TJ students find deeper meanings in ‘The SpongeBob Musical’

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology invites the community to see “The SpongeBob Musical.” Performances are scheduled for Feb. 2, 3, 9, and 10 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 3 and 10 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at tjtheaterarts.com or at the door.

By Asha Das and Sohana Bahl

Get ready to head down to Bikini Bottom, because Thomas Jefferson Theater Arts is preparing to make a splash with their production of “The SpongeBob Musical.”

Originally conceived by Tina Landau and Kyle Jarrow, the musical is a stage adaptation of the beloved “SpongeBob SquarePants” cartoon series, featuring original songs from Jonathan Coulton, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Panic! at the Disco, and many more.

On stage, the musical maintains the goofy and colorful ridiculousness that caused so many to fall in love with the SpongeBob TV show, complete with scientist squirrels from Texas and scheming one-celled organisms.

However, the show also contains deeper themes of how communities come together or fall apart during times of disaster, reflecting real-life issues. The members of the Thomas Jefferson Theater Arts program (TJTA) explored these deeper meanings and how to present them onstage during the production process.

While the Bikini Bottom community in the show discovers they must support and trust each other, the TJTA community is learning to do the same.

Sophomore stage manager and Annandale resident Ayesha Gulzar has had firsthand experience with how the many aspects of the production process come together to form a cohesive show. “Because I’m a stage manager, I tend to dip my toe into a lot of different things,” Gulzar explains. “It’s been a lot of fun figuring out how to piece everything together and work with everyone.”

Freshman actor and Annandale resident Nathalie Hatchuel is new to TJTA this year, but has found a supportive community among the cast and crew. As a hair and makeup apprentice designer, Hatchuel has learned that working together is key for an amazing production.

“Nobody knows 100 percent exactly everything that needs to happen,” Hatchuel says. “But when everyone works together and supports one another, it all comes together in the end.”

In addition to her hair and makeup designs, Hatchuel is also a member of the ensemble of the Bikini Bottom citizens. “My favorite part of the process has been the moments where we’re doing big scenes and [our director] will tell us all to make unique character choices and create stories with other actors. Those moments feel like a spot where without any lines, I get to tell a small story within the big one. And that feels important.”

While the show might seem like nothing more than a goofy and fun musical on the surface, the cast and crew dive deep into the sea of relevant messages offered by the production.

“Whenever I tell my friends that we’re doing “The SpongeBob Musical,” they’re like, oh, that’s a little strange; I don’t know how you would [create] a meaningful story out of that. That’s kind of silly,” Gulzar says, admitting that she had had similar reservations when first hearing about the show. “But once we started getting into the show, and all the tech, all the acting, everyone started to realize that there’s real meaning in this show that kind of mirrors what’s going on in real life.”

“We’re trying to find our place in this world through the story,” Gulzar adds. “And that’s been really cool.”

“You might come into it thinking, ‘Oh, this is gonna be so simple. So bright and funny. That’s it,’” Hatchuel says. “But there’s more to it there. There’s more for TJTA to show you and more for you to see.”

Asha Das is an 11th grader at TJ, and Sohana Bahl is a ninth-grader.