URINETOWN

'''Urinetown''' is an award-winning satirical comedy musical, poking fun at local government, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and petty-minded, smalltown politics. Urinetown rejects musical theatre convention. There are parodies of all-time successful Broadway shows including ''Les Misérables'', ''Evita'' and ''West Side Story''. In addition, the production satirises its own significance. Last but not least, in reverse pantomime style, the unconventional plotline shatters audience expectations of a pleasant ending. Famous songs from the show include "Don't Be the Bunny" and "Run, Freedom, Run!"
The show was directed by Tony Award winner John Rando; the show features music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann, and book and lyrics by Greg Kotis. It debuted at the New York International Fringe Festival, was produced Off-Broadway at the American Theatre for Actors and then moved to Broadway, opening at Henry Miller's Theatre on September 20, 2001 (its planned opening having been postponed after the September 11, 2001 attacks). It ran on Broadway through January 18, 2004, closing with a total of 25 previews and 965 performances.
A national tour began in San Francisco, California on June 13 2003, starring Christiane Noll. A Canadian cast put on one of the most highly acclaimed stagings, using the original New York set, in Toronto, Ontario during the summer of 2004. An open ended run began performances at Chicago's Mercury Theater in March 2006.
The original cast included Hunter Foster (as Bobby Strong, later replaced by Tom Cavanagh), Jeff McCarthy (as Officer Lockstock), Nancy Opel (as Penelope Pennywise), Tony Award-winner John Cullum (as Caldwell B. Cladwell), Jennifer Laura Thompson (as Hope Cladwell), and Ken Jennings (as Old Man Strong/Hot Blades Harry).

Contents

History

Synopsis

Characters

Musical Numbers

Awards

Trivia

External links

History

Greg Kotis came up with the source idea for ''Urinetown'' while traveling in Europe. He was a student at the time, traveling on a budget, and he encountered a pay-per-use toilet. This sparked the idea and he began writing shortly thereafter. He joined forces with Mark Hollmann and began the long journey to Broadway. At first, no production companies were interested in optioning such an absurd musical, but finally the Neo-Futurists, an experimental theatre group from Chicago (a group to which Kotis, his wife, and original cast member Spencer Kayden belonged) agreed to produce ''Urinetown'' for their 1999-2000 season. Unfortunately, plans with the Neo-Futurists fell through, so John Clancy of the New York Fringe Festival accepted the show into the Festival. Playwright David Auburn (Tony winner for ''Proof''), a friend of Kotis and Hollmann, came to see the show and immediately called the production company The Araca Group. The Araca Group optioned the musical and they opened off-Broadway at the American Theatre for Actors, then made the Broadway transfer in September of 2001. Originally planned to open on September 11, 2001, ''Urinetown the Musical'' contained several references which, after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, would no longer be politically correct. Due to that, the script was changed shortly after, with the show successfully opening in late September. It was nominated for several Tony Awards in 2002, including Best Musical.

