevenson, Ms.Strang, Ms.Solorzano, Ms.Forte, and Ms.Ferrer.
The sets were quite a challenge as well. 
The crew made an ocean floor, countless amounts of props, and a big giant mountain! The show had a huge amount of fast dance numbers and hard vocals. The cast worked hard on all of the pieces but especially songs like “No Control”, “Not a Loser” and “Simple Sponge”. The cast did a good job in turning the silly world of SpongeBob into the real-life world of BInkini Bottom!
The show was sold out on both nights. Audience members loved the performances! Here are a few thoughts from people who saw the show.
Falcon Press: Did you enjoy the musical?
Ivy Elder: Yes because it was funny and entertaining!
FP: What was your favorite part of the show?
IE: When SpongeBob and Sandy were on the volcano because of all of the action. You could tell a lot of detail was put into it!
FP:Who was your favorite character in the show?
IE:Patrick because I love the character and the person who played it played him very well!
FP:What was the most surprising moment of the show?
IE: Plankton’s rap shocked me because it sounded so good!
FP:Which song was your favorite and why?
IE: The last song because everyone was together!
Next is my interview with another student who saw the show, 8th grader Ya’Zariah Dawson.
Falcon Press: Did you enjoy the musical?
Ya’Zariah Dawson: Yes, absolutely!
FP: What was your favorite part of the show?
YD: When SpongeBob and Sandy were on the mountain!
FP:Who was your favorite character in the show?
YD: Sandy because she did a great job and her singing was amazing!
FP:What was the most surprising moment of the show?
YD: The end of the countdown because it gave a lot of suspense and seriousness that I was not expecting for a SpongeBob Musical.
FP:Which was your favorite song and why?
YD: Chop to the Top!
FP: If you could be a character in the show, which one would you be?
YD: I would play Pearl because it is just like me!
In the end, the SpongeBob musical was very successful! The cast and crew put in a lot of work and the outcome was amazing! The songs sounded great, the sets looked amazing and the audience loved it! Make sure to check out next year’s show to see the amazing artists in our middle school in action!
