There is no musical that is as bright, colorful, or lively as “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical”. A musical about the little, yellow sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea seemed very far-fetched and ridiculous. But with direction from Tina Landau and a book written by Kyle Jarrow, the musical turned into a smash hit, being nominated for 12 Tony Awards along with winning countless awards.

The story is a bit basic, but fits within the SpongeBob universe rather well. It’s loosely based off of one of the newer episodes. A volcano threatens to destroy Bikini Bottom, and the townsfolk try to hold a last-minute music concert while SpongeBob (Ethan Slater), Patrick (Danny Skinner), and Sandy (Lilli Cooper) try to stop the volcano from erupting. Meanwhile, Plankton (Wesley Taylor) and Karen, the computer wife (Stephanie Hsu), try to hypnotize everyone in the town to eat at the Chum Bucket, and SpongeBob has to prove to everyone in the town that he’s not just a simple sponge.

The show is incredibly well casted, with everyone being the perfect embodiment of the characters on the show, looking like the human versions of each character while portraying them in a new, but familiar style. The stage and theater has been decked out to make you feel like you’re scuba diving in a cartoon Pacific paradise (which gave the show it’s only Tony for Stage Design). But the most incredible part of the show is the songs. Brilliant choreography, excellent singing, and the lyrics and songs were written by fourteen famous artists, including John Legend, Cyndi Lauper, Aerosmith, and the late David Bowie.

Sadly, the show is no longer on Broadway. It closed gloriously on September 16th, 2018. Fortunately, the show is going on tour all across the U.S. If you get the chance to see it, I highly recommended. It’s perfect for everyone.

GRADE: A+