Who lives in a pineapple under the sea and has his eyes set on relocating to Broadway? SpongeBob Squarepants, that’s who.

We’re sorry if you thought we were referring to Gary the snail. Spongebob is having a moment, this year the show got its first feature film based on the popular kid’s television show and 2016 will be known as the year of SpongeBob’s musical debut. The Nickelodeon produced show will run as a limited engagement July 7-13 at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre with the intent of making a proper Broadway appearance during the 2016-17 season.

If the idea of one of our favorite sea animals starring in his own musical doesn’t motivate you to buy a ticket, the musical lineup might. David Bowie, John Legend, TI, Aerosmith, and Cyndi Lauper have all signed on to produce pieces for the production. It’s like having a Now That’s What I Call Music –Spongebob edition CD that includes all your favorite artists throughout the decades. The best part is that the list of artists signing onto the project keeps getting larger, the most recent additions include Panic! At the Disco, The Flaming Lips and the Plain White T’s.

The SpongeBob Musical was co-conceived by Tina Landau (from Steppenwolf Theatre Company), who will also direct.

“I was drawn to this project not only for its wild theatrical possibility, but also because I felt SpongeBob, at its core, is a layered and hilarious ensemble comedy,” Landau said to Deadline. “We’re bringing the show’s fabled characters to life through actors — not prosthetics or costumes that hide them — and we’re deploying some unconventional stage craft that will prove that anything can happen in Bikini Bottom.”

If you’re wondering what a Spongebob musical will be all about Nickelodeon said the musical is, “a rousing tale of a simple sea sponge who faces the unfathomable” that will unleash “anarchic absurdity under the sea.”

SpongeBob Squarepants is a beloved animated children’s character and his quirkiness defined a generation of young TV viewers.

Cyma Zarghami, President of Viacom Kids and Family Group said, “this character has achieved a level of global popularity that we could never have imagined, and bringing him to Broadway is a way to give him a new platform, literally, to reach audiences of all ages who are looking for an engaging, funny and innovative musical theatre experience.”

We’ve seen “The Lion King,” “Shrek,” and “Beauty and the Beast” on Broadway, will this be the next hit to have come out of our animated favorites? What other animated characters from your childhood would you want to see on Broadway?

What better way to spend a Friday night than bobbing your head to the musical adaptation of a classic television show?

There is no better way. Friday marked the premiere of “Happy Days,” a new musical at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The production is based on the hit television series featuring one of America’s most beloved families, the Cunninghams. The whole gang makes an appearance in the show — Richie, Potsie, Ralph Malph, Joanie, Chachi and, of course, “The Fonz.”

The show takes place in 1959 Milwaukee, a time of wholesomeness and overly cheery people. Complete with varsity sweaters, hula-hoops and jukebox sock hoppin, “Happy Days” makes the audience want to get up and dance throughout the show. Happy Days is a cheesy production, but in a fun-loving and entertaining way. Not one person in the audience will walk away without a smile on his or her face.

The two stars in the show are not only talented but also quite attractive. Arthur “the Fonz” Fonzarelli is played by Derek Keeling, who also used to play Danny Zuko in the Broadway revival of Grease. His interpretation of “The Fonz” isn’t that different from Zuko, but he does a good job of playing the cool guy. He also bares a striking resemblance to John Stamos, which is good for the ladies in the audience.
Derek Klena plays Richie Cunningham; Klena is a taller, less nerdy version of Richie. He is a good actor with a great voice, but he is too attractive to be believable as his character. On stage, he looks like a popular guy pretending to be nerdy and straight laced. However, it is a musical and his voice makes the audience forget that he’s really too cool for his role.

Most of the songs in the show were great. The duets sung by the Malachi brothers sound like something straight out of a Disney movie. Count Malachi’s (Nicholas Leinbach) voice would make the perfect Disney villain.

The Malachi brothers are not only great singers, but their comedic timing is impeccable. Jumpy Malachi’s (Will Harris) ode to Shakespeare and his impersonation of a Canadian accent are hysterical.

Harris dazzles the audience with his stage presence. Harris and Leinbach together are like a Jafaar or Gaston in the show. They have a huge and imposing presence, but you still kind of like to see them on stage.

Ralph Malph (played by Dane Biren) is the comedic delight on the show. Every time Ralph appears on stage he is all you can look at. A small, young-looking red head, Biren knows how to be over the top without annoying the audience.

Other great performances come from Joanie (Tessa Grady) and Mrs. Cunningham (Tracy Lore). The two women have a duet together that can send tingles down a person’s spine. “What I Dreamed Last Night” is a song about Joanie and Mrs. Cunningham’s secret wishes. Joanie wants Chachi to like her, while Mrs. Cunningham wants to show the world she can be more than just a housewife. The song itself is powerful, but the two voices together give it life. Lore has a full and rich sound to her voice that is perfectly balanced by Grady’s young and girlish tone. Both of them know how to command a stage.

The show is full of great one-liners that are wonderfully executed. The show’s final line is the best in the show. Right before sending Ritchie off to college Howard Cunningham (John Richard Petersen) says to his wife, “What could be more stable than a college dorm room in the 1960s.”? It is such a simple line, but the irony of it and the naïve look on Peterson’s face makes the line especially zingy.

The choreography in the show is also great. All of the dancers are very talented and nearly every cast member does some sort of acrobatic jump. Right before the end of the first half the gang has a dance competition at Arnold’s that is thrilling to watch. For minutes on end, the audience sees bodies jumping and leaping from every direction. It is amazing that everyone was able to perform so well on opening night. Although, there were a few parts where it seemed as though some people almost fell, but you would never be able to tell by their faces.

Hardly anything negative could be said about the show or its cast, but it does have a few dull moments here and there. Pinky Tuscadero’s (Misty Cotton) solo is not as vibrant as one would hope. Though Cotton has a powerful voice her song sounds lifeless and flat. It may be the way the song was written or maybe it was opening night jitters, but the song could be better.

Chachi (Estevan Valdez) and Joanie’s relationship is also a disappointment. The two have no chemistry together. They are supposed to be young, shy and kind of awkward, but Chachi doesn’t seem to like Joanie at all. His body language does not show that he likes her any better than the other girls on the stage.

Overall, a great play that is enjoyable and worth going to see.

For those unfamiliar with the story of Wicked, it answers the question “Are people born wicked?” Through the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West from Wizard of Oz, and her relationship with Galinda, Glinda as we know her now, we learn that in this case Elphaba was not born wicked. Their surprising friendship tells the backstory of their “rivalry” in Wizard of Oz.

Originally Kristin Chenoweth played Galinda and Idina Menzel played Elphaba. Both Katie Rose Clarke, Galinda, and Mandy Gonzales, Elphaba, had big shoes to fill. Though Clarke has had more experience on Broadway, only Clarke succeeded to impress me when I saw the show on September 8, 2010 at the beautiful Gershwin Theater. Though both woman have incredible voices, Clarke seemed to have a better connection with the audience. She was engaging, charismatic, and funny. Gonzales was a little flat, except during her touching rendition of “The Wizard and I.” But, during the duet “Defying Gravity,” Clarke managed to steal the spotlight.

Performances by Jenny Fellner, who plays Elphaba’s sister Nessarose, and Michael DeVries, Oz, were also memorable. The costumes, set, and dancers were all beautiful as well. This is show you definitely don’t want to miss when in New York City.