History Theatre / TheSpongeBobMusical

* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: [=SpongeBob=], Patrick, and Sandy, respectively. Sandy is hands-down the genius of the trio, Patrick is the muscle, and [=SpongeBob=] is optimistic and supportive of his two friends.

* IAmSong: “(Not A) Simple Sponge”.

* IWantSong: “I'm Not A Loser” for Squidward. “(Not A) Simple Sponge” also counts as one for [=SpongeBob=].

** This also serves as a major theme for [=SpongeBob=]'s character. Throughout the show, he's treated like a "[[ArcWords simple sponge]]" -- a plain, ordinary object that doesn't have any use outside of what it's designed for -- and this is what pushes him to work even harder in his effort to save the town. During "(Not A) Simple Sponge", a group of ensemble members come out with neon kitchen sponges and form images while [=SpongeBob=] sings, adding to the idea that simple objects like sponges can be used in the most extraordinary of ways.

* TimeStandsStill: Whenever a character has an inner monologue, the other characters in the scene literally freeze in place (always PlayedForLaughs by making the cut as absurd as possible). At the beginning of "(Not A) Simple Sponge", [=SpongeBob=] even hangs his spatula on the frozen Squidward's fingertip.
* TriumphantReprise: “(Not A) Simple Sponge” gets a dramatic reprise when [=SpongeBob=] climbs to the mouth of Mt. Humongous.

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: Sunxe the cartoon designs obviously can't be recreated one-to-one and still have the characters sing and dance and act like humans, the costume designs are meant to evoke the cartoon in spirit without being exactly one-to-one with it. The most obvious example is Plankton, who is played by fairly tall actors in most productions, but the staging uses various stage tricks to establish that he is clearly meant to be tiny (in particular, his opening scenes have him carry a plush of the cartoon Plankton around) so that it's ingrained in the audience's mind by the time of his solo number.

** The show reveals that Squidward's need to perform stems from a rough childhood where he was labeled a loser by all of his classmates (this is hinted at in the cartoon, in which he was labelled "Most Likely to Suck Eggs" in his high school yearbook). The only support system he had was his mother, and now that [[spoiler:she's dead]], he'll stop at nothing to become a star just to make her proud.

* AngryMob: [[MenAreUncultured Old Man Jenkins]] leads one against Sandy when he mis-blames her for the volcano erupting.

* DaddysGirl: Pearl Krabs, though she wants to be more independent and live her own life.

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Squidward's mother]], a relatively minor character in the TV show, is implied to have died sometime before the events of the musical. According to WordOfGod, this was done deliberately in order to make [[spoiler: Squidward]] a [[BrokenBird more grounded]], [[TheWoobie sympathetic character]], (and to give [[spoiler: him]] a stronger motivation). For what it's worth, the show did occasionally imply that [[spoiler: Squidward ''thinks'' his mom is dead,]] despite the fact that [[spoiler: she's clearly '''still alive''' (in ''Krusty Towers'', he considers making cookies the way his mother used to a ''ridiculous request'' and refers to his mother in the past tense, despite her physically appearing in the episode to help Mr. Krabs and [=SpongeBob=]; in ''Ghost Host'', the Flying Dutchman gets under Squidward's skin by pretending to be her ghost and moaning about how Squidward [[PartingWordsRegret never called his mother]]).]] [[invoked]]

** Towards the end of ''Bikini Bottom Day'', Plankton and Karen can be seen trying to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula from Mr. Krabs, to no avail.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* GRatedDrug: One of the Electric Skates apparently has an addiction to "seahorse-radish".

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: After his EvilPlan fails, Plankton eventually warms up to [=SpongeBob=]'s encouragement at the end, and when the town is saved, [[WhatYouAreInTheDark he and Karen celebrate alongside the rest of the citizens]].]]

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Spongebob, who has been hinted to have a crush on Sandy, assures Sandy that he "understands (Sandy) has to do what (she's) gotta do" after Sandy says she wants to try and find a new home because she still doesn't feel like she fits in well in Bikini Bottom. This illustrates [=SpongeBob=]'s increased maturity over the cartoon version, in which he never showed any indication that he would respect Sandy's decision to leave if it was what she really wanted.

* {{Leitmotif}}: The melody for [[spoiler: ''Best Day Ever'']] can be heard sprinkled throughout the show, [[spoiler: although the actual song itself isn't sung until the end of Act II.]]

** ''The Electric Skates'' have their own number titled "Bikini Bottom Boogie".
* MissingMom: [[spoiler: Squidward's]] mother, [[spoiler: who is said to have passed a while before.]]

