We’re big fans of SpongeBob SquarePants and theatre on the blog. SpongeBob offers a lot of innocence and kindness with his undersea antics, and these days the show is incredibly nostalgic with episodes like “SpongeBob and Patrick’s Timeline Twist-Up” taking us back to our childhoods. Theatre offers an experience like no other with the escapism and immersion of it all. Check out why we think theatre is so magical!
What better combination of the two is there than The SpongeBob Musical? The musical is celebrating 10 years in 2026 after premiering in Chicago in 2016. With a book by Kyle Jarrow, and originally starring Ethan Slater in his most famous musical role (obviously), the musical has been a hit on Broadway and around the world.
What makes the theatre show so special to SpongeBob and theatre fans alike? Let’s board the invisible boatmobile and find out!
F is for a fintastic story
The story of the musical follows Mount Humongous, a volcano near Bikini Bottom, as it’s set to erupt and destroy the homes of our favourite sea critters. It’s up to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy to save the town. This is a great premise, setting some pretty large stakes that are arguably bigger than SpongeBob’s big screen outings. It makes the musical feel epic and gives our heroes a clear objective.
With this epic but simpler plot, the book does a good job at spending time with our favourite characters. SpongeBob’s arc is familiar yet well done as he tries to be more than just a simple sponge, and gets a great solo to boot. Patrick grapples with becoming a god-like figure, while Sandy deals with being an outsider from above the sea. Squidward doesn’t have quite as much to do, trying to get his 15 minutes of fame. This is funny still and he gets a great, flashy tap number. Mr Krabs and his daughter, Pearl, butt heads over priorities, while Plankton also gets his time to shine with his evil plans. All in all, for those who haven’t seen the TV show (where have you been?), the musical gives a great introduction to the colourful cast of characters.
It’s also fun seeing some minor characters and Easter eggs popping up, such as Mrs. Puff and Larry the Lobster getting some funny moments. In general, the musical is effective in including references for longtime fans of the franchise. Whether it be Patrick asking if mayonnaise is an instrument, Plankton’s naughty words becoming dolphin noises, or SpongeBob and Patrick shouting “yellow!” and “pink!” to each other. Also Patchy appearing on and off makes the musical feel like the classic SpongeBob specials like “SpongeBob’s House Party” playing right in front of you.
These are great nods and I arguably wouldn’t have minded seeing a few more. For example, the musical introduces a new band in The Electric Skates, when it could’ve been fun to use Boys Who Cry from the season 4 episode “Whale of a Birthday”. I appreciate though including too many references can be jarring, and it’s fun to expand the world of SpongeBob. Case in point, the Mayor from the musical was actually incorporated into the TV show in later episodes which I loved!
U is for you’ll love the music
Unlike many musicals, The SpongeBob Musical draws from a variety of artists for the soundtrack including David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, and John Legend. This creates a lot of variety in the show that keeps things fresh, and the different genres of music still work well together in my opinion. Absolute highlights have to be “(Just a) Simple Sponge”, “Bikini Bottom Day”, and “Hero is My Middle Name”. “Chop to the Top” has to get an honorable mention for how much fun it is, and “Poor Pirates” is a nice sea shanty to open act 2! Note how all these songs couldn’t be more different and it’s great.
Sure some songs are better than others, with “No Control” being oddly effective and jarring at the same time. Some may also see a lack of consistent vision for the music makes things feel more random, but this is symbolic of how the TV show uses music from a variety of genres to great effect. “Sweet Victory” and “The Campfire Song Song” are both just as iconic for very different reasons.
Speaking of the TV show, the musical could’ve perhaps used a few more songs from it. Icons like the “F.U.N. Song” and “Ripped Pants” are great songs in their own right and part of a great repertoire of music the main show offers. Of course, overusing familiar music could be seen as too ‘fan servicey’, and turn the musical into a tribute or parody which isn’t ideal. The creators did a great job incorporating “The Best Day Ever” into the musical though, an original from the first movie’s soundtrack and the TV series. Reworking it into something more melancholy to begin with, the song then becomes heartwarming which is a really nice touch and fits the tone of the musical perfectly. Which is better though: the original or the musical version?
N is for a neat musical nugget
Doing a SpongeBob musical must’ve come with a lot of pressure for the folks working on it. Such a well established franchise with good music already, and a die hard fanbase. It could’ve been easy to play it safe and go full fan service, but instead the creators crafted something unique in its own right, with original music from a bunch of different artists, that brings new fans into the Bikini Bottom world.
The musical is zany and colourful, full of energy and heart. It can be tough to keep up with it with its frenetic pace, but that fits perfectly with how episodes play out, as SpongeBob causes all sorts of issues for his fellow Bikini Bottomites.
Most importantly of all for me on a personal level is how magical it was seeing the musical for the first time. As a lifelong fan of the TV show, the franchise means a lot to me and I was definitely apprehensive going into the musical, worried it would leave me underwhelmed. But I was blown away by the authenticity of the show to the source material. Every time I saw a familiar character or reference I welled up, and the theme tune sing-along at the end was just perfect.
I felt like a kid again watching this musical, escaping into the world of Bikini Bottom right in front of me. It was real! In the end, the show gave me 2 and a bit of hours of smiles and I can’t ask for any more than that.
Chris.
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