SpongeBob SquarePants Musical to Close on Broadway
Producers of a very fun and imaginative musical SpongeBob SquarePants have announced that the play will close on Broadway with its final performance on 15 September 2018.
Don’t miss your chance to see this amazing show before closing and find your tickets here.
SpongeBob will have played 327 official performances and 29 previews when it takes its final Broadway bow. Producers explained that closing is happening due to “previously planned theatre renovations” but rumor has it that the main reason for the closing is financial underperformance.
According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the production cost $18.35 million but the play failed to recoup its costs. It is believed that the play will move on from Broadway because is consistently played to less than 70% of its gross potential. This does not mark the end for the musical by all means, but the Broadway run has come to an end. North American tour is planned to kick off in fall 2019 and amateur licensing rights will be available early next year.
The play is based on the animated Nickelodeon television series that has scored an enormous success since its premiere in 1999. Nickelodeon entered this project with high hopes at a time all record labels and film studies tried to adapt their catalogs for the stage pretty carefully taking in consideration Broadway’s rising grosses.
Directed by Tina Landau and based on the hit Nickelodeon animated series of the same name, SpongeBob featured a book by Kyle Jarrow and a score from a deep roster of music stars like Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, and T.I.
While many expected a theme park-style brand extension, the show surprised the audience with its wild Dadaist comic sensibility, ingenious design and winning performances, notably from gifted 26-year-old newcomer Ethan Slater, making a terrific Broadway debut in the title role.
Critics gave really positive reviews for the show and it won 12 Tony nominations at 2018 Tony Awards, including ones for best musical and best actor. It won one prize, for David Zinn’s scenic design.
Tickets for all dates can be found here, so don’t miss your last chance to witness this spectacle.
SpongeBob SquarePants Musical
Show Date and Time: Sunday, 29 July, 2018, 3pm
Show Location: Palace Theatre New York City, New York
Age Restriction: all ages