** This also serves as a major theme for [=SpongeBob=]'s character. Throughout the show, he's treated like a "[[ArcWords simple sponge]]"- a plain, ordinary object that doesn't have any use outside of what it's designed for- and this is what pushes him to work even harder in his effort to save the town. During "(Not a) Simple Sponge", a group of ensemble members come out with neon kitchen sponges and form images while [=SpongeBob=] sings, adding to the idea that simple objects like sponges can be used in the most extraordinary of ways.

* MythologyGag: [[MythologyGag/TheSpongeBobMusical There's so many that it has it's own page.]]
* NamedByTheAdaptation: Sandy's full name here is Sandra Jennifer Cheeks. In the cartoon, she doesn't have a middle name.

* PrimpOfContempt: A blink-and-you'll-miss-it example is given by [[IceQueen Karen]] in the opening number. While Plankton raves about how he'll one day rule Bikini Bottom, Karen yawns and checks her nails, showing that she's heard this all before and is highly skeptical.

* SelfDeprecation: Squidward's song has shades of this.

* ShowStopper: “I'm Not A Loser” is this for most, which is ironic seeing as it's Squidward's solo.

* SquashedFlat: Hilariously used in Act II, when [[MenAreUncultured Old Man Jenkins]] literally gets flattened by an enormous boulder (to achieve the cartoony effect, the actor playing Jenkins secretly sneaks off behind the boulder and places a cardboard cutout of himself on the stage). Made slightly confusing as the scene erupts in panic soon after and Old Man Jenkins, dimensional, begins panicking with his flattened self.

* TriumphantReprise: “(Not) A Simple Sponge” gets a dramatic reprise when [=SpongeBob=] climbs to the mouth of Mt. Humongous.

* VillainSong: “When The Going Gets Tough”, led by Plankton. Using everyone's fear to his advantage, he convinces the entire town to migrate to a new land, claiming that the only way to face your problems is by ''running away'' from them; this, of course, is just a ploy to get all the citizens together, hypnotize them en masse, and become the supreme ruler of their new town.

* SuddenlyShouting: One of the Electric Skates yells "ROCK AND ROLL!" almost constantly. His fellow band member explains that he's been doing this ever since he had a [[NoodleIncident bad stage diving accident in the past]].

* IrrelevantActOpener: The musical opens with Patchy, who has no relevance in the storyline and is basically there to boast about being the biggest [=SpongeBob=] fan in the world (though it also serves as a NoTalkingOrPhones warning, as he was attempting to film the play with his phone). He returns at the beginning of act 2 to sing a protest song, "Poor Pirates", where he brings in some pirate friends (and [[StealthPun a baseball player from Pittsburgh]]) and they sing a song about how poorly they're treated in the modern world before being shooed away by security.

** The original version of "Best Day Ever" is simply a song about how [=SpongeBob=] [[ThePollyanna considers every day his "best day ever" and won't let anything get him down.]] While it has a similar message here, it's used in the context of TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, with [=SpongeBob=] convincing the citizens of Bikini Bottom to [[TheAntiNihilist make the last moments of their lives their "best day ever".]]

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Squidward's mother]], a relatively minor character in the TV show, is implied to have died sometime before the events of the musical. According to WordOfGod, this was done deliberately in order to make [[spoiler: Squidward]] a [[BrokenBird more grounded]], [[TheWoobie sympathetic character]], (and to give [[spoiler: him]] a stronger motivation). For what it's worth, the show did occasionally imply that [[spoiler: Squidward ''thinks'' his mom is dead,]] despite the fact that [[spoiler: she's clearly '''still alive''' (in ''Krusty Towers'', he considers making cookies the way his mother used to a ''ridiculous request'' and refers to his mother in the past tense, despite her physically appearing in the episode to help Mr. Krabs and [=SpongeBob=]; in ''Ghost Host'', the Flying Dutchman gets under Squidward's skin by pretending to be her ghost and moaning about how Squidward [[PartingWordsRegret never called his mother]]).]]

* IrrelevantActOpener: The musical opens with Patchy, who has no relevance in the storyline and is basically there to boast about being the biggest [=SpongeBob=] fan in the world.
** Continued at the beginning of Act II where he brings in a group of other pirates (and one baseball player from Pittsburgh) and they sing a song about how poorly they're treated in the modern world before being shooed away by security.

* ElevenOClockNumber: In "Best Day Ever", Spongebob convinces the citizens of Bikini Bottom that even though they failed to evacuate the town and there's a chance Sandy's invention might not stop the eruption, they've still got each other.

* CentralTheme: [=SpongeBob=], Patrick, Sandy, Squidward and Pearl all seek love, appreciation or acceptance in their lives.

Hold on...[[LampshadeHanging that's a triple negative!]] You can't not see nobody, 'cause I'm not nobody... [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment which can't not be seen...]] Let me start over.

