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Urinetown, the Musical |
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Author: Mark Hollman (music and lyrics);
Greg Kotis (book and lyrics)
Reviewer: Michael Bracken for Theatre Reviews Limited |
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"What kind of a musical is this?" Little Sally asks somewhere near the end of "Urinetown, The Musical," the Greg Kotis and Mark Hollman work that has arrived at the Henry Miller after earlier stints off- and off-off-Broadway. It’s a good question, given the many musical theatre traditions that "Urinetown" overturns and/or lampoons. And the answer, or at least an answer, is that it’s a musical comedy, underscore comedy, and a very funny one at that.
But of course the answer is not so simple. Like another musical comedy currently enjoying more than a modicum of success, "Urinetown" takes a notion that appears offensive on its surface, turns it upside down, and extracts every possible laugh from it by fearlessly going wherever a joke may be lurking. Which is not to suggest in any way, shape, or form that "Urinetown" is imitative of "The Producers" (which its original production predates). "Urinetown" has its own comic genius which, while it may have ties to Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, is very much its own.
Narrated by Officer Lockstock (Jeff McCarthy) with the help of Little Sally (Spencer Kayden), Urinetown is the story of the residents of a city where water is so scarce that using private toilets is a crime. "It’s a Privilege to Pee," a musical number tells us, and for that privilege residents are forced to pay exorbitant fees. Urine Good Company, owned by the corrupt and avaricious Caldwell B. Cladwell, operates all the public facilities, including Amenity #9, the poorest and filthiest urinal in town, which is overseen by Penelope Pennywise (Nancy Opel). Penelope’s assistant, Bobby Strong (Hunter Foster), leads the put-upon urinators to rebel and predictably falls in love with Cladwell’s idealistic daughter Hope (Jennifer Laura Thompson) along the way.
But while Bobby’s falling for Hope may be predictable, the course of their romance is not. In "Urinetown" things tend to fall into one of two categories. They are either predictable to the point of being overdone, celebrated clichés (like Hope’s parentage) or they’re completely contrary to what one expects in a musical (like Bobby’s untimely demise). And the two blend together seamlessly because of the leitmotif with which the play repeatedly hits us over the head: this is only a musical.
To call "Urinetown" self-referential is like calling grass green. Self-parody (as well as parody of the musical form generally) is its essence. With its constant reminders of its own unreality, it flirts with defeating itself. But as many times as Urinetown tells us it’s only a musical, it always (well, almost always) finds a way to make the message clever, to tell the same old joke but give it enough of a twist that it deserves a new laugh. What is perhaps most remarkable is not that that it allows us to distance ourselves from such nasty goings-on as the death of its hero, but that we stay connected with it in spite of such detachment.
And that’s called style. "Urinetown’s" book, music, lyrics, direction, sets, and acting are all of a marvelous whole, completely tongue in cheek and exaggerated but somehow managing to strike a chord of emotional truth. Greg Kotis’s book and the lyrics he co-wrote with Mark Hollman are wonderfully clever. Mr. Hollman’s music always captures the moment, and Scott Pask’s sets find humor in urban decay. John Rando’s direction brings it all together, and the ensemble work he elicits from his actors is magical.
The entire cast is excellent. John Cullum as Caldwell B. Cladwell, Nancy Opel as Penelope Pennywise, and Jeff McCarthy as Officer Lockstock could not be better. But it is Spencer Kayden as Little Sally, the street urchin who frequents Amenity #9, who steals the show. To a large extent, she represents the audience, asking questions of Officer Lockstock (Yes, there is an Officer Barrel too) who answers her and enlightens us in the process. Like the play, she is both streetwise and innocent, and she conveys an open, direct quality that is irresistible. Hunter Foster also stands out as Bobby Strong, stretching his character’s earnestness to the limits of believability without crossing the line into shtick.
In these unsettled times of urban paranoia, one might think "Urinetown" hits a little too close to home for comfort. But I think the opposite is true. While "Urinetown" has serious underpinnings for those who care to look for them, the world it creates is delightfully removed from reality. Its cynicism is de-fanged because it’s aimed at itself. "Urinetown" is, first and foremost, funny. And, as the Reader’s Digest has been telling us for years, laughter is the best medicine.
© 2001, Michael Bracken
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Music and lyrics by Mark Hollman; book and lyrics by Greg Kotis; directed by John Rando; musical staging by John Carrafa; scenic/environment design by Scott Pask; costume design by Gregory Gale and Jonathan Bixby; lighting design by Brian MacDevitt; presented by the Araca Group and Dodger Theatricals in association with TheaterDreams, Inc. and Lauren Mitchell.
WITH Jeff McCarthy (Officer Lockstock), Spencer Kayden (Little Sally), Nancy Opel (Penelope Pennywise), Hunter Foster (Bobby Strong), Jennifer Laura Thompson (Hope Cladwell), David Beach (Mr. Mc Queen), John Deyle (Senator Fipp), Daniel Marcus (Officer Barrel), and John Cullum (Caldwell B. Cladwell).
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