SpongeBob Squarepants The Musical To Air On Nickelodeon

It has already been quite the year for SpongeBob Squarepants as the character celebrates 20 years on the air. Now, Nickelodeon announces that they’re bringing a version of the Broadway musical to the airwaves this December. The Spongebob Musical: Live on Stage! reunites the award-winning company of actors for the live television spectacle. The production quality is being billed as top-notch and that means that viewers can expect quite a show from the comfort of their living rooms. The New York Times called the musical “brilliant” and New York Magazine likened it to “effervescent candy-for-the-spirit” in their reviews of the original Broadway run. Back in the 2017-18 theater season, the musical received 12 Tony Award nominations and won for Best Scenic Design of a Musical.

This all comes in the middle of the network’s “Best Year Ever” event centered around the character’s impressive milestone. Earlier this summer, there was a televised special called “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout.” Another feature-length movie is coming in 2020 with The SpongeBob Movie: It’s a Wonderful Sponge. SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage will take a slightly different tack as the Broadway cast will take on vocal duties rather than the voice actors that some fans may be accustomed to.

Ethan Slater is aboard as SpongeBob SquarePants, Gavin Lee as Squidward Q. Tentacles, Danny Skinner as Patrick Star, Brian Ray Norris as Eugene Krabs, Wesley Taylor as Sheldon Plankton, and Christina Sajous as Sandy Cheeks. The ensemble will also include Kyle Matthew Hamilton, Katie Lee Hill, Curtis Holbrook, L’ogan J’ones, Jai’len Josey, Kelvin Moon Loh, Lauralyn McClelland, Vasthy Mompoint, Bryonha Parham, Oneika Phillips, Jon Rua, JC Schuster, Abby C. Smith, Robert Taylor Jr., Allan Washington.

Nickelodeon is very happy that fans still love this character so dearly after 20 years. Executive Vice President of Nickelodeon Live Action Unscripted and Live Events, Rob Bagshaw, voiced his excitement about the upcoming musical, “What better way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants than to bring this wildly imaginative Broadway musical to Nickelodeon for a wider audience. We could not be more excited that fans and families of all ages will now have the opportunity to experience live actors portraying these beloved characters in a whole new way with The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!”

This year just keeps bringing more to be excited about in Bikini Bottom. From the clothing tie-ins to more specials and movies, it looks like the lovable yellow sponge is going to be around for another 20 years.