Exclusive Interview: Elijah Lang (Mr. Krabs) from Bloomfield Players' 'The Spongebob Musical'

It’s not every day that something from our childhood crosses over with our passion of Broadway, but every once in a while we find a show that mixes those two things together, creating a special night out at the theater. Those over at the Bloomfield Players Community Theater are looking to do just that with their upcoming production of Spongebob the Musical! Ahead of its opening night at the local theater, we spoke with Elijah Lang, who stars as Mr. Krabs in this musical adaptation of this Nickelodeon property!

In this exclusive interview, Lang shares his excitement about taking on this more adult role in this hilarious stage musical. He discusses what drew him to the show, how he feels the music enhances The Spongebob Musical, and what he hopes audiences take away from this production. With 23 productions under his belt since 2019, Elijah Lang excels at his craft, and we can’t wait to see him in Bloomfield Players’ production of The Spongebob Musical!

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Thank you so much for joining us today, Elijah.
It's great to have you here.
Thanks, I'm very glad to be here.
So how has the rehearsal process for SpongeBob the musical been so far?
It's been really fun, honestly.
It's been...
We started a couple months ago, so it's just been a blast, like learning the choreographyand learning the music.

(00:24):
It's really fun.
So how familiar were you with SpongeBob before being cast on the show?
Not very familiar, honestly.
I never grew up with SpongeBob.
Like, I never watched the show growing up, but just like getting to learn all the musicand everything, it's been really fun.
So, you know, this was not like a formative show growing up for you.

(00:48):
That's fair.
So what is the story of SpongeBob the musical and then what character are you playing andhow does it factor into the narrative of the show?
So I'm playing Mr.
Krabs in the show and in SpongeBob the musical, they find out that the citizens of BikiniBottom, find out that the volcano, Mount Humongous, is going to erupt and basically just

(01:14):
going to obliterate Bikini Bottom.
so it kind of, the show tells the story of like different characters and how they react tothat and what they're going to do.
now that their town is going to be obliterated, basically.
It sounds like in true SpongeBob fashion, it's kind of dark mixed with a lot of lightthere.

(01:40):
I have not seen this show, but I assume it's very comedic, correct?
Yes, oh definitely, yeah, which also follows with the show a little bit.
How do you feel like it balances that tone then of like obliterating bikini bottoms, butalso being funny about it?
Yeah, so I feel like they do take it seriously, but at the same time, in the same amount,they're also adding humor to that aspect.

(02:08):
So it takes kind of the darkness out of it.
I think it balances out very nicely.
Right, you're kind of laughing about like the ridiculousness of the situation.
Definitely, yeah.
Does Mr.
Krabs kind of have his own journey within the story?
Yes, yeah, but I'd say his character arc doesn't fall until very near the end of the show.

(02:37):
Okay.
So this is a musical, obviously.
So they put music to a brand that everybody knows quite well.
How do you feel like the music enhances the story of SpongeBob and his friends?
So it's actually really interesting, the music in this show.
It was written by several different artists.

(03:00):
Each song is written by a different artist.
I'm not sure if you were familiar with that or not, but I think like one song's written byYolanda Adams, another song's written by They Are Giants and...
Brendan Urie from Panic at the Disco.
It's just so each song is like unique in its own.

(03:22):
Each one's got like a different style.
There's like a rock song.
There's a gospel song.
And I just think it's really cool.
That's awesome.
I didn't know that there was a few different artists that were involved with this becauseI was a very big panic at the disco person back in the day and I know they do one of the
songs.
Do you have a favorite song from the show?

(03:44):
it might be towards the end of the show, Squidward has a solo number and it's a tapnumber.
So it's very like, it's very like, old Broadway kind of like kick line and stuff likethat.
So I kind of like that one.
That sounds like that's a really exciting one to kind of see.
And a lot of theatrical ability needed for that.

(04:10):
And have you acted before?
Yes, I have.
This is my 23rd production, I think, since 2019.
That is a lot of productions.
How does this one kind of compare to some of your past ones?
when I first started out, I was mostly doing youth theatre, so from ages like 12 to 18,pretty much.

(04:36):
So now that I'm graduated from high school, I'm trying out for shows that have olderpeople and then more seasoned actors.
So it's definitely a change, but I'm enjoying it a lot.
What has been a highlight of your time on this production?

(04:57):
I guess I'd say like, I think getting to work with the production staff and the cast, I'mmeeting like so many different people and it's really great to like get to know everyone,
I'd say.
And for Mr.
Krabs, because he's a very specific character, know, he's kind of, he, you know, he's gotthe, he's got the greedy side.

(05:19):
He's very funny, but he's, he's got a little more seriousness to it.
How do you get into the mindset of this character?
I took to YouTube a lot and watched a lot of videos because as I said before it I nevergrew up with spongebob so I had to like Yeah, like you said I have to get into the mindset
of that character.
I had to learn a character voice change my posture all of that stuff

(05:45):
It's a lot to kind of balance as you're trying to develop this character, know, make ityour own, but also be true to the source material.
Definitely.
How has this role challenged you as an actor?
So, I normally haven't played roles like this before.
Normally, I feel like my typecast would be like maybe like the male ingenue, you know, alittle bit younger, which Mr.

(06:13):
Krabs, that's like the opposite, you know, got like a gruff voice.
He's basically like one of his only personality traits is his money.
So, yeah, it's definitely challenged me and pushed me to like...
different boundaries that I haven't explored before, but I think it's definitely good forme.

(06:34):
Absolutely.
And have you had to try on the costume yet?
I know that your opening night is this.
yeah.
So yesterday and the day before were our full dress rehearsals and we got to do like fullhair, full makeup, we were doing it with sound.
It was a blast and with that you get to see like everyone's characters coming out evenmore.

(06:54):
So the show is really fitting together now.
is that like, what is that like as an actor finally getting to kind of put on that costumeand assume that role?
So probably not for every actor, but I'd say for me, I feel my character coming out a lotmore once I finally put the costume on, which I think is just very interesting to see.

(07:20):
I'm sure like, you know, it's kind of like that last piece, you know, like you've done thevoice, you've made the, you know, you've made those changes, your physicality, your voice,
and then getting to put on that costume and kind of assume the role.
Yeah, definitely.
What themes of SpongeBob the musical do you feel like resonate the most with you?

(07:45):
I think one thing and like one moral of the story that I really like is in the end likethey all like come together and bond to like save their town and like they just put their
differences aside you know kind of and they just come together I kind of like that yeah
a great one.
And what do you audiences walk away from this musical with?

(08:10):
I hope it just puts audiences in a better mood.
You know, it's a really fun show.
The music's very upbeat.
I hope just we can take the audience and like give them a fun afternoon or evening toremember.
That's awesome.
Thank you so much for your time, Elijah.
It's been great talking to you.

(08:31):
SpongeBob the musical runs from March 7th through the 16th at the Bloomfield PlayersCommunity Theater.
So get your tickets now and we'll see you there.