THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL Will Come to Portland Playhouse in May

This spring, Portland Playhouse will present The SpongeBob Musical, playing April 29th through June 7th. Based on the beloved Nickelodeon series by Stephen Hillenburg, this Tony Award-winning production follows SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends as they face the unthinkable: the total annihilation of their underwater home by an imminently-erupting volcano. As doomsday panic takes hold across Bikini Bottom, an unlikely (and highly-absorbant) hero must prove that hope, heart, and a little bit of courage can change everything – infusing audiences with joy and hope along the way.

Directed by Playhouse Producing Artistic Director Brian Weaver, The SpongeBob Musical may seem like an unlikely choice for a company best known for their deeply-impactful productions of Black American playwright August Wilson. “People might be surprised to see SpongeBob on our stage, and I love that,” says Weaver. “Great theater catches you off guard. This is one of the most fun, most hopeful, most electric pieces I've ever worked on. The story is about community resilience in the face of catastrophe, and the score is a wall-to-wall rock concert. Whether you grew up on SpongeBob or you've never seen an episode, you're going to leave this theater smiling.”

Portland Playhouse has assembled an all-star cast and production team bringing this musical to local audiences, with Musical Direction by Eric Nordin, Choreography by Kemba Shannon, Costumes by Wanda Walden, Props by Blanca Forzán, and Scenery and Lighting by Daniel Meeker. Benjamin Tissell leads the actor/musician cast as the eponymous SpongeBob, joined on stage by Isaac Lamb (Patrick Star), Quinci Freeman-Lytle (Sandy Cheeks), Susannah Mars (Squidward Tentacles), Jimmy Garcia (Eugene Krabs), and Darius Pierce (Sheldon Plankton). Maeve Stier, Amelia Zirin-Brown (aka Rizo), Merideth Kaye Clark, Ashley Song, and Eliza Jane Scheider round out the cast, accompanied for all performances by Zanny Geffel on the drums.

As the cast sings and dances their way through the impending apocalypse, they also play a Tony-nominated score that brings a rock-concert experience right into the theater, featuring original songs by some of the biggest names in music across every genre, including David Bowie and Aerosmith, John Legend, Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, Panic! At The Disco, and The Plain White T's.

A sixteen-actor Youth Ensemble adds extra spunk to the production, with eight youth actors appearing on stage in each performance.