SpongeBob SquarePants, the new musical based on the hit Nickelodeon cartoon series, will begin Broadway previews November 6 at the Palace Theatre, with an official opening night set for December 4. Tickets will go on sale June 26 via Ticketmaster.com.
The show will arrive in New York after a spring 2016 world-premiere engagement in Chicago (then titled The SpongeBob Musical), where it was met with mostly positive reviews from critics. Read reviews here.
Several members of the Chicago cast will transfer with the production, including newcomer Ethan Slater, who will make his Broadway debut in the title role. He will be joined by Lilli Cooper as SpongeBob’s close friend Sandy Cheeks, Danny Skinner in his Broadway debut as SpongeBob's dimwitted starfish pal Patrick, and Gavin Lee as the sourpuss squid Squidward. The full cast will be announced at a later date.
Read: GET TO KNOW THE CAST OF SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS THE MUSICAL
In the musical, SpongeBob and the denizens of Bikini Bottom must rally to save their undersea world from total annihilation.
While the show’s score is comprised of songs by an impressive roster of pop and rock hit-makers, SpongeBob is not a jukebox musical. Each song in the musical was written specifically for a moment in the plot. “All of the musicians got a brief on where their song fits in the story, so they weren't randomly writing songs on the topic of SpongeBob,” book writer Kyle Jarrow previously told Playbill.com. “They knew where it fit in the story.”
The list of songwriters includes Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, John Legend, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants and T.I., and a song by David Bowie. Additional lyrics are by Jonathan Coulton.
A cast album was recorded last summer. A release date will be announced shortly.
Nickelodeon makes its first foray into Broadway as lead producer on the musical, which they produce with The Araca Group, Sony Music Masterworks, and Kelp on the Road.
SpongeBob SquarePants is co-conceived and directed by Tina Landau (Superior Donuts, Bells Are Ringing). It features a book by Kyle Jarrow and choreography by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies). Orchestrations, arrangements, and music supervision are by Tom Kitt.
The design team includes scenic and costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Kevin Adams, projection design by Peter Nigrini, sound design by Walter Trarbach, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, and casting by Telsey + Company/Patrick Goodwin, CSA.
SpongeBob SquarePants tickets range $39-$159. Visit Ticketmaster.com, or phone (877)-250-2929.
For more information, visit SpongeBobBroadway.com.
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