SpongeBob SquarePants (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (1,349)
See it if you love good music, good acting and a good time
Don't see it if You are a stick in the mud about "childrens media"
See it if You want a fun night in the theatre watching a talented cast like Ethan as Spogebob. Never saw cartoon but have not had as much fun in years
Don't see it if You are expecting Shakespeare or don't like all stops pulled out to entertain you with great singing, dancing and clever scenic devices cute
See it if you delight in the sensory overload of grand spectacles and want to have a night of pure joy at the theatre
Don't see it if you dislike visual spectacle, you want something to chew on beyond a basic apocalypse scenario with a discrimination sub-plot. Read more
See it if you like the cartoon and great singing.
Don't see it if you're not imaginative.
See it if you like the idea of this cartoon coming to life and want to see an uplifting and colorful show!
Don't see it if you're looking for a traditional show - this is a silly fun, but what else would you expect from Spongebob!
See it if You love to be entertained by a true Broadway musical. Fantastic sets, great songs, amazing choreography. What more could you want. Amazing
Don't see it if You don't like fun musicals. Otherwise go!
See it if You want to smile non-stop for more than two hours. Being familiar with Soongebob series is not required.
Don't see it if You are not able to enjoy over the top silliness and zany humor, or if you want to see something traditional.
See it if Whether or not you're a fan of the cartoon this show is full of fabulous, showstopping performances, fantastic costumes & is just plain fun!
Don't see it if If you for some reason hate the original cartoon, this show is probably not for you.
Critic Reviews (60)
“You'll love this -- if this is the sort of thing you love...Burdened with a silly, predictable plot and so many lessons about tolerance, kindness, and community spirit...this is a musical designed for true SpongeBob believers only...The songs are pretty uniformly forgettable...All of this is orchestrated with a fair amount of bravado by Landau...What she can't fix is the cipher-like lead character and a plot that is much too elementary for anyone past the fourth grade."
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"The wildest romp of a musical Broadway has seen in many a season...It's best to have a familiarity with SpongeBob...There's still a lot of fun to be had for the uninitiated...Mostly made up of silly shenanigans and lots of big production numbers, several of which are quite good...It is certainly an overstuffed banquet for the eye and the ear, and it does run the risk of stimulus overload, but for fans of that happy-go-lucky member of the phylum porifera, it's not to be missed."
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"Landau leaves almost no storytelling device unexplored, creating theatrical sorcery in this lavish production. But while the effects are impressive, often I simply wished for time to enjoy less frenetic moments of connection...Subplots among the supporting characters proliferate, but end up as superfluous, or underdeveloped red herrings...The diverse cast includes a versatile and energetic ensemble...True SpongeBob 'believers' — and stoners are going to have a great time."
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“This visually stunning, witty and faithful stage adaptation is a lot of fun but drawn out...Landau’s euphoric staging vigorously emphasizes spectacle, humor, and sensitivity...The material is edgy enough to entertain adults...Portions of it are over-extended, repetitious, and tangential. Perhaps for Broadway, its creators felt the need to really make it a full-length show. In this case, less would have been more,though the abundant merriment is still pleasurable."
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"Jarrow's slim libretto benefits from the show's 15 songs...This may not be a stellar score, but it's expertly played and sung; and, despite the variety of songwriters, the numbers are admirably integrated in the action and story. Months from now, when the dust settles around this much buzzed about new musical, Ethan Slater is what people will still be talking about...Slater is surrounded by fine supporting players and an admirable (and idiosyncratic) ensemble."
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"The musical is as effervescent as its boyish leading man. Still, Slater must – and does -ensure the comic, user-friendly tone is set and maintained...Director Tina Landau deftly pulls all the pieces together and delivers a package that works on all levels, breaking some of the rules along the way. The lack of creature-specific costumes in this type of enterprise is rare and welcome...Courtesy of Kyle Jarrow’s clever, efficient book, Landau has reeled in a whale of a good time."
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“It is a rare feat to effectively translate style and comedy from one genre to another. Tina Landau, the conceiver and director, succeeds marvelously...The real star of the show is not the Starfish, nor Spongebob...It is David Zinn, credited with scenic and costume design. Mr. Zinn should get his credit above the title, so dazzling and enjoyable is his work...It is for those who love non-stop creativity in costume, design, color, lighting, choreography, zany comedy, and madcap mayhem.”
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"One of the most transgressive musicals on Broadway today, one that lays the foundation for a kind of enlightened escapism that could lead us through this strange era by offering a vision of the best we can be...The lovingly archetypal tale is indeed saturated with humor for every comedy palate...'SpongeBob the Musical' proves that escapism can be intelligent. That we can escape to a vision of the world as it could and should be."
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