SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical (originally titled The SpongeBob Musical) is a stage musical, co-conceived and directed by Tina Landau with songs by various artists, a book by Kyle Jarrow. It is based on the Nickelodeon animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants and made its world premiere in June 2016 at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Palace Theatre in December 2017.
The musical opened to critical acclaim. With twelve Tony Award nominations, it tied for most-nominated production at the 2018 72nd Tony Awards with Mean Girls.
The show will close at the Palace Theatre on September 16, 2018 due to construction at the theatre. A United States tour is planned for 2019. At the time of its closing it will have played 29 previews and 327 regular performances.
Video SpongeBob SquarePants (musical)
Synopsis
Pre-Show
Before the show begins, a pirate sits down on part of the stage after the audience has taken their seats. The pirate is revealed to be SpongeBob's number one fan, Patchy, who has traveled from Encino, California to catch the premiere of SpongeBob's musical. Two security guards appear and tell Patchy to get off the stage, as the show is about to begin. Patchy objects, but the guards lead him out of the theater as Patchy claims he is a victim of pirate discrimination and sings the protest song "Yo Ho, We Won't Go". One of the security guards apologizes for the interruption, then tells the audience to enjoy the show.
Act One
SpongeBob SquarePants awakens and happily welcomes the day with his pet snail, Gary ("Bikini Bottom Day"). He greets various friends in his hometown of Bikini Bottom -- including his best friend Patrick, his neighbor Squidward, and his squirrel friend Sandy Cheeks -- as he walks to the Krusty Krab restaurant. At work, his boss Mr. Krabs tells his whale daughter Pearl she will manage the restaurant one day. With Pearl uninterested, SpongeBob hints that he dreams of being the manager. Mr. Krabs laughs at the idea, telling SpongeBob he is "just a simple sponge" and could not handle the position ("Bikini Bottom Day Reprise 1"). The day continues uneventfully until a violent tremor suddenly rocks the entire town.
The mayor announces all citizens should return to their homes. A television news report reveals that the tremor was caused by a nearby volcano that will erupt ("No Control"). SpongeBob checks up on Patrick, who is upset over the emergency. To cheer him up, SpongeBob reiterates that they are best friends forever ("BFF"). With the town in a panic over the impending doom, married villains Plankton and Karen try to convince the citizens to enter an escape pod that will take them away from the volcano. But, the two have a secret scheme planned. Once the residents are inside, they will hypnotize them into liking the chum that they serve at their restaurant, the Chum Bucket ("When the Going Gets Tough"). The townspeople, unknowingly, support this idea and decide to hold a last-minute music concert to raise money for the transport. Squidward, who dreams of getting to perform his own one-man show, is immediately shut down when he brings it up. Instead, Pearl suggests that the famous rock band, the Electric Skates, plays at the concert. Everyone agrees and Squidward is named manager of the event.
SpongeBob, however, is against the idea of leaving town and believes the citizens should fight to save Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob thinks back on Mr. Krabs' words from earlier and wonders if he could really save the town ("Just a Simple Sponge"). He decides that he can think of a solution with the help of Patrick and Sandy. Together, the three could build a device that could stop the volcano. Mr. Krabs sees the upcoming disaster as a money-making opportunity, holding an "apocalypse sale" on his signature fast food dish, Krabby Patties. Pearl worries about her father's greedy obsession with money, believing that it overshadows his care for her ("Daddy Knows Best").
Meanwhile, SpongeBob convinces Patrick and Sandy to team up, climb the volcano, and stop it from erupting with an invention Sandy will build. Sandy has smarts and Patrick has strength, but SpongeBob does not know what he can contribute. Regardless, the friends are determined to succeed ("Hero Is My Middle Name"). Before they can start their plan, a group of cultist sardines appear. They found wisdom in Patrick's simple thoughts at the town meeting and decide to make him their new leader ("Super Star Sea Savior"). Patrick likes the idea and decides to back out of SpongeBob's plan so that he can bask in self-glory, angering SpongeBob. The two fight and end their "BFF" status. After Patrick leaves, Sandy reminds SpongeBob that things are bound to be okay. The entire company reveals their personal thoughts and feelings about the impending disaster ("Tomorrow Is").
