“The SpongeBob Musical" at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre -- July 20 through 30.
Thursday, July 20, through Sunday, July 30
Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, 311 Rivervirew Drive, Clinton IA
A boisterous, hilarious, critically acclaimed adaptation of Nickelodeon’s long-running animated children’s sitcom SpongeBob Squarepants, The SpongeBob Musical enjoys a July 20 through 30 run at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, this fourth production in the summer-stock company's season sure to demonstrate why this family treat earned 12 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical, and why the New York Times deemed it "a ginormous giggle of a show."
In The SpongeBob Musical, audiences will find themselves in the undersea city of Bikini Bottom, inhabited by the happy-go-lucky and ever-optimistic yellow sea sponge SpongeBob SquarePants and his equally quirky circle of friends and neighbors. SpongeBob’s pleasant existence is abruptly interrupted, however, when it's discovered that Mt. Humongous, a nearby volcano, will erupt within the next 48 hours and completely obliterate Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob, trying to prove to himself and the world that he is not “just a simple sponge,” resolves to save the day when everybody else has given up all hope, resulting in a fun, family-friendly, and timeless story of identity, crisis, and community. The show is also a witty allegory that examines and critiques the politics of the modern era, and does so in such a way where children will appreciate and understand the plot line, while adults can read between the lines and extract even more from the musical’s message.
A Broadway and touring sensation, The SpongeBob Musical features a book by Kyle Jarrow, with original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, and T.I. With additional songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny, and Andy Paley. lyrics by Jonathan Coulton, with music by Tom Kitt, the musical demonstrates how the power of optimism really can save the world. The show's Broadway run of 327 performances, meanwhile, resulted in a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical, as well as nominations in categories including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score.
The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's The SpongeBob Musical runs July 20 through 30, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays and Wednesday at 3 p.m. Admission is $21-28, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)242-6760 and visiting ClintonShowboat.org.
