You’re in luck– URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL the season opener at LYRIC STAGE BOSTON is a Boston Theater Critics Association CRITIC’s PICK which means– you just have to go!
That stinky title announces the cesspool of corruption in a city where folks have been forced to pay to pee! It seems that a 20-year drought has opened the floodgates to a greedy corporation which has outlawed private toilets and is charging citizens every time they pass water! As prices rise, there’s no relief; if bladders fill to bursting and someone can’t pay up or hold it any longer, they are shipped off to Urinetown and never seen or heard from again.
Expertly directed by Courtney O’Connor, this production keeps things flowing, striking just the right satirical tone–hilarious without losing its edge. The show mocks both the conventions of happy-go- lucky musicals as well as melodramatic “Les Miserable” ones. A flat-out wonderful cast plays it straight over the top but never winks or breaks with the show’s darker intentions. That’s not easy in a Tony Award-winning score (Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis) with lyrics like these:
I take my baths now in a coffee cup I boil what’s left of it for tea And it’s a privilege to pee!
The conditions in Urinetown might just be enough to piss off the citizenry and ignite a revolution, but will these downtrodden folks be able to rally their piddling confidence and save Urinetown–Your town? Our town? With the help of a smashing live orchestra (Dan Rodriguez, musical director) and Christopher Shin’s whiz-bang choreography parodying famous musical theater numbers, this cast and crew give it everything they’ve got.
There are first-rate performances from some of Boston’s best musical theater stars including Anthony Pires, Jr., scary/funny out of the gate as Officer Lockstock, Christopher Chew as big bad corporate exec Caldwell B. Cladwell, and Lisa Yuen as feisty Penelope Pennywise. Paige O’Connor as spunky Little Sally and Kenny Lee as the daring young rebel Bobby Strong both shine in their Lyric Stage debuts. And it’s always a pleasure to see Kathy St. George, this time in a dual role, neither one large enough to contain her outsized talent, but getting some of the biggest laughs with a single line reading or the smallest bit of business.
URINETOWN’s 2002 Tony-award winning book (Greg Kotis) was downright clairvoyant. Droughts? Floods? Rampant corporate and political greed? Violent social unrest, record-breaking economic disparity, and ecological disaster? Can paying to pee be far behind? For now, let’s consider URINETOWN an extremely entertaining cautionary tale, and an opportunity to take a good hard look at who we are– and where we are going…!
MUST SEE URINETOWN at LYRIC STAGE BOSTON through OCTOBER 20!
