The SpongeBob Musical
Kyle Jarrow (Book)
Based on the Series by Stephen Hillenburg
Original Songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Shape & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain Whites T’s, They Might Be Giants, T.I., David Bowie, Tom Kenny & Andy Paley. Additional Lyrics by Jonathan Coulton & Additional Music by Tom Kitt.
Palo Alto Players
An upfront confession: I am not nor have ever been a fan among the many millions of those who are of SpongeBob SquarePants, the much-celebrated Nickelodeon animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg that premiered in 1999 and is still running strong today. I must admit I have never seen even a minute of one program. In 2018, I was amazed that the Broadway musical version – The SpongeBob Musical – garnered twelve Tony nominations, won two, and was named Best Musical by both the Outer Critics Circle and the Drama Desk Awards.
Thus, with some trepidation but also curiosity, I ventured into the packed, highly hyped-up, and majority kids-and-teens audience at Lucie Stern Theater to become fully surrounded and somewhat amused by the pumped-up, hormone-raging energy and enthusiasm of a youthful cast of twenty-three as they presented The SpongeBob Musical. In the end, I left no more a fan of SpongeBob than I was before, but I left remaining a firm admirer of Palo Alto Players for the eclectic array of musicals the Company continues to produce year after year and particularly, in this case, for introducing a new generation of the younger set to the might and magic of musical theatre.
For the rest of my review, please proceed to Talkin’ Broadway.
Rating: 3.5 E
The SpongeBob Musical continues through May 14, 2023 in production by Palo Alto Players at Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA. Tickets are available online at www.paplayers.org or by phone at 650-329-0891.
Please note: This production is recommended for ages 5 and up.
Photo Credits: Scott Lasky
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