The world of Bikini Bottom is Broadway bound! If you have been searching for a musical that will captivate your tiny tots, then SpongeBob the Musical is sure to delight! But this show seems to be lining up to be a bit more than just the lovable aquatic sponge tripping through show tunes. SpongeBob the Musical has already landed an impressive array of songwriters with genres spanning from rock, country and hip hop. Among others, John Legend and rapper T.I. have signed on to contribute at least one song to the production.
'The SpongeBob Musical' is heading to Broadway with music from @JohnLegend and @Tip. http://t.co/lS3DYmTghz pic.twitter.com/d5HmBYCjMs
— Complex (@Complex) August 31, 2015
One fan had an excellent suggestion for who else might make a great addition.
https://twitter.com/LindsayyAnn22/status/641050759241564161
According to a news release, the show’s producer, Nickelodeon says,
The end is near. Only one sponge can save the day. But he’s going to need help from some of the greatest songwriters in rock and pop music history. The SpongeBob Musical is a rousing tale of a simple sea sponge who faces the unfathomable. It’s a celebration of unbridled hope, unexpected heroes, and pure theatrical invention.
While casting hasn’t been announced yet, we can only imagine the talent that would sign on to bring these crabby patty-loving characters to the stage. The production is slated to be directed by Tina Landau with Pulitzer winner Tom Kitt serving as musical supervisor. According to the enthused Landau,
I was drawn to this project not only for its wild theatrical possibility, but also because I felt SpongeBob, at its core, is a layered and hilarious ensemble comedy. SpongeBob himself is of course its center and beating heart–the eternal innocent in a sea of cynics. He’s also the classic underdog hero, and so our production sets him on a hero’s journey with real stakes, all the while retaining the show’s trippy humor and irreverence. We’re taking our leads from the TV show but this is an original story, with an original design approach, and original songs written just for the occasion by an amazing array of songwriters. We will present the world of Bikini Bottom and its characters in a whole new way that can only be achieved in the live medium of the theatre. We’re bringing the show’s fabled characters to life through actors—not prosthetics or costumes that hide them—and we’re deploying some unconventional stage craft that will prove that anything can happen in Bikini Bottom.
The show will first premiere in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre in the summer of 2016 prior to a New York opening during the 2016-17 Broadway season.
