Concord Theatricals Acquires Licensing Rights For THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL

Concord Theatricals has secured exclusive worldwide licensing rights to Nickelodeon's award-winning Broadway hit The SpongeBob Musical. For more information visit concordsho.ws/PerformSpongebob

"We are thrilled to be working with Nickelodeon to bring this intrepid, heroic sponge and his friends to audiences when shows, once again, go on," said Sean Patrick Flahaven, Chief Theatricals Executive for Concord. "Tina Landau and Kyle Jarrow's imaginative take on characters beloved by millions has a score by iconic pop songwriters beautifully arranged by Tom Kitt. We're looking forward to the time when we can see how inventive theatre makers around the world are with this joyful musical!"

"After an Award-winning run on Broadway and subsequent successful North American national tour, we are delighted to partner with Concord Theatricals to make The SpongeBob Musical available to perform around the globe," said Sharon Cohen, Executive Vice President, Nickelodeon Experience. "The reimagined world of Bikini Bottom on Broadway set the bar for reinvention and we can't wait to see how The SpongeBob Musical inspires unique creative interpretations and amazing productions for decades to come."

Adapted from the iconic Nickelodeon series, the stakes are higher than ever in the staged production, as SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face the total annihilation of their undersea world. Chaos erupts. Lives hang in the balance. And just when all hope seems lost, a most unexpected hero rises up and takes center stage.

The Broadway production of The SpongeBob Musical was hailed by The New York Times as "brilliant" and "effervescent candy-for-the-spirit" by New York Magazine. The show earned its place on 2017's "Best of Broadway" lists including Broadway.com, BuzzFeed, Chicago Tribune, The Daily Beast, Deadline, ET Online, Forbes, Time Out New York and Variety. The SpongeBob Musical was named Best Musical by the Drama Desk Awards and Outer Critics Circle and earned 12 Tony Award nominations - the most nominated musical of the 2017-2018 theatre season - winning for Best Scenic Design of a Musical (David Zinn).

The SpongeBob Musical is based on the beloved animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg and 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 Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants and T.I., and songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny and Andy Paley. Additional lyrics are by Jonathan Coulton, with additional music by Tom Kitt. The musical production was conceived by Tina Landau.

Since its launch on July 17, 1999, "SpongeBob SquarePants" has reigned as the number one kids' animated series on TV for the last 17 years, while generating a universe of beloved characters, pop culture catchphrases and memes, theatrical releases, consumer products, a Tony award-winning Broadway musical and a global fan base. "SpongeBob SquarePants" is the most widely distributed property in Viacom International Media Networks history, seen in more than 170 countries, translated in 30+ languages, and averaging more than 140 million total viewers every quarter. "SpongeBob SquarePants" is created by Stephen Hillenburg and produced by Nickelodeon in Burbank, Calif. The character-driven cartoon chronicles the nautical and sometimes nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, an incurably optimist and earnest sea sponge, and his undersea friends.