The nobody that isn't there'''\\\

* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: The original version of Music/DavidBowie's "No Control" was written for ''Music/{{Outside}}'', a RockOpera about a world where graphically butchering people is an accepted art form, and describes the crushing ennui and spiritual uncertainty felt by the album's protagonist, Nathan Alder. In the musical, it's instead a song about the people of Bikini Bottom fearing an impending volcanic apocalypse.

* CoverVersion: One song on the show's tracklist stands out for not being an original piece: it's a modified version of [[Music/{{Outside}} "No Control"]] by British rock musician Music/DavidBowie, who had previously provided the voice of Lord Royal Highness in "Atlantis Squarepantis".

* CanonForeigner: ''The Electric Skates'' are brand new characters.

** As the residents of Bikini Bottom follow the mayor towards the concert/ evacuation site with their luggage, they form a somber, back-lit procession reminiscent of the ending of Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof.

A Broadway musical based on Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s megahit ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' that features the titular characters as they try to deal with [[ApocalypseHow a volcanic eruption threatening to destroy their town]]. Having been described as ''Theatre/OurTown'' meets ''Film/Armageddon1998'', the play is also notable for featuring various songs written by renowned recording artists in the music industry, a list of which includes Music/PanicAtTheDisco, Sara Bareilles, John Legend, Music/DavidBowie, Music/CyndiLauper, [[Music/FlamingLips The Flaming Lips]] and Music/TheyMightBeGiants, to name a few.

* AmbiguousSpecies: Since she is original to the show, it is not made clear what creature the Mayor of Bikini Bottom is supposed to be.

A Broadway musical based on Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s megahit ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' that features the titular characters as they try to deal with [[ApocalypseHow a volcanic eruption threatening to destroy their town]]. Having been described as ''Theatre/OurTown'' meets ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'', the play is also notable for featuring various songs written by renowned recording artists in the music industry, a list of which includes Music/PanicAtTheDisco, Sara Bareilles, John Legend, Music/DavidBowie, Music/CyndiLauper, [[Music/FlamingLips The Flaming Lips]] and Music/TheyMightBeGiants, to name a few.

* BigNo: PlayedForLaughs ''and'' taken UpToEleven when [=SpongeBob=] wakes up on the day of the eruption and realizes it wasn't just a dream.

In this adaptation, the characters remain as their respective original species, albeit with [[AnthropomorphicShift some anthropomorphism]] (as to be expected) and therefore appearing more human (with some adjustments). While its development has been criticized as simply being another way for Nick to milk its cash cow, preview audiences so far have been widely positive, citing how it pays tribute to its cartoon roots while being creative, funny and heartwarming. It was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, tying for most nominations for 2017 with the musical adaptation of ''Theatre/MeanGirls''.

* ElevenOClockNumber: Squidward's big Broadway tap number, "I'm Not a Loser".

* EurekaMoment: When Spongebob tells Sandy it's up to her to think of a way to stop the volcano, then hastily adds "No pressure!", Sandy gets an idea to stop the build-up of pressure in the volcano to stop the eruption.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: "Bikini Bottom Day" might as well be called "The EstablishingCharacterMoment Song". With every main character that's introduced, we get a good taste of the kind of people (well, fish) that they are. [=SpongeBob=] jumps out of bed [[ThePollyanna ready for the best day ever]], Patrick plans on [[LazyBum staying home and watching television]] (and struggles to [[TheDitz think of a word that rhymes with "rock"]]), Squidward comes out [[CrankyNeighbor to tell his neighbors to pipe down]], Sandy is shown [[GadgeteerGenius putting together her latest invention]], and so on.

** Continued at the beginning of Act II where he brings in a group of other pirates and they sing a song about how poorly they're treated in the modern world before being shooed away by security.

* RockTrio: The Electric Skates, which only consists of three members. Originally, they were visually modeled after 70's era Music/{{Aerosmith}} (their song was even ''written'' by Joe Perry and Steven Tyler), but they were given a punk rock makeover for the Broadway run (think Music/GreenDay with [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair multicolored hair]]).

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Many of the characters sport hair colors that correlate with their respective animated counterparts. Patrick presents himself in pink, Mr. Krabs appears in red, Karen's has a metallic purple shade, ''and even Squidward'' (who's bald in the cartoon) sports blue hair. [=SpongeBob=] originally had [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold yellow hair]], but this was changed when the show hit Broadway (he instead bears Ethan Slater's natural [[RedHeadedHero red hair]]).

* AffectionateParody: Of the play ''Theatre/OurTown''.

* ElongatedArmGag: Probably one of the ''only'' examples in a live Broadway setting; when [=SpongeBob=] tumbles off of Mount Humongous, his arm stretches out across the stage.