Good Friday #592: Don't Call It A Comeback...(Friday, May 4)

"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?"

The skepticism my heart held entering the rehearsal room of Spongebob Squarepants last September, is probably very similar to what a populous of persons ask about the show itself: Why this? Why now? I'd been healing from spinal surgery thru 2016 and '17 and watched chasms crack and widen politically, socially and racially, while being confined from performance.

I wanted desperately to return to work that not only healed my body, heart and mind...but also served as a space of healing for others. I just was not sure Spongebob Squarepants was it...

Then our director/brave leader/guru gave the allowance to ask any question related to the show. I seized that opportunity to ask "As a Black woman...why Spongebob...?" The answer would come as I was thrust into the imagination and inventiveness of @TinaLandau , (now Tony-nominated!) director of Spongebob Squarepants the Musical. Through her incredible intelligence and empathy, her superlative casting with the incomparable @EthanSlater at the helm, and a production team that buttressed her vivid vision, the answer to my question became clear like a shallow sea on a beautiful day. She has fostered representation on so many fronts: gender, race, body type, height, gender fluidity, sexuality, variance of background and upbringing. Through the writing of @KyleJarrow there are mappings of nationalism, xenophobia, women in science, issue with government, media incitement, riot and protest, and optimism in the face of loss and death. (!!) All painted and weaved craftily and intelligently while still being the colorful, weird, wacky, wonderful world of Spongebob Squarepants. So...why Spongebob? It allows me to represent possibility. It affords me joy and healing on all levels. It gives me a voice to speak to community divide and prejudice, esp to young people. It highlights bravery and courage - a way to push past fear. Tina Landau and the entire production - my insane, hilarious cast, my mentor and choreographer, Christopher Gattelli, musicians, Susan Vargo, producers, ALL - have been the most unlikely non-linear manifestation. Now, we are nominated for 12 Tony awards. Us, go! #Spongebobbway

A post shared by Rachel Oneika Phillips (@dragonpassionfruit) on May 3, 2018 at 1:03pm PDT