“SpongeBob SquarePants” Brings Cartoon Antics to Broadway

SpongeBob SquarePants Marquee – Image Credit: Nyctheatre (CC by SA-4.0)

After year of success on Nickelodeon, “SpongeBob SquarePants” has finally made it to the Great White Way. Originally developed at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago, the new musical is now playing at Broadway’s Palace Theatre. Under the direction of Tina Landau, the beloved characters come to life onstage. The play stars Broadway new comer Ethan Slater as the namesake sponge, as well as Danny Skinner as Patrick Star and Lilli Cooper as Sandy Cheeks.  The story focuses on the town of Bikini Bottom being threatened by an environmental disaster in the form of an erupting volcano. References to contemporary politics abound among more kid-friendly gags. Rather than bulky costumes, the actors wear brightly-colored contemporary clothes evocative of their cartoon analogs. The show also makes extensive use of puppetry, blacklight, circus acrobatics and audience interaction to bring SpongeBob’s world to the stage. The show’s score features contributions from a variety of rock musicians including Steven Tyler, Cyndi Lauper,  The Flaming Lips, and even the late David Bowie.