SpongeBob SquarePants is reportedly heading to the stage!
According to Daily News , Nickelodeon has confirmed the news on Monday. The report states The SpongeBob Musical is set to premiere in Chicago next summer.
ArtsBeat: ‘SpongeBob’ Musical Will Open in Chicago, With Sights on Broadway http://t.co/3EjS3JFIS4
— NYT Theater (@nytimestheater) August 31, 2015
This type of project means the iconic cartoon character, SpongeBob SquarePants, is making yet another jump in the media from the small-screen to the big-screen to the stage.
When it comes to the musical score for the highly-anticipated SpongeBob SquarePants show, the crew apparently decided to stray away from Nickelodeon stars and singers.
Instead, The SpongeBob Musical has a list of high-profile singers, groups and musicians creating original songs for the production.
According to the Daily News , the list of singers and songwriters includes Steven Tyler and Joe Perry from Aerosmith, The Flaming Lips, Plain White T’s, Lady Antebellum, They Might Be Giants, Panic! At the Disco, Dirty Projectors, Cyndi Lauper and Oscar-winning singer John Legend .
David Bowie, @theflaminglips , @DirtyProjectors , @Tip , more write songs for @SpongeBob musical http://t.co/8sAXWpNYio pic.twitter.com/K5UEiXsx6W — Pitchfork (@pitchfork) August 31, 2015
The Spongebob Squarepants Musical will feature music by some big-name artists http://t.co/S8dF5S2IVd pic.twitter.com/GC6jbQjihG
— UPROXX Music (@UPROXXMusic) August 31, 2015
From the description of the musical, it seems the writers and producers are focusing on the underlying theme at the core of the popular children’s cartoon.
“[The SpongeBob Musical is] a rousing tale of a simple sea sponge who faces the unfathomable. It’s a celebration of unbridled hope, unexpected heroes, and pure theatrical invention.”
The concept for The SpongeBob Musical was reportedly co-developed by director Tina Landau along with a book that was written by Kyle Jarrow.
This Spongebob musical would be a total “WTF EVEN,” but Tina Landau is a BOSS at directing and I heart Tom Kitt. http://t.co/Hx1m6NxyL9
— NRNW Theater (@NRNWTheater) August 31, 2015
Tom Kitt is involved. what
— alex elizabeth!! ?? (@acoolcontralto) August 31, 2015
Composer Tom Kitt is reportedly on-board as the music supervisor for the stage production. Kitt has received award nominations for his work on stage productions, including the Green Day musical, American Idiot, and Everyday Rapture .
His work on Next to Normal with Brian Yorkey earned the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2010, according to Playbill .
According to Cartoon Brew , limited engagements of The SpongeBob Musical are currently set to premiere on June 7, 2016 and run until July 3, 2016 at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago.
[Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images]
