One of our favorite shows is SpongeBob SquarePants, a Nickelodeon cartoon developed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. The show follows the wacky adventures of the titular character and his friends, who live in the underwater town of Bikini Bottom.
In case you were wondering what their real-life versions looked like (well, at least the ones in the musical), check out the video below:
The show has been received so well throughout its run that the New York Times said that it “is clever without being impenetrable to young viewers and goofy without boring grown-ups to tears. It’s the most charming toon on television, and one of the weirdest. And it’s also good, clean fun, which makes sense because it is, after all, about a sponge.”
It recently opened on Broadway as a musical, with music written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Jonathan Coulton, Dirty Projectors, the Flaming Lips, John Legend, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, T.I., Yolanda Adams, Sara Bareilles, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, with an additional song by David Bowie.
The musical stars Ethan Slater as SpongeBob Squarepants, Lilli Cooper as Sandy Cheeks, Danny Skinner as Patrick Star, and Gavin Lee as Squidward Tentacles. The lineup of people producing it is impressive: the book is by Kyle Jarrow, musical supervision by Tony Award winner Tom Kitt, and choreography by Tony winner Christopher Gattelli. Between them, they have worked on The Wildness, Next to Normal, and Newsies.
The show has also been received well, with the Times calling it a “ginormous giggle of a show.”
Are you excited to see the musical? Share your thoughts below!
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