By: Jon Behm
 |
| Urinetown the Musical - Photo by Jon Behm (click for set) |
Ever had to take a piss so bad you thought you were going to die? That panicked feeling when you would give nearly anything to be able to release all that pent up pressure? That feeling is the central theme behind the Heritage Community Theater of Maplewood’s most recent production, Urinetown the Musical, which is in its first ever local adaptation after leaving Broadway.
As the name suggests, Urinetown is all about water sports. In a fictional town in what may or may not be the future, an evil corporation, “Urine Good Company,” has taken over all of the toilets and charges people money every time they want to use them. With the addition of making it illegal to pee anywhere else BUT their toilets, UGC has created a tense political situation between itself and the world’s poor, who can’t always afford the charges. The poor people that get caught sprinkling illicitly are spirited away to the mysterious “Urinetown,” never to be heard from again. They are, that is, until Bobby Strong and his free-peeing band of misfits decide to take a stand against the company and its corrupt police force.
With it’s energetic choral numbers, intense dancing, and underlying political satire, Urinetown falls somewhere between Les Miserables and South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut. While it works well as a satire of the “revolution play,” it also has semi-serious political undertones, which you can take or leave, depending on the mood you are in. While you could make an argument that the play is primarily engaged in showing us the evils of corporations taking away our freedoms, the reality is that the tone is much lighter than that. With gospel singing, huge dance sequences, and a large dose of slapstick comedy, Urinetown was made primarily to entertain and amuse, and that is where it really succeeds.
 |
| Photo by Jon Behm |
The play is “big” in all aspects, from the multi-leveled set to the sheer number of actors. Director Christopher Teipner must have had his work cut out for him bringing everything together. As he showed us two seasons ago in Seussical the Musical, though, this type of play is precisely where he works best. Some of his fine choices in casting result in a great deal of depth, with very few weak points. Particularly good was Courtney Miner as Little Sally, who stole the show with her childlike charm. Anita Protsch also made a very convincing Hope Cladwell, Bobby Strong’s naïve love interest and the daughter of his corporate enemy.
The choreography of the show is a nod and a wink to the exorbitant song and dance shows of Golden Age Broadway, and has some extremely intricate footwork and timing. The work of choreographer Windy Bowlsby really shines, making the audience feel like they are seeing something much more grandiose than community theater.
The play’s weak point, at times, is the sound. While the singing is phenomenal, at times it can be difficult to discern individual actor’s lines when they attempt to speak over the surrounding noise. Whether this is from lack of expression or lack of a better sound system is up to debate. It is such a physical show, though, that much of the time it really isn’t all that important if you miss a word here or there, because the meaning is always conveyed in the actor’s movements and expressions.
Overall the show’s weaknesses didn’t take much away from my enjoyment of Urinetown the Musical. While I am generally not drawn to musical theater, even I can relax and laugh at a good comedy once in awhile. And laugh I did plenty, although luckily, not to the point where I wet my pants. While that would have made a nice ironic ending to a play about pee, it’s just not how I roll.
Last chance to see Urinetown the Musical this weekend:
Friday, May 18th, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 19th, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 20th, 2:00 p.m.
Call 651-773-1455 for tickets
2100 White Bear Avenue
Maplewood, MN 55109
www.heritagetc.com
Location Info:
Heritage Community Theater
Artist Info: Urinetown the Musical
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus