Rolling Stone: A surprising collection of musicians will write songs for an upcoming theatrical production of SpongeBob SquarePants, dubbed The SpongeBob Musical. David Bowie, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Cyndi Lauper, Flaming Lips, John Legend and T.I. will all contribute original songs to the show. Bowie's tune will feature additional lyrics by Jonathan Coulton, who is also contributing his own song.
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When I first saw this article I thought that it was a complete joke! Like how could the yellow sponge that lives under the sea in pineapple have it’s own musical? And like why would Aerosmith be part of it? However, the more and more I joked about this production, the more and more I began to think that there is a lot of potential there for something really great. Not like the next great Broadway musical great, but not something totally awful. Like if the characters were puppets. Think about all the adventures these puppets could have! However, the scale would be a little bit of a problem for them. Seeing as things are already very small so to scale them up so big might cause a very interesting challenge for the production. Never the less, I am intrigued to see what happens with this. However, the big question is, can Aerosmith write a musical? I guess we will find out!
I understand that Disney makes a huge amount of successful Broadway shows, but why in the world is SpongeBob Squarepants getting a musical? I think that the show itself will be highly controversial but will probably be mildly successful since the cartoon is so popular with my generation and the children who are growing up now.
Honestly, I hope it is a flop. I feel like one of those old purists, but I don’t think that the artists mentioned belong on Broadway. Broadway is not a rock concert, and with the recent controversy over cell phone use, I feel this is the wrong direction to push Broadway shows.
I’m so tired of crowd pleaser shows. I wish more shows like Hand of God and Next to Normal would become the norm. I understand that producers are out to get money, and as are most everyone in the theater business, but taking television and putting it on stage infuriates me.
Having grown up with spongebob and watching the show as a kid it brings back memories. I have not seen the recently released spongebob squarepants movie but I have heard good things about it. I remember the first couple seasons as being very awesome and funny. I am still able to watch them now and find new jokes or more adult jokes that I didn't get before. As for the later seasons they were still good but seemed to be more stupid and flashy. It got to the point that they were very bland to watch and I already knew what happened without watching the episode. I feel as though with the movie direction and success that the musical might be a great hit. I hope they don't over do it/focus on the flashiness of it rather than the story although I'm not saying I want to go see spongebob and get a deep meaning of life. Thinking about Book of Mormon and why it was successful I think that if spongebob was able to create a story and a goal the audience could really stand behind, with the help of very talented artists, they might be able to pull off a musical that the entire family will be lining out the door to see.
Nobody on Earth knows how excited I am for this. I feel like after this, we all may as well quit theatre, there will be literally nothing left to do that could ever top this. This musical will probably end up beating out Phantom of the Opera for the longest running musical in America. I'm surprised this show isn't a CMU grad's thesis, because of how influential and classic it will become.
Think about the SpongeBob costume. What the HELL is that going to be? Is it going to be like the guys you see at sporting events, in a suit with an unmoving, plastic smile? Dead eyes, grabbing hands reaching out for children? Or will they make it meta, strip a guy down, paint him yellow, and teach him how to do the voice REALLY well? Squidward is a SQUID. He has FOUR LEGS. What is the plan there? I am hoping someone will invent fully independently functioning prosthetic limbs just for SPONGEBOB: THE MUSICAL. The whole thing takes place under the sea. Possibly the first ever fully aquatic Broadway performance? What about the character Pearl, who is 1) a whale, 2) a high school cheerleader, and 3) 30x the size of her own father?
Also, addressing the more obvious point, where else is this musical line up going? I am hoping they throw in several Nicki Minaj dance numbers.
I know this is just a sad grab for cash riding off the success of the movie, but SpongeBob has always been a show that made NO SENSE, and that' why I love it. I can see this musical becoming like every other Disney musical, flashy with nothing new. Or, I can see the creators going, "Why not make this weird? No one takes it seriously anyways, let's have Sandy be played by a REAL SQUIRREL." I am desperately hoping for the latter, and will be following this production closely.
SpongeBob is actually a stroke of genius for Broadway producers. The longest-running shows are the ones that have the most cross-generational impact. The Lion King will be produced for decades to come, simply because the fame of the brand and the messages the story conveys, whether you're a child or an adult. SpongeBob, one of the longest-running children's cartoon ever, has seen my generation grow from age 2 (the premiere was in 1999) up to the present day, where the show is in it's 17th season. Parents grew up with Spongebob, Patrick, and Squidward. You would be hard pressed to find someone that hasn't seen Band Geeks, the most famous episode of the show. If a fraction of Spongebob's worldwide audience came to see the Broadway production, the house would be full for years to come, every night. Spongebob is also a hallmark for adult humor sneaking in behind child-level plotlines and jokes. This kind of snarky wit is perfect for Broadway. Finally, the musical talent behind the show will give people another reason to fill the seats. Even Spider-Man, for all it's foibles, had the music of Bono and the Edge to promote the show, and many of my friends wanted to go just for the music. With bands like Aerosmith and Panic at the Disco on the creative team, there is a real chance some of the songs will go down in history, much like Defying Gravity.
Except in reverse.
Because Spongebob is underwater.
I’ve said this before and I will probably say it with almost any other situation. The issue we have with current commercial and Broadway theatre is that we are not creating original work and we are relying on stories that have already been told in other mediums. In directing earlier this week, we talked about why a show should be told in theatre and not should be written as a novel. What makes it special? Spongebob Squarepants was originally a television show for children obviously and someone decided to make in that medium for a reason. Next to Normal was told as a musical because that was the way it was intended. I just fear that we will begin to rely on adaptions and non-original stories to dominate the theatre that we tell to upcoming generations and it will hold back the advancement of art and culture.
While I usually love seeing new adaptations for stories that are originally in different forms, recently it seems like all the new Broadway shows are adaptations of stories that have already been told. There is little originality. Also, there is the fact that all of these songwriters are not writers of musicals- they are all popular for their mainstream music. I can only guess that all the song in The SpongeBob Musical are going to be like rock songs. The main originality this musical can hope to achieve is the costuming as all of the characters are sea creatures. It makes me wonder if they are going to do a puppet heavy show, or if the costumes are going to be extremely elaborate. Or, even less interestingly, will the costumes only suggest that they are sea creatures and have a more human base than a sea creature base? Only time will tell. But I, like Sasha, am tired of Broadway just doing a sure-fire crowd pleasers. When will they have a completely original show be the next big hit?
So, I know this is polarizing, and though I am not exactly a proponent of the show, though I think the show will likely be an utter train wreck that closes soon after opening, I think that this world would remain incomplete without a David Bowie song about spongebob. I’m already incorporating his likeness into “A Space Oddity” in my head. Some call it unoriginal, some call it crowd pleasing, and I do not at all aim to deny that, but I don’t really see today’s broadway line up as a whole as unoriginal. At the very least, this would be something new, and regardless, it probably is better than Phantom (only half sarcasm).
I do feel that this show isn’t particularly the best idea, or the most contributing to theatre, or even contributing to the culture of spongebob (which is sadly not the proud nation it once was). Though I feel that way, I don’t view this show as negative either. It’s entertainment, and it isn’t trying to be anything else. A lot of 5ish year olds might come and see this show and really enjoy it, and to me that isn’t a negative contribution to society. But that’s just my opinion.
It seems that recently Broadway has seen an increasing influx of pop singers turned musical theatre composers. Cyndi Lauper, Sara Bareilles, Sting - the list goes on. Not only does a Spongebob musical promise the widening of audiences through its own loyal followers, but by including big names on its list of composers it practically immortalizes itself before even opening. This tactic - bridging the gap between alternate artistic worlds while bringing fans along for the ride - is exactly what will sustain commercial musicals for years to come. The concept is obviously mutually beneficial: Broadway producers gain a respect for the familiarity and originality of a beloved television program, already successful pop singers broaden their horizons by taking part in something they otherwise would have never had a hand in, and animators get the opportunity to see their decade-long vision brought to life as they have never imagined. More than this, a network of artistic support which will continue to foster growth in multiple crafts is built as creators from all different backgrounds come together to produce content which will transcend generational, social and cultural boundaries. Bravo, Broadway!
Let it also be noted that I have never watched an episode of Spongebob in my life and I am still this excited to see it become a musical. That is how powerfully influential artistic collaboration can be.
First off, I am more perplexed than anything else. Spongebob has been (and still is) an insanely widespread and popular franchise. I grew up watching it on Saturday mornings and I've seen almost all of the larger installments of the show to date. I think the earlier seasons of the show are clever and amusing but I don't know if I can say the same for the newer episodes. As for Spongebob The Musical, a show that is described by the producers to be a "rousing tale of a simple sea sponge, who faces the unfathomable," I don't know if I'm getting such good vibes. I have a feeling that it'll be kitschy just because of the pure nature of the series- goofy, quotable, and disposable. Don't get me wrong-- I adore the Spongebob television series, but that's where it should stay- on television. I keep getting the image of an actor who's completely painted in yellow and it's not sitting quite right.
What a weird and wonderful article title that I never thought in a million years I’d ever see! Not to sound like a theater snob, but I have doubts that a Spongebob Squarepants musical will be artistically groundbreaking or inventive in any way. Yet on the other hand, I do understand that theater, especially a lot of Broadway theater, has to operate not only as an art form, but as a business, and it is expected that there will be some musicals that go straight to Broadway that may have money in mind as a goal more than theatrical innovation. And I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing, just as I don’t think musicians are necessarily “selling out” by writing music for something like this; I don’t think it’s possible for every artist to always be involved in work that fits with what their vision for the future of the industry is (unless you’re very sought after!) Also, speaking from the standpoint of someone interested in design, I’ll be interested to see how they decide to dress the actors to make them into recognizable cartoon-like shapes without compromising movement or aesthetic, and I think there are a lot of possibilities, especially today in the world of media and projection design, for some really cool underwater scenery. (Just as my reaction to the “Frozen” musical announcement was, “Think of all the set possibilities!”) Overall, I probably won’t be rushing to see this show, but I’ll definitely look at production photos and see what they come up with for the technical aspects.
While it looks as though it’s just another musical, it is bringing up a childhood cartoon that wouldn’t appeal to all audiences. Even though they are bringing together a diverse group of artists to conjure up the music. I feel like this show might lead towards a small demise due to the group it appeals to. I know shows like Pinocchio have stood the test of time because they are a classic. It’s a movie that has never needed a story to change. SpongeBob has been around so long on television that I guess its appeal to a musical production is to reach the audiences that grew up watching the show. Seeing the talent that is coming together should help with its productivity value. It will be interesting to see the story line of the musical because so much has been done with the television show itself that coming up with an original approach will be difficult to do. But if there’s anything that we can call normal is the fact that Broadway always has something up its sleeves.
Spongebob has grown and raised this generation. As a television show, Spongebob Squarepants has tickled and continues to tickle the funny bones of children and adults alike. The idea that it'll be set on the broadway stage makes me the happiest person on earth. Im so curious to know how they plan to execute this under the water experience. The COSTUMES, the set, and MUSIC?????? This array of artists have plenty of experience in the rock and roll scene. Does that mean the show is rock based? That would be so sick! I cant wait to see the transformation from childhood(with adult entendres) television show to generation marking Broadway Musical.
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