Seneca High School will return to the stage with its rendition of “The SpongeBob Musical” this weekend.

The production opens at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 8-9 with a 1 p.m. showing Sunday, March 10, at the Seneca High School auditorium under the direction of Michael Richards.

This is Richards’s eighth year directing a musical. He chose this production because he wanted to bring more optimism to the stage.

“We needed something fun, light-hearted,” Richards said, “and something audiences coming in would have no idea what was going to happen.”

“The SpongeBob Musical” is based on the Nickelodeon hit show written by Stephen Hillenburg and the book by Kyle Jarrow with the musical production by Tina Landau. SpongeBob (Jolena Odum), Patrick Star (Holten Struck), Sandy Cheeks (Lauryn Barla) and all of Bikini Bottom are forced to come together to save their home when they discover a volcano is set to erupt and destroy their home.

The setting of the musical offers a unique background. The set is meant to transport audiences under the sea by using a projector to transform part of the back wall into a visual representation. The production will include original songs from Cyndi Lauper, Sara Bareilles, Lady A, John Legend, among others.

Jaxyn Sibert, a senior, said his character Perch Perkins, an over-excited news anchor is always trying to instigate drama by telling the citizens of Bikini Bottom the world is coming to an end.

“He’s on stage a lot saying that the end is coming,” he said. “And any other things that are probably going to go wrong. He is mainly the antagonist to the mayor. He and the mayor have some beef.”

Struck, a senior, said he was a big SpongeBob fan and most enjoyed the storyline of the production and was looking forward to the audience’s reaction.

“This story is a very good SpongeBob story,” he said. “It really captures every aspect of each character very well. I like that each character gets their own moment to shine.”

Richards said because he has had the privilege of knowing some of the actors for more than 13 years, he understands what they are capable of and can bring out their best performance.

Odum, a senior, said she didn’t realize she was capable of landing a lead role in a musical because of her singing voice.

“This is my first lead role,” she said. “I didn’t realize I could sing this well. ... So, I’m actually horrified and mostly excited to sing in front of everyone for the first time. I don’t even think my parents have heard me sing so I’m excited for that.”

Richards said on the surface the story can seem very silly and absurd, but believes audiences will leave with the understanding that staying optimistic in times of distress can have a positive impact on everyone.

“There is a deep meaning to the show,” he said. “And while it’s fun, you can get a nice message from the show even though it’s SpongeBob.”

If you go:

What: “The SpongeBob Musical”

When: 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday, March 8-9; 1 p.m. Sunday, March 10

Where: Seneca High School Auditorium, 307 E. Scott St.

Cost: $5 online at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/80157