‘SpongeBob Musical’ soundtrack features T.I., Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper

Rapper T.I., country group Lady Antebellum and Cyndi Lauper are among the musicians to be featured in the upcoming “The SpongeBob Musical.” Produced by Nickelodeon, the musical will open during the 2016-17 Broadway season in New York but will premiere in Chicago beforehand.

Prior to the musical, T.I. wrote songs for “Furious 7” and “Pitch Perfect 2;” while Lady Antebellum are the performers of the “Zero Dark Dirty” soundtrack, titled “Need You Now.” Meanwhile, there is a long list of TV shows that featured Lauper’s songs, which include “The Goldberg,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Dancing with the Stars.”

“The SpongeBob Musical” will be directed by “Superior Donuts” and “Bells Are Ringing” director Tina Landau. Pulitzer Award winner Tom Kitt will serve as musical supervisor of the stage show about children’s cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants .

Aside from T.I., Lady Antebellum and Lauper, “The SpongeBob Musical” will also feature songs from Brooklyn-based experimentalists Dirty Projectors, Las Vegas rockers Panic! at the Disco and pop punk band Plain White T’s. “All of Me” singer John Legend, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith and the Flaming Lips are also on board.

In 2004, the Flaming Lips also contribute a song, titled “ SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy,” to the soundtrack album for Mark Osborne and Stephen Hillenburg’s “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.” Avril Lavigne’s “SpongeBob SquarePants Theme” is also in the album.

“Zoolander” actor David Bowie is also set to contribute songs to the “The SpongeBob Musical” soundtrack. The English singer and songwriter voiced Lord Royal Highness in an episode in the “SpongeBob SquarePants” TV series, titled “Atlantis SquarPantis,” which aired in 2007.

Nickelodeon’s president of content development and production Russell Hicks told Chicago Tribune that all the composers confirmed to contribute to “The SpongeBob Musical” soundtrack are fans of the Nickelodeon character. He said, “Music has always been an important part of the show and everyone saw this as a real creative challenge.”

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