Synopsis

Act I
After a rousing '"Overture"', Urinetown begins with a friendly welcome from our narrator, Officer Lockstock. Officer Lockstock fills us in on the back story with adorable ragamuffin Little Sally's irreverant personal commentary during the opening numbers, '"Too Much Exposition"' and '"Urinetown"'. A twenty-year drought has caused a terrible water shortage, making private toilets unthinkable. All restroom activities are done in public toilets controlled by a private corporation called "Urine Good Company" (UGC for short). To control water consumption, people have to pay to use the amenities. There are harsh laws ensuring that people pay to pee, and if they are broken, the guilty peeer is sent to a supposed penal colony called "Urinetown", where offenders are sent but never return. The entire cast then welcomes the audience to the show, warning them that there are no refunds and that there will probably be long lines for the restrooms at intermission.
In the next scene, the oppressed masses huddle in line, desperate to use Public Amenity Number 9, one of the poorest, filthiest urinals in town, run by the rigid, harshly authoritarian Penelope Pennywise and her assistant, dashing young everyman Bobby Strong. Trouble ensues when Bobby's father, Joseph "Old Man" Strong, can't afford his urinal admission for the day. When Old Man Strong asks Pennywise to let him go for free just this once, Penny angrily tells him to get his head out of the clouds and is forced to draw the line in '"It's a Privilege to Pee"'. By the end of the song, Joseph Strong has made up his mind. He pees right there on the street, with Pennywise, Bobby, Little Sally and all of the poor looking on in horror and fascination. Officer Lockstock and Barrell arrive on the scene immediately. Old Man Strong is soon arrested and escorted off to Urinetown.
Later that day, in the corporate offices of Urine Good Company, the CEO, Caldwell B. Cladwell, is discussing the new fee hikes with Senator Fipp. Cladwell's beautiful daughter, Hope Cladwell, soon arrives on scene as the UGC's new fax/copy girl, having just returned from school at the Most Expensive University in the World. Cladwell then proceeds to explain the workings of the UGC (and his staff proceeds to brown-nose shamelessly) in '"Mr. Cladwell"'.
In the next scene, Little Sally spends some quality time with Officer Lockstock, as she asks why, if there's a drought, so much time and energy is so focused on bathrooms and so little time put into other sources of water, like, say, hydraulics. Little Sally is ushered away just as Barrell arrives, having just "cleaned up" the evidence of Old Man Strong's exile to Urinetown. Lockstock comments that the journey down to Urinetown offers no surprises, in '"Cop Song"'.
Hope then shows up, eager to chat with the policemen about her first day of faxing and copying. Bobby shows up and hostilely interrupts their conversation, asserting that the people are growing edgy over rumors of more fee hikes. Bobby's brash confidence with the police intrigues and attracts the impressionable young Hope. When the cops leave the scene, Bobby admits to his feelings of guilt and confusion over not doing more to save his father. His cynicism is soon softened when innocent Hope tells him to '"Follow Your Heart"'. In the meantime, Bobby's heart is laying plans for a new tomorrow...
As the two exit, Little Sally and Lockstock look on. After making her observations about the budding romance, Little Sally asks Lockstock about what Urinetown is like. Lockstock tells her that he doesn't want to reveal the information so as not to ruin the suspense, and then accidentally lets slip "there is no Urinetown, we just kill people".
The next day, Mr. McQueen announces the new (and entirely legal) urinal fee hikes just passed by the legislature at Public Amenity Number Nine. Pennywise suddenly feels conflicted, as she secretly feels sorry for the people who can't afford the new fee hikes and who will inevitably be carted off to Urinetown. However, she makes no exceptions and tells them to get back in line. She reminds Bobby to keep his head out of the clouds, but he defiantly tells the people to ignore authority and to '"Look at the Sky"'. claiming that a bright new day is just on the horizon. Bobby then rallies the crowd and opens the amenity to everyone for free as a horrified Pennywise flees.
McQueen, Lockstock, Barrell and Pennywise rush into the UGC offices to tell Cladwell of the uprising. Penny and Cladwell instantly lock eyes and exchange a long, meaningful look. Hope is shocked to learn of Bobby's involvement. However, Cladwell explains that sometimes the only way to keep the peace is with beatings, and warns her to not to let herself become victimized in the song '"Don't Be the Bunny"'.
Protesters, police and powerful elites clash during the '"Act I Finale"'. Cladwell and his comrades arrive at the amenity to "snuff out the uprising." Cladwell commands the police to seize the anarchists. Bobby sheperds the poor into the amenity, where they'll be "relatively safer". Hope and Bobby argue over what she meant when she told him to follow his heart as the terrified rebels helplessly beg Bobby to save them from the police, who are mobbing the urinal with their weapons. At the same time, Cladwell and his men chide Bobby and his socialistic throng, and warn him to "think of tomorrow, Mr Strong." As the situation becomes more desperate, Bobby decides that the only way for the revolution to survive is to kidnap Hope and make a run for it. Pennywise pleads with Bobby to release Hope because she's done nothing wrong, but Bobby ignores her pleas and locks Hope in the urinal. As this happens, all the actors move in slow motion. Bobby and the revolutionaries elude Cladwell's clutches and escape, and Lockstock dismisses the audience for intermission.

;Act II
The second act starts with '"What is Urinetown?"' as frustrated authorities struggle to find the guerillas, who are hidden away in a clearly labeled "Secret Hideout" deep within the city's sewers. As Cladwell orders a full-scale mobilization of the police to find Hope, the bloodthirsty rebels cluster around a tied and gagged Hope, speculating on the true nature of Urinetown.
Driven mad by revenge, Hot Blades Harry declares that they should kill Hope before anyone gets shipped off to Urinetown. Little Sally protests, insisting that killing people is wrong. Hot Blades and Becky Two Shoes disregard her and savagely encourage people to '"Snuff That Girl"'. During the song, the rebels take a dance break and snap their fingers a big dance sequence, poking fun at West Side Story.
Despite Little Sally's objections, Hot Blades and Becky are seconds away from snuffing out Hope when Bobby heroically storms into in the hideout. He furiously reprimands his fellow men for engaging in the vicarious thrill of stringing up an innocent person, and urges the revolutionaries not to panic. Bobby explains that in the heat of battle, in the actual hotness of battle, the cry of freedom sounds something like '"Run, Freedom, Run!"' Bobby and the Poor then burst into a wild, rip-roaring gospel number.
The rebels recover from the song ask Bobby what's supposed to happen, now that they're stuck underground hiding from the authorities. At that moment Pennywise bursts into the secret hideout, bearing a message from Cladwell. Cladwell wants Bobby to come to the UGC headquarters to negotiate a peaceful settlement. Bobby goes, but only after being reminded by the impatient rebels that if anything happens to him, Hope will be killed. Pennywise fiercely swears that if any of the rebels harm Hope, she will see to it that Bobby is sent off to Urinetown.
At the UGC headquarters, Cladwell offers Bobby a suitcase full of cash and full amnesty to the rebels as long as Hope is returned and the people agree to the new fee hikes. Bobby refuses, and demands free access to the people. Cladwell orders the cops to escort Bobby to Urinetown. Pennywise despairingly pleads with Cladwell, pointing out that Urinetown for Bobby also means the end for Hope. However, Cladwell refuses to let his empire crumble to save his daughter. Shocked and hurt, Penny marvels at the depth of Cladwell's evil as Lockstock and Barrell grab Bobby. Bobby is hauled offstage screaming, "You lied to us, Cladwell!"
'"Why Did I Listen to that Man"' begins with Fipp lamenting his involvement in Cladwell's corrupt business as Pennywise is pinned down by Cladwell's minions. Pennywise fights them off, and then proceeds to sing about how furious she is with herself for trusting Cladwell. Back in the hideout, Hope sings of how she shouldn't have listened to Bobby's dreams. The cops drag a blindfolded Bobby to the roof of the UGC building, as he wonders why he followed his heart. The cops pull off the blindfold, allowing Bobby to see the horrible truth: There is no Urinetown. The cops confirm that "Death is Urinetown", then push him off the building.
In the next scene, the rebels back in the hideout are getting unnerved, since a long time has passed since Bobby left. Little Sally returns in a shocked daze, having just heard Bobby's semi-coherent last words, which she recounts to everyone in '"Tell Her I Love Her"'. The angry mob decides to kill Hope once and for all, but Pennywise bursts in yet again at the nick of time, begging them to spare the child and kill her instead. "Old woman, you've been grasping and conniving all these years; why so giving now?" questions Hot-Blades Harry suspiciously. Pennywise then reveals that Hope is her daughter.....and she is Hope's mother.
Pennywise unties Hope, explaining that she was the one-time lover of Cladwell "back during the Stink Years" when the drought first hit. Once released, Hope promptly convinces the rebels, Pennywise now among them, to let her lead the revolution. The rebels sneak into Cladwell's office, killing Officer Barrel, Senator Fipp, and Cladwell's assistant Mrs. Millennium along the way as they sing '"We're Not Sorry"'.
Upon entering his office, Cladwell is captured by the rebels. Despite his claim that the people need him more than they know, Hope orders her father off to Urinetown. Cladwell has just enough time to sing a bittersweet goodbye to his one-time lover Pennywise in '"We're Not Sorry (Reprise)"' before he is lynched by the Poor.
Now that Cladwell is gone forever, Hope assures her followers that the age of fear is over. She sings '"I See a River"', a gospel ballad, looking ahead to a bright new day. The UGC is renamed "The Bobby Strong Memorial Toilet Authority" and the people are henceforth allowed to pee whenever they like, as much as they like, for as long as they like, and with whomever they like.
But in the end, things go bad. Officer Lockstock's epilogue informs us that Hope ignored the signs of the water disappearing and it didn't take long for short water supply to turn polluted, and eventually completely dry up. Ironically, Cladwell's cruel laws had effectively managed to save water during the drought. The story concludes with everyone dying of dehydration. With the roar of "Hail Malthus" and a final reprise of "This is Urinetown", the curtain falls.

