After an intense three days of auditions, the cast has been set for the THS Performing Arts Dept's production of "Urinetown: The Musical." The leading actors in the cast include junior Cooper Morrell as Officer Lockstock, the show's narrator and enforcer of the water consumption laws. Questioning the title selection and providing the rare voice of reason is Little Sally,
Left to Right: Kody Cava, Sarah Frigon, Christina Malloy, Royce Cumming, Cooper Morrell, Alani Chavez, Greg Swank, Anna Johnson
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played by senior Alani Chavez. Christina Malloy will play Penelope Pennywise, the chief custodian and cashier of the poorest amenity (toilet) in town. Royce Cumming is Caldwell B. Cladwell, the money-hungry CEO of Urine Good Company, the corrupt monopoly charged by the government with the task of controlling water consumption. Kody Cava as Bobby Strong, the show's hero, rallies the poor to rebel against the public amenity fee hikes. Sarah Frigon as Hope Cladwell, daughter of Caldwell B. Cladwell, finds herself in an internal AND external struggle. Gregory Swank as Hot Blades Harry and Anna Johnson as Little Becky Two Shoes are hot-tempered, self-imposed lieutenants of the rebellion.
"What is Urinetown?" Well, Urinetown: The Musical doesn't actually take place in Urinetown. You find this out in the first minute of the show. As Officer Lockstock explains in his opening address to the audience, Urinetown is "kind of a mythical place, you understand. A bad place. A place you won't see until Act Two. And then...Well, let's just say it's filled with symbolism and things like that."
But seriously, what is Urinetown? The title's horrible. Why would anybody want to go to a show with that title?! First off, Urinetown: The Musical is NOT a show "about urine." Urinetown: The Musical is an absurdist tale which takes a very relevant look at politics, environmentalism, corporate control, socialism, capitalism, and more. The beauty of Urinetown lies in the way that this serious and tragic story will make you laugh, all the while humming tunes that will be stuck in your head for days! In addition, audiences will love the way the show dissects the conventions of musical theatre with humorous, brutal honesty while still maintaining a respect for the genre.
Urinetown: The Musical is set 20 years after The Stink Years, a time when the reservoirs have dried up and water must be tightly controlled. Rather than focusing on the larger problems a waterless world would face such as agriculture, hydraulics, or even drinking water, the writers of Urinetown: The Musical focused their attentions on the elimination of private household toilets. The government has granted a monopoly to one company, Urine Good Company (UGC), to operate all public pay-per-use toilets. The citizens must use only these "public amenities for their private business", no other options are allowed by law. Break the law and off you go to Urinetown. But be careful. You can only push people so far.
The creative team for Urinetown is David Landers, director/producer; Greg Magie, music director; Garry Hansen, technical director; Tiffini Hansen, choreographer.
Urinetown: The Musical runs March 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, & 24. All shows at 7pm at the Templeton Performing Arts Center. Tickets will soon be available at www.brownpapertickets.com.
