| Urinetown: The Musical News: |
| Yes, the rumors are true. There really is a musical called Urinetown, it really is about a drought-stricken future where urination is no longer free, and it really stars Broadway veteran John Cullum. The show, which made a splash at the 1999 Fringe Festival, is now receiving a full production at the American Theatre of Actors.
The premise, of course, is preposterous, yet that's what gives Urinetown its charm. Its composers, Mark Hollimann and Greg Kotis (who also wrote the book) and director John Rando revel in the ridiculous nature of the subject matter, and try to squeeze every drop of humor they can out of the idea. Sometimes, they try too hard. |
| More Urinetown: The Musical News: |
| The show begins with its narrator, Officer Lockstock, explaining the plight, and how anyone refusing to use public toilets ("amenities") sanctioned by Urine Good Company (UGC) will be hauled off to Urinetown, from which no one ever returns. Most of the play's action centers around Public Amenity #9, run by Penelope Pennywise and Bobby Strong. When Bobby meets and falls in love with Hope, the daughter of UGC president Caldwell B. Cladwell, he is inspired to lead a charge against a proposed rate hike that would drive urination farther out of the bounds of the city's poor.
By the end of the first act, the score has parodied expository numbers (such as "Privilege to Pee"), romantic duets, character songs, and patter songs. The show already resembles a combination of Sweeney Todd and Les Miserables (thanks to scenic and environment design by Scott Pask, costumes by Jonathan Bixby and Gregory Gale, and Lighting Design by Brian MacDevitt), so when the first act finale approaches, you already have an idea of what to expect. |