Characters

'Main Characters'

★ 'Officer Lockstock' (Bass) - A policeman, and the tongue-in-cheek narrator of the story - ''Songs in which he is prominent'': Urinetown; Privilege to Pee (Reprise); Cop Song; What is Urinetown?; Why Did I Listen to that Man?

★ 'Little Sally' (Mezzo-Soprano) - A precocious street urchin who is almost always played by an adult; the quasi-narrator who always out-smarts Lockstock. - What is Urinetown?; Tell Her I Love Her; We're Not Sorry

★ 'Bobby Strong' (Tenor) - The dashing young everyman who works for Miss Pennywise at the poorest, filthiest urinal in town; the eventual protagonist and romantic hero who starts a revolution - Urinetown; Follow Your Heart; Look at The Sky; Act 1 Finale; What is Urinetown?; Run, Freedom Run!; Why Did I Listen to that Man?; Tell Her I Love Her

★ 'Hope Cladwell' (Soprano) - Cladwell's daughter, torn between listening to her father and helping her boyfriend Bobby in overthrowing her father's empire. Hope is a parody of the stereotypical Broadway ingénue - Mr. Cladwell; Follow Your Heart; Act 1 Finale; Follow Your Heart Reprise; Why Did I Listen to that Man?; I See a River

★ 'Caldwell B. Cladwell' (Baritone) - The evil president and owner of the Urine Good Company, a miserly moneygrubber who gleefully exploits the poor with his outrageous toilet fees - Mr. Cladwell; Don't be the Bunny; Act 1 Finale; What is Urinetown?; We're Not Sorry (Reprise)

★ 'Penelope Pennywise' (Mezzo-soprano with belt) - The tough, jaded warden of the poorest, filthiest urinal in town. A figure of authority, Pennywise lives to maintain order at the public bathrooms. This character is a loose parody of Mother Courage. - It's a Privilege to Pee; Why Did I Listen to that Man; We're Not Sorry; We're Not Sorry (Reprise)

Musical Numbers

;Act I ★ Overture ★ Too Much Exposition ★ Urinetown ★ It's a Privilege to Pee ★ Mr. Cladwell ★ Cop Song ★ Follow Your Heart ★ Look at the Sky ★ Don't be the Bunny ★ Act 1 Finale

;Act II ★ What is Urinetown? ★ Snuff That Girl ★ Run, Freedom, Run! ★ Why did I Listen to that Man? ★ Tell Her I Love Her ★ We're Not Sorry ★ We're Not Sorry (Reprise) ★ I See A River

Awards

In 2002, the musical won three Tony Awards: Best Director (John Rando), Best Original Score (Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis), and Best Book of a Musical (Greg Kotis).
It was nominated for an additional seven Tonys: Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (John Cullum), Best Actress in a Musical (Nancy Opel and Jennifer Laura Thompson), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Spencer Kayden), Best Choreography (John Carrafa), and Best Orchestrations (Bruce Coughlin).

Trivia

★ After the Tony Award wins, Tripod was asked to write a song about Urinetown as part of their Song In An Hour Challenge series on the Triple J breakfast show. They used the request as an excuse to write a song full of "wee jokes".

External links

★ Official site

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