Original Cast of SpongeBob SquarePants, The New Musical

The SpongeBob Musical is a stage adaptation of Nickelodeon's animated series, which premiered on Broadway in 2017 with a book by Kyle Jarrow and songs contributed by an unusually varied roster of pop and rock artists, including David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! at the Disco, They Might Be Giants and Sara Bareilles, among others. The original Broadway cast starred Ethan Slater as SpongeBob SquarePants alongside Danny Skinner as Patrick Star and Lilli Cooper as Sandy Cheeks, and the production was nominated for twelve Tony Awards.

Musically the show is a patchwork by design: each songwriter brought their own genre to a specific number, so the score swings from arena rock to pop balladry to hip-hop-inflected numbers, unified mainly by the show's plot about the citizens of Bikini Bottom banding together to save their town from a volcanic eruption. Songs such as «Bikini Bottom Day», «(Just a) Simple Sponge» and «BFF» became highlights of the cast recording, capturing both the humor and the earnest, feel-good heart of the source material.

The production is notable in musical theater for its songwriting collective format, functioning almost like a charity compilation album adapted into a coherent narrative, and for translating a beloved children's cartoon into a show praised for its visual inventiveness and heartfelt themes of resilience and friendship.