The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage! Set for TV Special

Members of the original award-winning Broadway company of The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage! are set to reunite to film the show in front of a live theater audience for a special that is slated to air on Nickelodeon.

The special will debut in December. The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage! cast will include Ethan Slater as SpongeBob SquarePants, Gavin Lee as Squidward, Danny Skinner as Patrick Star, Brian Ray Norris as Mr. Krabs, Wesley Taylor as Plankton and Christina Sajous as Sandy.

The television musical event features original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At The Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants and T.I., with a song by David Bowie and by Tom Kenny and Andy Paley.

Adapted from the beloved Nickelodeon series, The SpongeBob Musical is now on tour across North America.

Rob Bagshaw, executive VP of Nickelodeon live action unscripted and live events, said: “What better way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants than to bring this wildly imaginative Broadway musical to Nickelodeon for a wider audience. We could not be more excited that fans and families of all ages will now have the opportunity to experience live actors portraying these beloved characters in a whole new way with The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!”

Tina Landau, who conceived and directed the production for the stage, said: “I’m so thrilled to be able to revisit the show in a new light and with our original cast members. The whole creative and I are excited to go back into the world of Bikini Bottom and discover its new life in TV broadcast form. But above all, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to share the joy and spirit of our show with a wider audience. That’s what matters most to me—the joy.”