‘The SpongeBob Musical’ promises more than just nautical nonsense

For Marcus Fields, Riverwalk Theatre’s production of “The SpongeBob Musical” at the end of the month will be a fitting directorial debut. Both he and his twin brother, Randy, are die-hard fans of the Nickelodeon show.

“I have a SpongeBob tattoo, and I quote SpongeBob all the time,” Fields said.

He was pleased to find that the musical director, Alan Sloan, is also a fan.

“The first thing that he said to me when we were looking at things together was that he was disappointed that ‘Sweet Victory’ isn’t in the show,” Fields said. (The song appeared in the fan-favorite episode “Band Geeks.”)

“The SpongeBob Musical” opened on Broadway in late 2017 and closed in September 2018. Although the national tour was cut short by the COVID pandemic, a “pro-shot,” or professional video recording, of the Broadway show aired on Nickelodeon in 2019.

As with many big-budget Broadway shows, the original production had a lot of elaborate set pieces, costumes and props. Compared to that, Fields knows that Riverwalk’s version will have a lot to live up to.

“If you’ve watched the pro-shot online, it’s a big show,” he said. “It’s more complex than many shows might be in the Lansing area because we’re all volunteers. We pay the music directors and the musicians for the shows, but everyone else is a volunteer, so we do have to simplify things.”

Nevertheless, he said Riverwalk’s production borrows inspiration from the Broadway version for many of the songs. He praised the original choreographers and set designers for their innovative ways of putting together a great show in a short time.

“One cool thing about this production is that 54% of my cast is new to the Riverwalk stage,” he said. “They’ve performed at other places — many of them are LCC (Lansing Community College) performers — but it’s really exciting to have so many new faces on our stage. It’s a really fresh group, and I’m really excited to see what they do with the show.”

Fields grew up in Leslie and attended Michigan State University. While this is his first official outing as director, he’s no stranger to the stage. He’s been involved in community theater in Lansing since 2014, when he worked with Riverwalk as an assistant director to Amy Rickett for the Catholic school drama “Child’s Play.” Since then, he’s mostly served as a stage manager for Riverwalk, Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. and the former Curtainless Theatre.

Last season, he worked on several Riverwalk productions, including “Moonglow,” “Angels in America” and “Amadeus.” Most of his professional experience consists of managing serious and straightforward plays. So, when the previously selected director had to step down shortly after “The SpongeBob Musical” was selected for the season, Fields threw his hat into the ring, eager to work on his first musical comedy since high school.

However, although it’s based on a cartoon, Fields pointed out that the plot isn’t simply a happy-go-lucky romp for kids. In fact, despite the nautical nonsense that the TV show is cherished for, there’s quite a bit at stake for SpongeBob (played by Michael Palmer) and his friends.

“The citizens of Bikini Bottom are facing a sort of doomsday event, and the show follows the upturning of their society and how folks react to that,” he explained. “Mr. Krabs (Christopher Pangracz) leads an exploitative get-rich-quick scheme. Some members of the community blame the disaster on land mammals entering the community, so Sandy Cheeks (Ny’Kieria Blocker) is made into a scapegoat. A cult springs up around Patrick Star (TJ Kelly). Plankton and Karen (Janus Hoang and Kayla Henry) develop a plan to control the population through mind control.

“A lot of those things mirror what we see in society today,” he added.

With such a funny and relevant script, along with its beloved characters and catchy songs written by a multitude of famous artists, including David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, the Plain White T’s, John Legend, Steven Tyler, They Might Be Giants and many more, Fields is confident the musical will be a hit in Lansing.

“It’s a really fun show,” he said. “I think there’s a lot to get out of it even if you aren’t a fan of ‘SpongeBob.’ I really hope folks of all ages come out and connect with it.”