Act Two
After intermission, Patchy again sneaks onstage, telling the audience that pirates are persecuted by others because of stereotypes ("Poor Pirates"). Once again, security intervenes to chase Patchy away. SpongeBob wakes up and greets a new day: the day when the volcano is expected to erupt ("Bikini Bottom Day Reprise 2"). Bikini Bottom has fallen into anarchy and chaos: the mayor has employed a dictator-like rule over the people and an angry mob has started to hunt down Sandy, thinking her scientific achievements are the cause for the volcano's impending eruption. Sandy is able to hide from the mob and show SpongeBob her invention, the Eruptor Interrupter. They plan to throw it inside the volcano and save the town.
Back in Bikini Bottom, Plankton worries Sandy and Spongebob will successfully climb up the mountain and save the town.But Karen tells him that she found his avalanche maker.She says they can use it to create an avalanche that Spongebob and Sandy won't survive.Electric Skates finally arrive ("Bikini Bottom Boogie"). Squidward asks if he may perform with them as an opening act. The band will only allow it if Squidward buys every item on a ridiculously long shopping list. Meanwhile, SpongeBob and Sandy make their way up the volcano with great difficulty. Sandy tries to lift their spirits by reminding them of what they have learned in karate class about never giving up ("Chop to the Top"). When they stop to rest, SpongeBob cannot help but think of how he misses Patrick and wishes he was there to help them. In Bikini Bottom, Patrick finds life as a guru unexciting and misses SpongeBob as well, prompting him to leave his followers behind to help SpongeBob ("(I Guess) I Miss You").
Meanwhile, we see Karen preparing the avalanche machine. Plankton then nervously says that his real name (Sheldon) is small sounding and he then asks to be called big guy. Karen happily agrees to call him big guy and she jumps into Planktons arms and the two have a very romantic kiss. Squidward obtains all but one of the items on the Electric Skates' list (seahorse radish), so the band refuses to let him perform despite his pleas, calling him a "loser" in the process. Their use of this word causes Squidward--constantly called a loser in childhood by his classmates--to snap back at the band in anger, and they end up quitting. Now alone, Squidward insists that he is not a loser and performs a show-stopping song with a tap dance number and a back-up chorus in his imagination ("I'm Not a Loser"). Back on the mountain, Plankton and Karen use the avalanche maker to make the avalanche.SpongeBob starts to fall when Patrick saves him with a jetpack Sandy invented. The two reaffirm their friendship and follow Sandy to the summit of the mountain. When they reach the top, neither Sandy nor Patrick are able to reach the rim where they need to throw the device in. They turn to SpongeBob, who doubts his skills ("Just a Simple Sponge Reprise"). They remind him that he is the only one who can squeeze through tight areas and that his optimism has gotten them this far. With new determination, SpongeBob throws the Eruptor Interrupter in. They head back to Bikini Bottom and wait to see if their plan will work.
In Bikini Bottom, the entire city is in anarchy. Since the band is gone, there will be no concert and no escape pod. SpongeBob tries to calm everyone down, insisting that whatever happens, they have each other ("Best Day Ever"). When the time comes for the volcano to erupt, everyone braces for their deaths. The time passes without an eruption, signaling that the Eruptor Interrupter has worked. With Bikini Bottom safe, everyone decides that they should celebrate by having a new concert with Pearl as the lead vocalist. Patchy descends from above on a rope, having finally managed to sneak into the show, and joins in, making the cast reluctantly agrees to let him be a part of the finale ("Bikini Bottom Day Reprise 3").
During the curtain call, the cast performs one last song to add to their ultimate finale--it's the "SpongeBob SquarePants theme song"!
Maps SpongeBob SquarePants (musical)
Background
Lyrics for the show were being written by January 2014, as The Flaming Lips' lead singer Wayne Coyne mentioned through Twitter on January 16. Plans for developing the show were first announced at Nickelodeon's upfront on February 25, 2015. The upfront presentation included a performance of the musical's opening number, "Bikini Bottom Day." On February 26, Nickelodeon's chief operating officer Sarah Kirshbaum Levy told the Associated Press that the show was "not definite."
