POP IDOL TO STAR IN THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL
Pop Idol favourite Gareth Gates (he/him) will star alongside Divina de Campo (she/her) in the all-singing, all-dancing The SpongeBob Musical which makes its North East debut at Newcastle Theatre Royal (Tue 5 – Sat 9 Sep 2023).
Gareth Gates (Squidward) shot to fame in 2002, coming runner up in the UK’s first Pop Idol. He went on to sell over 5-million records worldwide including five UK number-one singles. His theatre credits include playing Marius in the both the West End and 25thAnniversary Tour of Les Misérables, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the West End and on tour, Warner in the UK tour of Legally Blonde and Willard in the UK tour of Footloose.
Divina De Campo (Sheldon J. Plankton) is a seasoned British drag queen and singer who was recently crowned runner up on the first Series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Known for her high soprano and four -octave range, Divina has been featured on ITV’s The Voiceand the BBC’s All Together Now. Her critically acclaimed theatre credits include Mary Sunshine in Chicago and most recently her award nominated performance as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
The cast also features Lewis Cornay (he/him) as SpongeBob, Irfan Damani (he/him) as Patrick, Chrissie Bhima (she/her) as Sandy, Richard J Hunt (he/him) as Mr Krabs, Sarah Freer (she/her) as Pearl, Eloise Davies (she/her) as Mrs Puff, Hannah Lowther(she/her) as Karen and Rebecca Lisewski (she/her) as Mayor. They are joined by Sam Beveridge (he/him), Jeremiah Olaleye (he/him), Eleanor Turiansky (she/her), Rhys Batten (he/him) and Reece Kerridge(he/him).
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea and became the hottest star on Broadway? SpongeBob SquarePants! Plunge into this stunning all-singing, all-dancing, dynamic stage show!
When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world!
With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up. The power of optimism really can save the world! An exciting new production featuring irresistible characters, magical choreography and dazzling costumes; this deep-sea pearl of a show is really set to make a splash with audiences young and old as the must-see musical of 2023.
The SpongeBob Musical is based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg, with book by Kyle Jarrow and featuring original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex 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. and songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny and Andy Paley. Additional lyrics by Jonathan Coulton. Additional music by Tom Kitt. Musical production conceived by Tina Landau.
The SpongeBob Musical plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tue 5 – Sat 9 Sep 2023. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.