WATCH: Bikini Bottom adventure hits the Okanagan

• What makes this show so popular?
• It's not only for the kids

Many people might know the answer to the question, “who lives in a pineapple under the sea?” but others might not.

The latest New Vintage Theatre show will answer that question in their latest production The SpongeBob Musical.

Based on the Nickelodeon animated TV show SpongeBob SquarePants that premiered back in 1999, it follows the story about a yellow sea sponge and his aquatic friends in a fictional underwater city called Bikini Bottom.

Lead actors Corey Hendricks and Stephen Keppler, who play SpongeBob and Patrick, told Kelowna10 they were fans of the show growing up.

“Every summer I would go to my grandma’s house, and she had cable. So, I would be watching SpongeBob on YTV all day for three months straight,” Hendricks said.

Keppler was in his mid-teens when the show first came on and he thinks it still carries well in adulthood.

“It’s one of those cartoons that’s for kids and adults. There are jokes for everybody. And I think that’s what I love about SpongeBob in general, is that it’s for literally anyone. I still watch it to this day,” he said.”

The musical isn’t based on any episode or movie from the franchise; it’s a whole new original idea about SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy’s attempt to stop an erupting volcano from destroying Bikini Bottom.

Getting the laugh right

Hendricks, who dons the iconic yellow shirt, red tie, and brown shorts, had to make sure one key component of SpongeBob was present in the live show: the iconic laugh.

“I know Tom Kenny [the original voice of SpongeBob] uses his hand to flip his throat up and down. With this, I don’t have that luxury, but you adapt to it and it’s a ton of fun,” he said. “You can’t have SpongeBob without the laugh.”

Keppler, who plays Patrick, is in his first show with New Vintage Theatre. He sees a lot of himself in the character and jokingly listed off why he feels so connected to him.

“I’m a sedentary guy and I love to snack and sometimes I like turning my brain off and that’s the best part of being Patrick because he doesn’t have a brain,” he said. “To bring a human approach to it on the stage has been really rewarding for myself as well.”

The SpongeBob Musical was brought to Broadway in 2017, but many weren’t sure how it would pan out. But it quickly took off. Many well-known musicians wrote songs for the show, including John Legend, David Bowie, and Cyndi Lauper.

The production was tied with Mean Girls for the most Tony Award nominations in 2018 with 12. It ended up winning for Best Scenic Design of a Musical.

Fun messaging for all ages

Director for the Kelowna production, Ryan Grenier, describes the show as fun, and high-energy, and will attract all ages.

“It’ll surprise a lot of people because a lot of people think that SpongeBob is for young kids, but this is for everybody,” he said. “In fact, many of the parents will probably enjoy parts of the show even more than the kids.”

He added some of the themes and messages in this show are very relatable to real-world issues we’ve had the last couple of years.

“It’s not necessarily about SpongeBob, it’s about the story which is about redemption, kindness, friendship, and relationships. And, coming out of the pandemic, it’s just an exciting time to bring joy and theatre into the community again. So, we’re really excited about it,” he said.

The show runs from July 7 to 17 at the Mary Irwin Theatre.