A show that has an amazing ensemble is usually deemed a success. Even if certain elements are out of whack, a strong ensemble can make it all better. Likewise, sometimes incredibly strong leading actors and actresses alone can pull a show together, distracting the audience from weaker elements. Other companies rely on the technical aspect, depending on impressive lighting and sound to make a good production even if the acting is weak. Very rarely does a show come along that has all the pieces: An incredible ensemble, stunning leads, and brilliant lighting, sound, and music.
This show had it all.
Civic Theatres Urinetown is not like normal musicals. For one thing, it isnt cheery. Dont worry, they let you know right up front that this isnt a happy kind of musical.
The show takes place in a fictional town in a time not determined. This is a land where every citizen fears the dreaded "Urinetown," a place no one has ever seen, but everyone is terrified of being banished to.
Directed by Civic staple William Sanders, the show opens with our narrator, Police Officer Lockstock (Will Morris) as he breaks the fourth wall and greets the audience in a perfectly snide picture of comic aloofness. He tells us the premise:
The land has suffered a severe water shortage. So severe, in fact, that water must be firmly rationed. Residents are no longer allowed the luxury of in-home toilets, and the poor people have been reduced to having to pay to pee in one of the town Amenities, run and owned by the greedy Caldwell B. Cladwell (Kirk Lawrence-Howard) and his corporation, Urine Good Company. This is the way things are. No money' No toilet. And dont even think about going in the bushes, there are laws against that!
Our story really gets rolling one day when a man simply hasnt enough money for his morning pee. This man is Old Man Strong (Tom Nardone,) and he also happens to be the father of a young man working at the Amenity, Bobby Strong (Brent Schlosshauer.) Out of a combination of frustration, anger, and just plain desperation, Old Man Strong breaks the law, urinates in public, and is sent away to the dreaded Urinetown.
Bobby, wracked with guilt over his Fathers sentence, decides to lead a revolution. The poor will no longer pay to pee, they will stand up to Cladwell and the rest of Urine Good Company and no longer pay a cent to accomplish such a basic need.
Cladwells daughter, Hope (Morgan Reilly,) accidentally gets mixed up with the motley crew of townspeople as they all revolt. She and Bobby have a chance meeting, one that usually results in a walking away into the sunset-type of happy ending. But dont forget, this is Urinetown: The Musical. Instead of singing a mushy love ballad, Bobby kidnaps her and holds her for ransom so that the town might be free from Cladwells tyranny.
I dont want to give away too much, but trust that the show is anything but predictable. Just when you think you know where theyre headed they throw you curveball after delicious curveball.
The acting, singing, and dancing is this show were truly top-notch. Reillys portrayal of Hope is the perfect blend of saccharine and grit, not to mention the fact that she could probably knock a wall over with her voice. Her energy was infectious as she flitted about the stage, and her comedic timing was dead-on.
Schlosshauer, as Bobby, was exceptional, and he had everyone in the audience cheering for him from the moment he stepped on stage. His Bobby was charming and endearing, with just the right amount of cockiness. His Run Freedom Run was a complete showstopper, the highlight of the show for me.
Both leads had amazing voices that complimented each others well, and their onstage chemistry was wonderfully believable.
Molly Caballero, as Little Sally, was quite the scene stealer herself. This girl had a perfectly precise sense of timing, and her one-liners had the audience rolling. She also had the hard job of delivering a very sad scene and song to the audience, and she did so with ease.
Tracy Ceschin brought the house down with her Penelope Pennywise, manager of Amenity #9. Her voice was very strong, and, though you didnt always know if you loved or hated Penelope, Ceschins performance was undeniably great.
Every show needs a really sinister bad guy, and Lawrence-Howards Cladwell fit the bill perfectly. He strutted around the stage like he owned the place, delivering a super solid performance.
Officers Lockstock (Morris) and Barrell (Mac Myles) were a wonderful comedic team together. They sang and danced, staying in scary-but-hilarious character as they moved about the stage.
The cast truly all delivered stunning performances. Each member had a lot to do and remember, and its easy to see how much work must have gone into this production.
The set, designed by Jason Sherwood, is simple, which is exactly what this show called for. With so many actors and so much going on, the open set is all that is needed.
This show was an absolute blast from start to finish. The cast is strong, each of them raising the bar higher than the person before them. The musical numbers are entertaining and well sung, and the plot promises to be different than anything you may have seen before.
Urinetown is hilarious, touching, and a whole lot of fun. This is a talented group of actors, and I highly recommend this show to anyone looking for something different than the normal happy musical that weve all seen a million times.
'Urinetown' runs through May 18, please call 610-432-0888 or visit them online at www.civictheatre.com for tickets and more information.