In August 2015, Nickelodeon announced that the show would premiere in Chicago before a Broadway run in late 2016. Its director, book author, and several of the musicians involved were also announced. The full cast list was released in April 2016. The majority of the cast members play more than one character. Rehearsals for the show's debut in Chicago began on April 11 in New York. Throughout early 2016, Nickelodeon executives met with Broadway theater owners to arrange its Broadway premiere. Michael Reidel of New York Post stated that Broadway representatives were "impressed" after seeing a presentation of the show.
In late May 2016, technical rehearsals for the show were conducted. Chris Jones of Chicago Tribune stated that Nickelodeon was concerned about "an incomplete SpongeBob costume [making] it into a photograph, spoiling a planned big reveal." In June 2016, Gordon Cox of Variety reported that the musical's budget was between $15 and $20 million.
Production
The musical opened at the Oriental Theatre, Chicago on June 19, 2016. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on November 6, 2017 in previews, officially on December 4, 2017. Choreography is by Christopher Gattelli, scenic and costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Kevin Adams, projection design by Peter Nigrini, sound design by Walter Trarbach and hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe. The musical is expected to close on September 16, 2018, after 327 regular performances, due to renovation of the Palace Theatre. The musical will have a North American national tour beginning fall 2019. Playbill noted that "Director Tina Landau, whose visual style and unconventional use of performance spaces are a hallmark of her ambitious, ensemble-driven works, is the driving force behind SpongeBob on Broadway."
Musical numbers
SpongeBob SquarePants Original Cast recording
On June 28, 2016, it was announced that the Chicago cast would record a cast album in early August with Masterworks Broadway producing the album. On September 14, 2017, the full cast recording was made available on the NPR website. The cast recording was released in its physical form in stores as well as on streaming sites on September 22, 2017, two months prior to the show's Broadway premiere.
All tracks written and composed by various artists listed below (additional music, arrangements and orchestrations by Tom Kitt; additional lyrics by Jonathan Coulton.)
Cast
- Replacements (Broadway)
Christina Sajous replaced Lilli Cooper as Sandy Cheeks on July 24
Brandon Espinoza replaced Jon Rua as Patchy the Pirate on June 12
Catherine Ricafort replaced Stephanie Hsu as Karen Plankton on June 19, 2018
Critical response
The Chicago production received positive reviews. Dean Richards of WGN-TV gave it an A+, writing that "the story is multi-layered for kids and adults. It all adds up to one of the most fun, well produced, and best acted shows Chicago has seen in a long time." Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune praised the cast (particularly Slater, Skinner, Cooper, and Lee) and the production values. He wrote positively of the show's songs, writing that the musical's "biggest gamble--a score made up of singles by different songwriters and unified by orchestrator Tom Kitt--works quite beautifully." Nonetheless, he warned "the transition to Broadway now needs to involve a dialing back of excess and more attention to truth--Bikini Bottom truth, sure, but metaphoric human veracity." Similarly, Steve Oxman in Variety magazine praises the entertainment, invention and "terrifically talented cast" but argues for a "slight shift in world view" to truly engage the broadest audience. In the Chicago Sun-Times' review, Hedy Weiss expressed praise for the set design's creativity and the coherency, but felt that it was almost too extravagant; she wrote that the musical "exhausts itself long before it's over." Kendall Ashley of Nerdist described the set as "pretty darn impressive" and called the decision not to use extensive makeup on the actors "interesting." Barbara Vitello of the Daily Herald also commended the actors' costumes and performances, stating that the "imaginative costumes that add a punch of color to the glittering sea green and aquamarine backdrop are among the delights."
The Broadway production was equally praised. Ben Brantley of The New York Times, called it a "ginormous giggle of a show", and particularly praised Slater's performance as the titular character. Marilyn Stasio of Variety stated the show provided a good amount of "giddy, goofy fun" for all audiences.
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
1 Tied with Bartlett Sher for My Fair Lady
References
External links
- Internet Broadway Database
- Official site
- Oriental Theatre
Source of article : Wikipedia
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