The lights dimmed, and the once-skeletal stage jumped to life in front of the audience with visible enthusiasm. Once the actors entered the stage, laughter filled the air. No matter the moment, every actor was full of creativity. This was The Observer’s experience at Urinetown’s rehearsal, and they open this Friday.
The satire-centric musical Urinetown, penned by Greg Kotis, debuted in Sept. of 2001, boasting an absurd plot about water shortages that lead to bathroom charges. Kathryn Stahl will direct the latest iteration here at CWU.
Jackson Lawler, a fourth-year Musical Theater BFA, Journalism Minor, actor and Observer Reporter, feels the show commands current relevancy, a sentiment shared by much of the Urinetown Crew.
“This show is a big commentary on everything, the fact [that] the show is 25 years old, and it predicts a lot of what’s going on today,” Lawler said. “There are things that the writers wrote they could not possibly [have] predicted being relevant.” Lawler will take the stage as Robby the Stockfish, a hotheaded member of the town.
As the title suggests, the initial humor is highly accessible. “Trust me, we got potty talk in this show,” Senior Musical Theater student, Moriah Josephson said.
Josephson will round out her time in the theater program by playing Little Becky Two Shoes in Urinetown. “It’s a satirical musical. So yes, it has all those downer aspects, but they make fun of it … It’s hilarious and it’s really enjoyable for all ages, because children love the pee jokes.”
Aside from the satire, the other aspect that the cast said drew them into the production was its Brechtian approach, a style that rejects the usual tenets of a stage performance.
Sophomore Andy Ashley, a Theater Arts BA and prospective Chemistry BA, plays three roles in the production and commented on the unique qualities of the style. “You can see everything in the background to make you feel slightly uncomfortable in the audience, where you’re like, this show’s not hiding anything.”
Playing Old Man Strong, Dr. Billeaux and Cop, Ashley has his work cut out for him on stage. “With the quick changes and changing of character … finding the differences in how each character carries himself, like Old Man Strong being part of the poor in the beginning … how does that desperation of needing to pee live,” Ashley questioned.
“Urinetown has been just really a beast of its own,” Luca Fox, assistant of lighting design said. The Junior Theater Design and Production Major reflected on how production has challenged him. “As all theater positions, the title doesn’t necessarily reflect what your job ends up being. So for me, it’s been a lot of projection work … that’s definitely been a new one for me.”
Urinetown hits the main stage of McConnell Hall this Friday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m., with other 7:30 p.m. showtime dates including May 9, 14, 15, 16. The 2 p.m. showtime dates are May 10 & 17.
Tickets are available here: https://cwuwildcattickets.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?SeriesID=65
