YOUNGSTOWN — Millennial Theatre Company is almost shockingly dependable in the quality of its productions.

Its latest show, “The SpongeBob Musical” at Youngstown Playhouse, is no exception.

MTC’s musicals always look great, and “SpongeBob,” if anything, raises the bar. They didn’t build the set, they rented it, but they couldn’t have made a better choice. It’s bright, splashy and colorful and immediately takes the audience into the underwater world of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the Nickelodeon animated series that inspired it.

MTC — specifically costume designers Ty Hanes and Daniel Chiaberta — did create the costumes, and they are equally spectacular. The characters are readily identifiable without burying the actors in theme park / mascot outfits, and some individual pieces, like Patrick Star’s deity garb, are eye-popping marvels.

Hanes might be the MVP of the production if he never set foot on stage, but he also plays the title character and captures SpongeBob’s joyous, perpetually sunny disposition.

His voice is beautiful on its own on “Bikini Bottom” or “Best Day Ever,” but the real musical highlights come when he is paired with Tyler Stouffer as Patrick Star on “BFF” and “(I Guess I) Miss You” or when Grayson McCrory as Sandy joins the BFFs on “Hero Is My Middle Name.”

All three performed together in MTC’s production of “Avenue Q.” While MTC isn’t a troupe, it draws on a deep talent pool. Actors who played leads in one production may be ensemble players in another, and maybe it’s that shared experience of working on so many shows together that makes each staging feel so polished.

Director Joe Asente certainly had the cast working together like a unit that had been together for more than several weeks of rehearsals. It’s a big show with a big cast and a lot of moving parts, and it was in sync on opening night. And Asente never misses a chance to get a laugh and entertain, even before the show starts and during intermission.

The cast is uniformly strong. Choreographers Hannah Stephens and Aubrie Morrison craft some impressive group dance numbers on “Super Sea Star” and especially the tap sequence in “I’m Not a Loser.”

Asente’s lighting design and the sound design by Evan Gottschalk also add to the magical world of the show.

The plot involves a volcano threatening the residents of Bikini Bottom. Chum Bucket owner Plankton hopes to use the impending disaster to hypnotize the Bikini Bottom’s denizens so they will abandon the Krusty Krab (where SpongeBob works) and embrace his food instead.

There are some themes about exploiting tragedies for profit and to manipulate the will of the people (or in this case, sea creatures) and irrational fears of outsiders / immigrants (Sandy Cheeks the squirrel), but let’s just say no one is watching “The SpongeBob Musical” for its story.

In some ways, “SpongeBob” might be the most “millennial” show MTC has staged. It will play best with children and those who were children when it debuted in 1999.

As a parent of millennials who was in the room when “SpongeBob” was on the TV but was in no way an avid watcher, I don’t know if I ever need to see the musical again, and I’m sure there are many in-jokes that sailed right past me but were loved by others (particularly those in the audience on opening night who came dressed like their favorite characters).

But theatergoers of any age will be impressed by the caliber of the production and the level of talent on stage. Then again, anyone who’s seen an MTC show already knows that.

If you go . . .

WHAT: Millennial Theatre Company — “The SpongeBob Musical”

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. today and Aug. 6 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday

WHERE: Youngstown Playhouse, 600 Playhouse Lane, Youngstown

HOW MUCH: Tickets range from $21 to $25 and are available online at

millennialtheatre.org and by calling 330-788-8739.

agray@tribtoday.com