“Are you ready kids?”

The audience yells, “Aye, aye, Captain!”

“I can’t hear you!”

They yell louder, “Aye, aye Captain!” and the famous theme song begins, filling the Visual and Performing Arts Center at Cabrillo College with unbridled revelry.

It is a song that has brought joy to millions of kids and momentary respite to just as many parents. This is how “The SpongeBob Musical” ends, and for anyone who is a fan of the animated show, it is a triumphant moment that sneaks up on you and makes you encounter something you might not often allow yourself recently to feel: joy! It is the sheer joy of childhood, of having completed an imaginary adventure, of celebrating a story full of nautical nonsense featuring the most improbable of characters, a sea sponge named SpongeBob.

Cabrillo College was recently named the best community college in California, and the latest production from the school’s theater arts department highlights why. There is such an obvious passion for education in everything they do. Upon entering the lobby, you are greeted with a display and activities created by Lisa Gilbert, chair of the Geology, Oceanography and Environmental Science Department, and the oceanography students. Situated on the top of the Monterey Bay, we are perfectly positioned for this kind of a show, full of humor, heartfelt sentiment and serious interpersonal and ecological concerns.

Even if you have never seen an episode of SpongeBob, this show offers a great time. Don’t let the title fool you. Yes, it is based off of a Nickelodeon cartoon, but when the original production opened on Broadway in 2017, it was nominated for a dozen Tony awards, winning some of the biggest honors including Outstanding New Score. This musical was a critic favorite for good reason: the music and the storytelling. These two fundamental components of musical theater are artfully accomplished in “The SpongeBob Musical,” and Cabrillo Theater Arts delivers an impassioned and embodied performance.

Lucía Marheineke plays the unflappably innocent SpongeBob with charisma and rhythm, alongside BFF Patrick Star, delightfully portrayed by Tristan Ahn. August Jonker makes an all-too-believable Squidward Tentacles, while Aschlyn Ahrens shines with Southern charm as Sandy Cheeks, the squirrel scientist. Sheldon Plankton and Karen the Computer Wife bring a hearty dose of humor through the acting, singing and dancing of Eiji Mori and Laney Correa. The list goes on as the talented cast and ensemble continuously fill the stage with entertaining action. This is a grand production and Andrea Hart’s experienced directing brings the various elements into a fun and visually rich story. Once again, Hart has found a way to make theater powerful and relevant to the community in Santa Cruz County.As is often the case with Cabrillo Theater Arts productions, the costume and set design transforms this touching story into a remarkable spectacle of color and texture. Skip Epperson and Maria Crush have created scenic and costume design with unparalleled artistry. Kelly Mack and Cooper Herendeen give shape and order to this world with their lighting design, and Asher Hildebrand adds an interesting element through their projections on the four circular screens on stage. Bikini Bottom is beautifully portrayed by this talented creative team, and it is the perfectly dynamic setting for the gorgeous choreography of Kristi Garcia.

This is a great opportunity to interest children in theater arts, as they will encounter the Visual and Performing Arts center transformed into an underwater world resplendent with jellyfish, an active volcano and entertaining stories. Bravo to Hart and the entire Cabrillo Theater Arts program for making art that is relevant, beautiful and moving. Catch “The SpongeBob Musical” Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 24 at Cabrillo College. Go to cabrillovapa.universitytickets.com for tickets and information.