SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS to Open at the Palace Theatre, Fall 2017- Page 2

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 12:54pm

Ethan Slater and Gavin Lee better be recongized next year for the Tonys. They are sensational.

Also, I'm guessing Best Set will be between Spongebob's big set and Frozen's very tech-savy set 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 1:00pm

Don't knock this one if you haven't seen it. I had a joyous time at this very entertaining and highly theatrical show. It's a very fun night.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 1:06pm

Watch the show actually be pretty good.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 1:08pm

It might be wonderful....doesn't mean I have any interest in seeing it.  (Just like I have no desire to see Anastasia, Aladdin or Bandstand.)   

 

[smidge]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 1:09pm

KJisgroovy said: ""And the Broadway musical goes from dumb - to dummer - to dummiest. Who in the good names of Rodgers and Hammerstein would pay money to see such tripe? Never mind. "

I'm not sure what you think is dumb. Spongebob is fairly intelligent source material. Certainly more intelligent and clever than the source material than Aladdin, Wicked, The Lion King, Anastasia, and Kinky Boots. Adapting a musical from a comic/cartoon is fairly common. I don't think Spongebob is any more "dumb" than Little Orphan Annie, Beauty & the Beast... and on and on. I don't think Tina Landau, quite the intellectual, is dumb in any kind of way.  I do think judging something before you see it is fairly dumb. Is that what you meant? 

And it's dumber and dumbest, unless Jay is trying to be funny. 

 

 

[bdn223]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 1:11pm

First and foremost...what happened to the raising of Palace that was supposed to take it out of commission for 2 years?

Is it just me or does anybody else seem utterly befuddled by the jump from the supprisingly successful 2016-2017 Season of "OFF Broadway Comes to Broadway" to next 2017-2018's "Cash Grabs Run Amok"

So next year we have

Frozen

Spongebob

Mararitaville 

Mean Girls

Harry Potter

4 Revivals of Community Theater Mainstays (Carousel, Once on This Island, My Fair Lady, Dreamgirls) With the Chenoweth led Best Little Whorehouse waiting in the Wings

 

Honestly at this point if I were currently producing one of the following:

• a small off-Broadway show opening by year's end
• a show that's gotten decent reviews out of town, but has been circling Broadway for years (Top Hat, Here Lies Love)

I would be start fundraising for a quick Spring Transfer, especially is The Band's Visit isn't able to survive the new year, as the Tony's seem up for Grabs.

[haterobics]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 1:14pm

"More intelligent than Wicked..."

Isn't that the only option?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 1:16pm

You've got to be kidding me. 

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 1:29pm

Yes, a musical based on a cartoon is the end of Broadway as we know it.  

[Keiichi2]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 1:41pm

While I'm not sure of its chances, I am happy to see this one get a shot.  It was a fun show in Chicago last summer, and it pleasantly surprised me.  So much so, I actually wrote a detailed synopsis on the show's Wikipedia page. (What I wrote originally has been altered slightly by other contributors, but 98% of what's there is what I originally wrote after seeing it last June.)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_SpongeBob_Musical

 

Obviously, this will not be a show for everyone, but I personally think it had a lot of charm, and I'm happy that some of the leads from Chicago are sticking with the show's Broadway run.  They were great.  I personally would almost see this again just for Gavin Lee's "I'm Not a Loser" number, which is quite the showstopper.

 

[grahaminchair]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 3:31pm

Keiichi2 said: "While I'm not sure of its chances, I am happy to see this one get a shot.  It was a fun show in Chicago last summer, and it pleasantly surprised me.  So much so, I actually wrote a detailed synopsis on the show's Wikipedia page. (What I wrote originally has been altered slightly by other contributors, but 98% of what's there is what I originally wrote after seeing it last June.)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_SpongeBob_Musical

"

That is one of those hilariously detailed synopses that you expect to find on the Wikipedia page for a Madea play.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madea%27s_Neighbors_from_Hell

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 3:37pm

grahaminchair said: "Keiichi2 said: "While I'm not sure of its chances, I am happy to see this one get a shot.  It was a fun show in Chicago last summer, and it pleasantly surprised me.  So much so, I actually wrote a detailed synopsis on the show's Wikipedia page. (What I wrote originally has been altered slightly by other contributors, but 98% of what's there is what I originally wrote after seeing it last June.)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_SpongeBob_Musical

"

That is one of those hilariously detailed synopses that you expect to find on the Wikipedia page for a Madea play.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madea%27s_Neighbors_from_Hell

 

"

That reminds me of the time I took one of my plays and playwrights courses in undergrad, we had to see a play, any play, before the end of the semester, and the professor had to approve it. One person asked if Medea counted, but he obviously meant the Tyler Perry Medea, but then the professor said "of course" and went on a spiel about Medea the Greek tragedy in detail to which the student was confused. 

Updated On: 6/5/17 at 03:37 PM

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 3:42pm

I can't wait to see everyone talking about how stupid this is eat crow. 

This show is Starcatcher-style theatrics blown up to the scale of genuine spectacle. It's a joy. 

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 3:44pm

Smaxie said: "Yes, a musical based on a cartoon is the end of Broadway as we know it.  







 

"

You tell 'em Smaxie.  I flew from San Francisco to Chicago last August specifically to see the show and loved it.  Just pure joy for kids and adults as well.  As for the haters/snobs on this post  - and on any BW post for that matter -  why not take your negativity and bitterness with you when you head back under the troll bridge.  Sheesh.

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 3:45pm

Out-of-town audiences often have little to no bearing on how a show will be received by New York audiences. I think this will be a box office hit on Broadway. 

[kaykordeath]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 3:47pm

dramamama611 said: "It might be wonderful....doesn't mean I have any interest in seeing it.  (Just like I have no desire to see Anastasia, Aladdin or Bandstand.)   

 

 

"

A fair point. But I wanted to thank you for not knocking those who ARE interested (unlike other posters).

[kaykordeath]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 3:54pm

Moving beyond the title/inspiration for a moment, the creative lineup is fairly impressive:

Jonathan Coulton and They Might Be Giants practically write showtunes as it is. Witty, catchy, expository story telling set to music.

Sara Bareilles, I believe, has proven her credibility with Waitress.

Cyndi Lauper certainly has earned her shot at Broadway even BEFORE Kinky Boots.

Does it get much more theatrical than David Bowie?

Sure, there are questions about this being too much of a hodge-podge to hold together into any sort of cohesive single piece, but I think to write the show off on title alone is entirely unfair.

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 4:38pm

kaykordeath said: "Moving beyond the title/inspiration for a moment, the creative lineup is fairly impressive:

Jonathan Coulton and They Might Be Giants practically write showtunes as it is. Witty, catchy, expository story telling set to music.

Sara Bareilles, I believe, has proven her credibility with Waitress.

Cyndi Lauper certainly has earned her shot at Broadway even BEFORE Kinky Boots.

Does it get much more theatrical than David Bowie?

Sure, there are questions about this being too much of a hodge-podge to hold together into any sort of cohesive single piece, but I think to write the show off on title alone is entirely unfair.

 

"

If I recall correctly ALL of the songs were written for specific characters/moments in the show.  The one big exception was the Bowie song.  It was plucked from an album - with the creator's approval.

Partial list [Chicago run]:

BFF by The Plain White T's

No Control by David Bowie & Brian Eno

Hero Is My Middle Name by Cyndi Lauper

Tomorrow Is by The Flaming Lips

Poor Pirates by Sarah Bareilles

Bikini Bottom Boogie by Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith

(I Guess) I Might Miss You by John Legend

I'm Not A Loser by They Might Be Giants [in the sky]**

...and of chorus, The SpongeBob Theme Song

The set is VERY under-the-sea-in-neon CATS and also very Rube Goldberg.

** Sondheim reference for the folks holding their noses

 

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 6:06pm

while some of the songs stick out like sore thumbs, so was one of the best things i saw last year. And its as much for kids and for those who grewup with the show who are now in there late 20's early 30s

[dianamorales]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 6:14pm

Whether the theatre purists think it's terrible or not, tourists will go crazy for this. I can't help but compare it to Shrek. Did anyone think that would be a good musical?

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 6:25pm

I thought the show was fun. I wasn't expecting Chekhov when I saw it. It has some points where you want to groan a little, but it also has some very high points (like Gavin Lee's performance). It's very much a case of being aware of what you're seeing and I suspect that will be a massive draw for tourists. They know what they're getting. 

I'm in the whatever floats your boat camp. This won't be the show for some people, but it could be what creates a lifelong theater lover or inspires the next Rodgers and Hammerstein. We need to cultivate those feelings, whether we enjoy a show or not. Period.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 7:03pm

dianamorales said: "Whether the theatre purists think it's terrible or not, tourists will go crazy for this. I can't help but compare it to Shrek. Did anyone think that would be a good musical?

 

"

I personally love shrek and watch it at least once every 6 months on Netflix 

[mufish]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 7:47pm

quizking101 said: "Might this help cultivate a new generation of theatregoers by providing them very light fare as an entry point? Yes. Personally, though I have seen 115 shows, my entry point to theatre was Beauty and the Beast. While I'm not comparing the two in terms of construction, BatB was a Disney property that was accessible to my four year old self and made a lifelong theatre lover of me. "

Completely agree with this sentiment - Rock of Ages was that show for me.  And if Spider-Man can get two shots at it, why not SpongeBob?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 8:47pm

Shrek is totally underrated because of the subject matter. But those songs and scenes are great. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 10:10pm

I can think of few things more timely than a Spongebob show. It's not as if some cash-in flash in the pan is making the jump- hell, it's not even a quirky new critical darling like "Steven Universe." This is Spongebob Squarepants, a cartoon that's been running for nearly twenty years by refusing to target children or adults exclusively, but catering to both without pandering to either.

If the mix of innocence and experience, wisdom and naiveté of Peanuts was the cartoon voice of its time, Spongebob is surely this century's equivalent. The childlike optimism, stoner weirdness and faux-intellectual surrealism and cultural references have made Spongebob a seemingly endless supply of memes (see the recently ubiquitous Mocking Chicken meme, so strongly tied to Trump-era internet discourse). Not even The Simpsons, the closest equivalent currently on the air, has remained as "fresh" and integrated in pop-cultural discourse as long as Spongebob has- can you picture a throwaway moment in a 2016-2017 Simpsons episode becoming an internet-conquering meme that acquires political relevance?

I don't even like Spongebob that much, but I certainly respect it. It's earned its place in pop culture and onstage more thoroughly than the now-immortal Peanuts did when they first staged "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."