Winter Musical: Urinetown

by Suzanne Houston

In choosing this year’s musical, I wanted something that was fun and funny, had great music, and in some way reflected our own society. After much thought and research, I landed on Urinetown. It is a show about a large corporation that controls the basic rights and privileges of average citizens and takes advantage of Earth’s natural resources without giving a thought to the damage it is so clearly causing. The show also offers commentary on a huge economic gap between groups of citizens in this imagined world. Urinetown suggests that although humans might be the problem, they can also be the solution... but if they’re not careful, history will repeat itself again and again. We may want what’s best for ourselves today, but we must always be thinking about tomorrow. This past winter—through song, dance, discussion, satire, comedy, and some rather provocative and hilarious lyrics—the cast, crew, and pit band explored these big ideas.

Urinetown: The Musical was created with the intention of never really going anywhere. One of its creators had been on a trip abroad, found himself low on funds, and was suddenly burdened by having to pay to use public bathrooms. He questioned what it would be like to live in a world where everyone had to pay to use the bathroom every single time that “nature called.” And thus, this show was born. The show was performed at the New York Fringe Festival in the late ’90s and was so successful that it opened off-Broadway. The show moved to Broadway in September 2001 and ran for over three years.

This social satire is written in the style of Bertolt Brecht, a German playwright who wrote “epic theatre” for the people, breaking the fourth wall to interact directly with the audience. It is also both an homage to and parody of the American musical. It includes moments that nod to such shows as Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, Guys and Dolls, The Threepenny Opera, and West Side Story.

I vividly remember seeing Urinetown performed at The Pennington School in 2008. I laughed until I could hardly breathe, and I couldn’t believe some of the lines and lyrics! And interestingly, many of those lines and lyrics hit a bit closer to home in 2020 than they did twelve years ago. Plus, it is great fun that our new choreographer, Ali Crivelli ’10, was in that production as a student, and this is her first show with us as a faculty member!

As part of our rehearsal process, we also had some special guests and conversations. Michael Brown ’11 (Dear Evan Hansen) and his girlfriend, Mallory Bechtel (also a Broadway performer), visited campus and led a fantastic musical theatre workshop with the cast. We also were fortunate to have a FaceTime call with actor Kristie Dale Sanders, a friend of mine who was in Urinetown on Broadway. Several of our cast members got to hear firsthand what it was like to do the show on Broadway and to hear some hilarious behind-the-scenes stories as well. Finally, our very own Dr. Margo Andrews came in and led a workshop about drought, water usage, conservation, and policymaking. This really got us thinking about our world and how we can help save it for today and tomorrow.

Opposite page: Penny Pennywise (Madeline Fox ’21, right) tells Bobby Strong (Jordan Matthews ’20) to get his head out of the clouds.

Top: The full cast of Urinetown: The Musical

Bottom left: Hope Cladwell (Molly Nelson ’20) assures the Poor Rebels that a new age is dawning under her leadership.

Bottom right: In their secret hideout, the Poor Rebels lament their current state— through dance!