Spongebob Casting Annoucement - Page 2

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/25/16 at 10:29pm

Universal Hollywood comes to mind, but that's just me.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 2:38am

And lots of shows based on other tv shows didn't have "names".  SPONGEBOB is the name.

 

And really: do you think people have expectations about spongebob?  The least of those is going to be a concern about music.

[GreenSharpie]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 3:44am

Ethan Slater and Lilli Cooper are both very, very good actors. I've got to admit this gives the show a tiny bit more legitimacy in my book.

[Kad]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 11:28am

"Yes I think the cast is great so far, but I think for writing a musical over such a well-known subject should have more hype-a more well-known cast."

Disney has been doing just fine without putting big names in their shows.

And you're complaining about a lack of names when the score is written by a laundry list of BIG names. No actor Broadway can offer up will draw as much attention from the general public as much as David Bowie.

Updated On: 1/26/16 at 11:28 AM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 11:47am

The poster gives a peak into the design. Which seems a little more "realistic" than a guy in a big Sponge costume. Just wonder if kids will find it interesting. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 11:56am

The fact that Tina Landau is the director says a lot about what it's going to be like.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 12:00pm

This really is not THAT horrible of an idea.  SpongeBob has had musical numbers in its show for years (some of which are iconic in terms of children's television) and they usually don't follow a specific style so I get why there's a multitude of composers.  I'm getting strong You're a Good Man Charlie Brown vibes from what I'm seeing so far.  SpongeBob's humor, while goofy and somewhat idiotic, is very funny and has a special style that, especially in its first season, was extremely funny.  As long as they don't put the actors in stupid costumes, I can see this being a successful children's show.

[Kad]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 12:10pm

The fact that Landau is directing and Kyle Jarrow (of 'An Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant' fame) is writing the book- and that this has been quietly developed for several years- gives me reason to have confidence in this weird project.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 1:23pm

Is anyone else absolutely miserable over this?

 

Is the prospect of a show you are most likely not seeing really affecting you so personally?   You must be absolutely miserable quite often.  If you believe Broadway productions should adhere to more stringent and narrow parameters of "art" (whatever that may mean to you), you'll need to hop into your time machine and go back over 100 years in order to change Broadway's history and tradition.  Good luck!  Meanwhile,  the people who want to see Spongebob will go and the people who don't, won't.   And you will be absolutely miserable for no apparent reason other than by your own choice.  

[Kad]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 1:30pm

The Broadway musical came from low-brow, populist entertainment. Have Broadway musicals over time become more of an artform? Yes. Does that mean that all Broadway musicals are or should be "art"? No. Not all films are art. Not all books are art. The Spongebob Musical, if it makes it to Broadway, will be joining the ranks of shows that came from decidedly not-art sources, from everything from Sweeney Todd to Shrek.

There is room on Broadway for populist entertainment, there always has and always will be.

[tazber]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 3:01pm

I'm sure it's going to be silly fun. I'm imagining a Casey Nicholaw type of show, very self-aware and where they throw as many jokes as possible and see what sticks.

 

 

 

 

[mpkie]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 4:06pm

I can't believe this is really real! Slightly horrified and mostly bemused. I'm floored by the fact that such an enormous list of well known musicians contributed original music for the show! Who knew that composing for a Spongebob Musical has been on many a musician's bucket list?

[JM226]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 4:45pm

i don't think it is and no one ever suggested it was but it's a paycheck and based on the money Viacom is pouring into this, i suspect a fairly hefty one with favorable royalty deal. good for all those artists. 

[Jace2017]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 6:21pm

Happy for Lilli Cooper. She is having quite the year. She left Wicked in June, just starred in Natasha, will be in Sky-Pony's Rock Fairy Tale this winter off-broadway, Spongebob this summer and maybe Natasha again in the fall.

Posted: 1/26/16 at 6:41pm

SpongeBob will go into the Lyric like the Grinch and Spider-Man 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 11:58pm

I don't think it's quite that big of a show. Look at the casting. The cast is fairly small. 

I by no means seem grossed out by the project like a lot of you. I mean, is it any better than Shrek (which had a Tony winning team) or any other animated show? It could be awesome. Who the heck knows until we see it on its feet. Tina Landau is awesome, but this is a full-fledged big musical. Curious to see how she handles it all. But she must have a great vision. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/27/16 at 12:08am

It's not my cup of tea...but for whomever it does make happy, have fun.

 

 

[ILOHTFAHA (Aida Man)]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 8:33pm

I heard from someone close to him that Barry Pearl auditioned for this. For what role I don't know, but I would assume Squidward or Plankton.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 1:27pm

...wow.

 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Welcome-to-Bikini-Bottom-Gavin-Lee-Nick-Blaemire-More-Join-Cast-of-THE-SPONGEBOB-MUSICAL-in-Chicago-20160219

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 2:09pm

Yawn. Every new musical has like the same 10 people in it. Hard pass. 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 3:44pm

How did Nick even get them to join?

[Tim Barstow]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 4:13pm

The casting of Lili Cooper and Gavin Lee lends a little bit of credibility to what I initially considered a cash gra4b.

[illiniparkie]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 4:22pm

While I have no interest in seeing this, it made me wonder how many other musicals have as their inspirational source a comic book or animated film/TV show.

 

Off the top of my head, I can think of:

 

Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark

The Lion King

Shrek

The Addams Family

L'il Abner

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (and Snoopy)

Annie (and Annie Warbucks)

Aladdin

Tarzan

Beauty and the Beast

Fun Home (well I guess this was a graphic novel)

 

So the fact it has a comic/animated source doesn't mean it is doomed to failure.  There are some good shows in the list above.

 

Are there some I have missed?

 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 4:35pm

Yawn. Every new musical has like the same 10 people in it. Hard pass. 

 

So, you "hard pass" on all new musicals?  What distinguishes a pass to be "hard" as opposed to regular or soft?  Do you make an especially  mean face on the day you specifically choose as the day you would have attended had they cast others or been a revival?  Do you mean-tweet about how you're intentionally not seeing it?  Which ten people?  Is it a new feature on the BWW site menu?  It's a very specific sort of snub of which I'm unfamiliar and I know it must be so hugely important to you that you needed the public to know.   I'd feel silly if the subject came up again and I was unprepared.

 

At least you're hard passing on a good solid reason that's completely biased and had nothing to do with the show or the production or anything.   That would seem ludicrous!

Updated On: 2/19/16 at 04:35 PM

[playbill-love]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 4:40pm

I have a really bizarre desire to see this in Chicago this summer. I'm not exactly expecting it to be GOOD, or even to necessarily enjoy it, and yet...