SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical @ the Palace Theatre

A2 Wireless Audio Engineer

Directed by

Sound Designed by Walter Trarbach, associate designer Drew Levy, assisted by Tracy Cowit

Engineered by David Dignazio, Matt Walsh

Musical Director Julie McBride

Foley by Mike Dobson

What a wild ride Spongebob was. Blasted as just a nickelodeon children’s musical but loved by all ages. Spongebob, while an odd character to many, is a surprisingly relatable everyman that captured audience’s attention. Or that might have been the incredible Robe Golberg set design or the wacky projections.

Spongebob was a challenge for many reasons. The first of which is a 4 legged tapdancing squid. Yes, he really did tap dance in that costume and we had to mic it. Normally I had tap mics but for some reason, this was worth it. Gavin Lee is an absolute pro for sporting those legs 8 nights a week.

Another challenge was the pit layout. Half of the musicians were in the pit as usual. The guitarists, Keyboard 2, the foley operator were all in the house. Pre-show these external musicians performed a jam for the audience. Meaning as soon as you were done checking the system we had musicians performing. If there is one memory I will always have with this show it’s the nonstop running. We had so much equipment, instruments, cast members, and special considerations, that it took nearly an hour and a half to get it all up and running properly. Once the show had begun, there was no sitting down. Wacky costumes needed special attention to mic placement, instruments played by the actors had lavs in them, handheld microphone swapping, and tons of backstage traffic coordination, this show ran on gallons of espresso.

Did I mention the foley? One of my favorite aspects of this show was a concept I had been dying to try out in a production of my own. Being part of the shop prep I was lucky enough to build the dual redundant Ableton Madi rig that was at the heart of the foley performance. Mike Dobson, our talented Foley designer, performed nightly with various noise-makers, instruments, and this monster of an Ableton rig. He brought to life the various cartoon sounds that Spongebob fans are familiar with. With the live effects, this performance was a triumph that elevated this cartoon to new heights. (Seriously, if you can find the TV production go watch it. It’s not quite the same as being there in person but the set and costume design alone is worth the watch)

Sadly, in the fall of 2018 the theater announced plans for renovations, and the show was booted from their Pineapple under the sea. It lives on in a National tour with a strong cult following.