EXHILARATING’’

In1
2 3
a basement studio under Chicago’s Oriental
Theatre, things are getting dramatic — and
a bit surreal. A 14-piece orchestra is swelling
to a cinematic crescendo. Three actors
— portraying a sponge, a starfish, and a
squirrel — mime their struggle to reach
the top of an underwater volcano. Just
as the music reaches its peak, one of the
actors, in a voice that sounds not unlike
a certain invertebrate fry-cook, cries out,
“Give me the eruptor interruptor!”
The musicians fall silent, waiting. ...
“… Aaand then we don’t have this part yet,”
says orchestrator Tom Kitt, who’s overseeing
this rehearsal session for “The Sponge-
Bob Musical.” He’ll finish the rest later. For
4
now, it’s a cliffhanger.
Underwater World
“SpongeBob” is also a cliffhanger for
1. Cast member Emmy
Broadway rivals. The big-budget production
Raver-Lampman
— costing between $15 million and $20
2. Sea anemone
costume detail
million — which opens in Chicago to critics
June 19 with New York in its sights,
L’ogan J’ones,
3. Cast members
arrives under the auspices of a deep-pocketed
entertainment conglomerate, and
Slater (far right), who
Stephanie Hsu, Danny
Skinner, and Ethan
touts a powerhouse international brand
stars as SpongeBob 4.
that stands poised to absorb a major
musical supervisor and
orchestrator Tom Kitt
share of Broadway’s ultra-profitable
5. Dress for Miss
family business.
Urchin 6. Set detail
for the song “Bikini
But these are dangerous waters. Nickelodeon,
the Viacom label that originated
The Electric Skates
Bottom Boogie” by
and oversees the “SpongeBob SquarePants”
property, is a Broadway amateur, embarking
5 6
on a stage adaptation that, if it doesn’t
strike exactly the right balance, risks alienating
fervent multigenerational fans. The “We are talking about a wholly original for a splashy musical based on a cartoon.
storyline is entirely new — it’s not based musical, based on something that’s entirely But she won over Vargo and Nickelodeon
on an episode of the series or on one of two-dimensional, with a score that’s by a with a human-powered, found-object
the two “SpongeBob” films — and its score diverse group of musicians, and a group vision that aims to match the animated
comes from a disparate group of artists, of theater creators who are maybe not the series’ indie vibe without striving for a
including John Legend, T.I., Panic! at the most commercial,” admits executive producer
literal translation. No foam heads required.
Disco, and the late David Bowie.
Susan Vargo. “There are a lot of mov-
The physical production is big and col-
Fans, not to mention the ticket-buying ing pieces.”
orful, but steers clear of massive technological
public at large, may be predisposed to skepticism.
Leading the creative charge is director
demands. The sets and costumes (by
Because at first blush, it’s almost Tina Landau. As a Steppenwolf member “Fun Home” designer David Zinn) all have
impossible to get your head around what best known for serious Off Broadway a homemade, low-tech vibe.
the offbeat undersea realm of Bikini Bottom
fodder like “Head of Passes” and “Floyd “I’ve been leaning into this kind of antic,
54
could possibly look like onstage. Collins,” she’s not the most obvious choice unexpected, surreal, edgy sense of
humor
JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM