Tuesday, May 01, 2018

'SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical' Nominated For 12 Awards In The 72nd Annual Tony Awards [Updated W/ Cast & Crew Reactions]

After soaking up impressive totals in last week’s Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards nominations, the American Theatre Wing has announced the Sponge-Tastic news that Nickelodeon’s smash hit SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical has received 12 nominations in the 72nd Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards, including for Best Musical, making the show the most nominated Broadway show this theatre season!


The impressive total among the best of Broadway showcases the ability of Viacom brands to connect with audiences across a range of formats as the company moves deliberately into the live events space under CEO Bob Bakish. As Viacom branches out beyond its core television and film business, each of its six flagship brands will host live events this year, including Nickelodeon’s Slimefest in Chicago, Comedy Central’s Clusterfest in San Francisco, and the BET Experience in Los Angeles.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, which sprang from Viacom’s deep intellectual property library, also earned 22 of the top nominations from the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards (11 nominations from each institution).

Marking 72 years of excellence on Broadway, The Tony Awards, hosted by Tony Award Nominees Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban, will be broadcast live from the Radio City Music Hall on CBS, on Sunday, June 10th, 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT time delay). The 2018 Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

Legitimate theatrical productions opening in any of the 41 eligible Broadway theatres during the current season may be considered for Tony nominations. The 2017/2018 eligibility season began April 28, 2017 and ended April 26, 2018. The Tony Awards will be voted in 26 competitive categories by 842 designated Tony voters within the theatre community.


SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical's full list of nominations in the 72nd Annual Tony Awards follows.

Congratulations and good luck to the cast and crew of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical!

Best Book of a Musical

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Kyle Jarrow

The Band's Visit
Itamar Moses

Frozen
Jennifer Lee

Mean Girls
Tina Fey

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Music & Lyrics: Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman, John Legend, Panic! at the Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants, T.I., Domani & Lil'C

Angels in America
Music: Adrian Sutton

The Band's Visit
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek

Frozen
Music & Lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Mean Girls
Music: Jeff Richmond
Lyrics: Nell Benjamin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Ethan Slater (as SpongeBob SquarePants), SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Joshua Henry, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Tony Shalhoub, The Band's Visit

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Gavin Lee (as Squidward Q. Tentacles), SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady
Alexander Gemignani, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Grey Henson, Mean Girls
Ari'el Stachel, The Band's Visit

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Dane Laffrey, Once On This Island
Scott Pask, The Band's Visit
Scott Pask, Finn Ross & Adam Young, Mean Girls
Michael Yeargan, My Fair Lady

Best Costume Design of a Musical

David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Gregg Barnes, Mean Girls
Clint Ramos, Once On This Island
Ann Roth, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Catherine Zuber, My Fair Lady

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, Once On This Island
Donald Holder, My Fair Lady
Brian MacDevitt, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Tyler Micoleau, The Band's Visit

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Kai Harada, The Band's Visit
Peter Hylenski, Once On This Island
Scott Lehrer, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Brian Ronan, Mean Girls

Best Direction of a Musical

Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Michael Arden, Once On This Island
David Cromer, The Band's Visit
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady

Best Choreography

Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Christopher Gattelli, My Fair Lady
Steven Hoggett, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Justin Peck, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Best Orchestrations

Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
John Clancy, Mean Girls
Annmarie Milazzo & Michael Starobin, Once On This Island
Jamshied Sharifi, The Band's Visit
Jonathan Tunick, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Best Musical

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Producers: Nickelodeon, The Araca Group, Sony Music Masterworks, Kelp on the Road

The Band's Visit
Producers: Orin Wolf, StylesFour Productions, Evamere Entertainment, Atlantic Theater Company, David F. Schwartz, Barbara Broccoli, Frederick Zollo, Grove∙REG, Lassen Blume Baldwin, Thomas Steven Perakos, Marc Platt, The Shubert Organization, The Baruch/Routh/Frankel/Viertel Group, Robert Cole, deRoy-Carr-Klausner, Federman-Moellenberg, FilmNation Entertainment, Roy Furman, FVSL Theatricals, Hendel-Karmazin, HoriPro Inc., IPN, Jam Theatricals, The John Gore Organization, Koenigsberg-Krauss, David Mirvish, James L. Nederlander, Al Nocciolino, Once Upon a Time Productions, Susan Rose, Paul Shiverick, Allan Williams

Frozen
Producers: Disney Theatrical Productions, Thomas Schumacher

Mean Girls
Producers: Lorne Michaels, Stuart Thompson, Sonia Friedman, Paramount Pictures, Marisa Sechrest, Ars Nova Entertainment, Berlind Productions, Steve Burke, Scott M. Delman, Roy Furman, Robert Greenblatt, Ruth Hendel, Jam Theatricals, The John Gore Organization, The Lowy Salpeter Company, James L. Nederlander, Christine Schwarzman, Universal Theatrical Group, David Turner

Update: The cast and crew have been reacting to the Sponge-Tastic news!:

Via Broadway World:

Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
I am freaking out! I'm trying to calm myself down right now. It hits me in waves. I was trying to act cool this morning and I had Facebook Live on in the background as I was cooking breakfast. Then I just had to stop cooking and watched fully. It's the kind of thing where I'd be proud no matter what happened, because we've approached this from a place of creative integrity. We are really proud of our show, and of course it feels so good to see it recognized. We know that some people who came to see this show were skeptical and it is so great to see those people converted. But, I understand the skepticism! It takes a village to put on a show, and there are so many people who worked at the top of their game, all starting with Tina Landau. I actually screamed when I saw her name today! She brought out the best in all of us. It looks like it's a beautiful day, so I'm going to celebrate by going for a walk and then to physical theapy!

Gavin Lee, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical:
OMG! I am over the moon for Spongebob. Getting recognized for so many categories is awesome for our fabulous show. I was actually taking my oldest daughter to school when the nominations happened, but my fabulous agent called me to let me know that I'd gotten nominated. Thank you Tony Awards!

Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Best Direction of a Musical
I'm so crazy proud of our entire SpongeBob team! - that's how I feel. Thrilled for the show itself. I'm most proud of the multiple nominations because making theater comes from an 'us' not a 'me,' you know? I was watching live online with my girlfriend, and as names were being read aloud - Tom Kitt, Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, Kyle Jarrow, Chris Gatelli, our designers, actors, composers - I kept fist pumping the air and saying, "Yes!" When my name was read, I fell completely silent. Much to my own surprise, it brought me to a place of quiet reflection. It's moving and layered for me, and causing me to reflect on the whole ten-year journey this has been for me so far. So yes, I'm quiet and humbled and grateful this moment - but tonight I get to go to the Palace Theater where pure joy is spread in abundance each night and I get to celebrate with the whole friggin' town of Bikini Bottom!! Also, congrats to every single person who has made theater this year, that's what I say!

Kyle Jarrow, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Best Book of a Musical
I'm incredibly honored to be nominated, alongside three writers I admire so much: Tina Fey, Itamar Moses and Jennifer Lee. Talk about good company, wow! I'm also over-the-moon proud of the amazing Spongebob Squarepants cast, crew and creative team. It's a testament to all of their hard work - and to director Tina Landau's awesome vision - that the show got so many nominations.

As for how I found out: I have an almost-two-year-old daughter Oona who recently got a set of Sesame Street toys that she's obsessed with. We were playing with them together, putting them in and out of a little toy car (Oona never seems to tire of that) while my wife (also a Tony nominee, Lauren Worsham) watched the nomination streamcast in the corner, giving live reports. When I got the nomination, Lauren screamed - I screamed too - thoroughly scaring our toddler. Sorry Oona!

David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Best Scenic Design of a Musical AND Best Costume Design of a Musical
I was having breakfast at my corner diner and flipped my phone over after i knew the announcements would be out-figuring there would either be some texts with lots of exclamation marks, or it would be blank. So it was nice to see all the exclamation marks. Of course I'm so excited to have so much of the work on SPONGEBOB recognized-its a project that was really birthed in Joy and the spirit of Creative Exuberance, and having that message embraced is a thrill and an honor. And I am nominated alongside colleagues whose work i love and admire, so...yeah, just a delightful and humbling way to start the morning.

Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Best Choreography
I'm beside myself. Literally. To say I'm honored and overwhelmed is an understatement. I'm incredibly grateful, but I'm even more so excited about our shows. Both SpongeBob and My Fair Lady being recognized as they were. Both teams and casts are truly special led by our brilliant leaders Tina and Bart, that that made me more happy and proud than anything. I tried to go about my morning like any other and thought, well, if I hear my phone "bing" that could be a good thing... and it did, and I found out from Seth Rudetsky who was the first to text. Which made it all the more special as I basically started this phase of my career choreographing with Seth doing numbers for Broadway Cares and that's when the bug really bit me. So to hear from Seth was pretty special.

Kevin Adams, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical
It's the first day of sun in some time and I was out mulching my yard early this beautiful spring morning. Very excited to come inside and hear the news from my agent. I'm very proud to be nominated with so many other remarkable friends, collaborators and theatre artists from other shows and SpongeBob and I'm especially happy for the director of SpongeBob Tina Landau.

Walter Trarbach & Mike Dobson, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical
Mike Dobson: I was making breakfast and watching the announcement live. I was already freaking out that the show was getting so many nominations. By the time they got to sound design, it was all a blur. I'm so honored and excited to be nominated. It feels totally surreal.

Walter Trarbach: I was working preparing for Ain't Too Proud this morning. I didn't know it was Tony nomination day. My assistant on the show texted me a bunch of exclamation points, and I wrote back and asked her "what?" Then I started hearing from a bunch of people, phone calls, emails, and texts. I find it quite exciting, and also a little embarrassing.

Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Best Orchestrations
Today, I'm elated and extremely proud to be recognized by the Tony Committee along with my friends and collaborators on SpongeBob Squarepants, as well as all the other gifted artists who made this season so extraordinary. I'm very grateful for this nomination and I also want to congratulate my fellow nominated orchestrators as well, who are all musicians that I draw inspiration from. It is truly an honor to be in their company. This has been an enormously busy year for me and I've had the great privilege of working on so many projects I love, but my family has had to weather a lot of time apart. So this morning, while I was up in Boston, it was very special to be on FaceTime with my wife as the nominations were being read and to experience that moment with her. And as that was happening, I thought of my kids in school and how I can't wait to tell them the news and give them all big hugs. My family has shared the journey of SpongeBob from the beginning and has seen all of the work that has gone into it, so experiencing this moment now with them is truly a gift that for today, makes the distance seem not so great.

Christopher Gattelli, My Fair Lady and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Best Choreography
I'm beside myself. Literally. To say I'm honored and overwhelmed is an understatement. I'm incredibly grateful, but I'm even more so excited about our shows. Both SpongeBob and My Fair Lady being recognized as they were. Both teams and casts are truly special led by our brilliant leaders Tina and Bart, that that made me more happy and proud than anything. I tried to go about my morning like any other and thought, well, if I hear my phone "bing" that could be a good thing... and it did, and I found out from Seth Rudetsky who was the first to text. Which made it all the more special as I basically started this phase of my career choreographing with Seth doing numbers for Broadway Cares and that's when the bug really bit me. So to hear from Seth was pretty special."

Additionally, via Daily News:

Ethan Slater, a best actor nominee for his title role in the musical "SpongeBob SquarePants," considered how the chipper undersea pineapple-dweller he plays would react to such joyous news.

"SpongeBob would be screaming and blowing bubbles around the entire circumference of Bikini Bottom," Slater told the Daily News. Slater's plans? "I may take a quick run around Brooklyn."

Gavin Lee, up for a Tony for his featured role as Squidward in "SpongeBob," knew just how his alter ego would feel. "Being in the spotlight and getting this sort of recognition is a dream come true for Squidward." The actor admitted that he himself is "overwhelmed."

The multi-award nominated SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical is now playing at the Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway at West 47th Street). For full information, reviews and tickets, visit http://spongebobbroadway.com.


SpongeBob SquarePants - The New Musical Original Cast Recording is available to purchase today at https://spongebobmusical.lnk.to/SpongebobMusicalRecording.

Follow SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/SpongeBobBway
Twitter: @SpongeBobBway
Instagram: #spongebobbway
YouTube: youtube.com/spongebobbroadway

More Nick: Are You Ready Kids? SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS Musical Opens On Broadway; New Block Of Tickets Available!
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