Local actor takes to the stage in Philadelphia as SpongeBob

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- He's been loved and adored by kids big and small for the past twenty years..

And now, SpongeBob Square Pants, the optimistic and energetic sea sponge is getting ready to hit the stage in Philadelphia tomorrow in musical form.

"This show is a party, it's a rock concert, it's a circus and it's a great Broadway musical," says Lorenzo Pugliese. He plays the leading role in The SpongeBob Musical, opening tomorrow at the Forrest Theatre.

Pugliese just graduated from Philadelphia's University of the Arts in May and this is his first job out of school.

You might say this was sort of meant to be.

"When I was a little kid I used to wake up in the morning and I would open the windows and say, 'Good morning world and all who inhabit it,' which is one of his iconic lines and it's my first line in the show," he says. "So it's a great full-circle moment for sure."

You may have seen Pugliese performing hits from the Tony award winning show at the 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade.

He says his friends pushed him to audition and low and behold, he got the part.

In this show, Sponge Bob is once again called to save the day.

The SpongeBob Musical opens tomorrow at the Forrest Theatre and runs through December 15th.