“This self-defensive crouch is understandable. I share many of Bill’s concerns. I was at the July 4 home game against the Reds, a rare recent victory for the Cubs. I bore firsthand witness to Kris Bryant’s bizarre turn in left field. The two-time All-Star and 2015 Rookie of the Year repeatedly struggled to communicate with center field. Half-jokingly I said to my partner Bob at the time, “No dance party room for him.” For all the current reasons Bill mentions, and the PTSD that is the legacy of any survivor of the Tribune era, it’s logical to wonder if this rough streak is the beginning of the end.
But it isn’t. This is not 1969. Let’s everybody just calm down, take a restorative breath and review the latest statistics from the Baseball Prospectus Playoff Odds Report. Factoring in the Cubs recent slide, the likelihood of a division win remains 95.6%. A playoff appearance of any kind carries a 98.5% confidence rate. With the All-Star break imminent, I like those odds. We all should.”
“The bottom line: when the Republican Party took its unified February gamble to stonewall replacing Scalia, the reasoning was already tough to follow. Moreover, the offered logic wed them permanently to the position. After all if you claim you’re exercising stubbornness in the name of democracy, it’s hard to shift gears if say, your candidate is a maniac, has no chance of winning the election and/or SCOTUS decides not to play along with the reliable ideological divide.”
“Nothing has changed. Except the year. And maybe, just maybe, the approach of our journalistic and elected advocates.
This is not 2004, when the last assault weapons ban lapsed and a struggling, incumbent President George W. Bush floated a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage with much success. Instead, it’s 2016, one year since marriage equality became the law of the land. And now it’s the year that the Democratic House Caucus, muted since the 2010 midterm election “shellacking,” finally stood up to the disingenuous Ryan agenda that makes the majority of us less secure by every measure. Georgia Representative John Lewis, a Civil Rights legend, reminded the nation this week that fulfilling civic duty with courage doesn’t have to be a lost art. Under the threat of much panicked, procedural bullshit intended to silence his voice, Lewis spoke to the chamber on behalf of a weary nation.”
Sorry. I’ll try to be less childishly enthusiastic about “The SpongeBob Musical” for the sake of a literate review of the latest Broadway in Chicago production. But it’s going to be a challenge. The Pre-Broadway World Premiere of this take on the wildly popular cartoon series that began in 1999 is exuberant perfection. It’s nigh-impossible not to sacrifice one’s reserve (willingly) to the overwhelming joy that is every creative, technical and performance element of this show.
The plot, though it would hardly seem to matter given the source material’s colorful, loud reputation, is surprisingly and disarmingly approachable for all ages and cynicism levels. Press materials describe it as follows:
“SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face the total annihilation of their undersea world… And just when all hope seems lost, a most unexpected hero rises up and takes center stage.”
A difficult narrative terrain is successfully traversed by Book writer Kyle Jarrow. The trick is to make the show feel like episodus interruptus for die hard “SpongeBob Squarepants” fans (such as ahem, myself — at least during the late undergrad years). At the same time, the production must be welcoming for newcomers to the 16-year cultural staple. My companion for the evening, a complete stranger to the Squarepants, watched a whole six minutes of the cartoon prior to last weekend’s press opening. By the performance’s regrettable curtain fall, we were equally besotted.
How can this be avoided? The music itself is terrific — diverse, radio-friendly and energetic. And with songwriters on the team such as The Flaming Lips, John Legend, Cyndi Lauper and T.I., this makes total sense. And yet it should not be taken for granted. I know “Hamilton” tickets went on sale this week in Chicago and the city has lost its relative theatrical mind over it. But “The SpongeBob Musical” deserves to be widely heard and seen. Such quality shall not be lost in the shuffle.
The production also comes with amazing audio/visual work, a set that literally has to be seen to be believed, costumes of which childhood (and adult) dreams are made and goodness me, the performances.
It almost seems unfair to single any one talent out for praise. These people are all-stars and coordinated with magnetic dexterity by show Co-Conceiver/Director Tina Landau. Landau, a Steppenwolf Theatre Company legend, is more than ready for Broadway. Perhaps it is she more than anyone who deserves the raucous and roaring applause the show will continue generating.
But despite what I just said, it’s incumbent upon my role as critic to heap kudos upon key performers. All are without exception terrific, yet Gavin Lee, as submerged Eeyore figure Squidward Tentacles, nearly walks off with the production. That man can dance like an angel with four feet. It’s hard enough for mortals with just two. I won’t say more because a continuous stream of delightful surprises is part of the magic. Just one more tease: Squidward’s big number is a show stopper.
And Ethan Slater, as the cartoon’s titular, kind-hearted and earnest if dizzy character, is everything. I mean literally everything: an acrobat, a man of a thousand voices, a break dancer, an amazing vocal talent and deft comedian. This 2014 Vassar graduate is about to break big — and deserves every bit of what promises to be a long career on the Great White Way.
“The SpongeBob Musical” is all superlatives and offers a genuinely inspirational message along with top-tier entertainment. The weary of spirit are especially recommended to buy their tickets before this refreshing, unexpected jolt of fabulousness departs the Windy City.
“The SpongeBob Musical” runs through July 10 at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W Randolph Street, Chicago, IL. For information or tickets, call 800-775-2000 or visit the Broadway in Chicago website.
“There can be no discussion of mass murder without touching the nation’s foolhardy obsession with weapons of war. The Pulse assailant (and again I won’t print his name) was in possession of LEGALLY obtained assault weapons. Absurdly, they are easier to buy than birth control pills and many varieties of cold medicine. And we wonder how we keep finding ourselves here. There are those (with great strain, I’m trying to avoid name calling) that say “a madman will find a way to kill.” Perhaps. But with a knife, would this guy have been able to quickly execute and injure over a hundred people? Not a chance in hell.
This piece may sound like I’m advocating for a universal nightclub lockdown. I am. If the nation’s gun laws are unchangeable (and there’s no reason to think otherwise), then it is unfairly incumbent on us to do so. The fear I felt as I skirted past Bourbon Street jazz clubs last night was real and tragic. And where appeals to emotional humanity and morality have failed to stir the gun lobby and its Washington flunkies, perhaps we can send an economic message: “We won’t go where we can be shot. Fix this now.”
becky sarwate 