There are few plays that would dare attempt to dramatize such serious and disparate subjects as pollution, the exploitation of the poor and the corporatization of public services, let alone set the whole thing to a musical score, but “Urinetown,” running at Riverwalk Theatre Thursday (Nov. 7) through Sunday (Nov. 10) and Nov. 14 through 17, encompasses it all in a thoughtful and entertaining package.
“Given the heavy subject matter, most people tend to run from these concepts and do ‘Urinetown’ in a very over-the-top, slapstick sort of way. The biggest challenge is finding a balance between the comedy of the show and not running away from the very real, important messages,” director Brian Farnham said. “Urinetown is about many things, but more than anything, it’s a darkly comedic look at what the world looks like in extremes. There’s a danger in extremism, and ‘Urinetown’ paints a bleakly comedic portrait of that fact.”
The funny and fast-paced musical satire was modeled after the works of playwright-composer duo Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. It tackles capitalism, populism and corporate malfeasance in a near-future world suffering from a horrific 20-year drought that has exacerbated class stratification. Water conservation initiatives have led the government to ban all private toilets and replace them with pay-per-use public facilities owned and operated by a single corporate entity known as Urine Good Co. Those who don’t pay to relieve themselves face being sent to the dreaded gulag-like holding area known as “Urinetown.”
Bobby Strong, played by Robert Mueller, is a young, working-class man who leads a rebellion against the oppressive Urine Good Co. Hope Cladwell, the idealistic daughter of Urine Good Co.’s powerful CEO, played by Kira Elena Billard, becomes disillusioned with her father’s avarice and joins Strong’s rebellion. The play is narrated by the corrupt, cynical and self-serving policeman Officer Lockstock, played by Anthony Mandalari.
“Water scarcity is a huge problem because water is such an essential part of life. Our society is heavily reliant on water, and most of us don’t think twice about how we use it,” Aaron Wittbrodt, who plays father figure Joseph “Old Man” Strong, said. “It’s important to put protections in place now to ensure we continue to have access to clean and reliable water sources. Those who don’t have access to it face dire circumstances.”
Though its themes are bleak, the show also finds moments of fun and sweetness.
“Who can’t relate to doing something stupid for love?” Ron Meyer, who plays Officer Barrel, said.
Meyer considers his character more an instrument of society than a productive member.
“He represents violence, and fear of that violence is employed to encourage and enforce conformity,” Meyer said. “Despite this, he’s not a member of any of the classes that benefit most from his position as an enforcer. He sides with the rich but is poor. He’s just happy to be the one holding the truncheon and embodies one of the greatest obstacles to individual action, the violent consequences of standing apart from the crowd.”
The musical’s eclectic score ranges from gospel to Broadway power ballads. Some songs are more difficult to master than others. Meghan Malusek, who plays jaded public restroom operator Penelope Pennywise, said “Why Did I Listen to That Man?” is “a beast with rhythm and layering.”
“But it’s my absolute favorite song to sing in this show,” she added. “I should also mention ‘It’s a Privilege to Pee’ purely for the insane diction needed to be able to understand the lyrics at such a fast pace.”
The show sounds like a complicated undertaking, but after several years in the making, Farnham’s production is more than ready for prime time. This is the director’s third attempt to stage the show after “five years’ worth of cancellations related to the COVID-19 pandemic and revolving venues.”
“I was floored by the amount of talent that turned out for this show,” Farnham said. “It was incredibly difficult to do, but I’m so proud and pleased with this cast.”
He feels performing the show in the aftermath of the pandemic and a divisive election makes the themes especially relevant.
“‘Urinetown’ says so much about the importance of moderation in our political discourse, the importance of preserving the environment and the dangers of extreme thinking, and it does so in a way that’s incredibly funny,” he said. “It’s the best of both worlds, and I feel like November 2024 is the perfect time to be putting up this musical, with our society having recently been through a natural disaster, crazy extreme politics and finding the will to demand change, just like ‘Urinetown.’”
November theater productions:
“Urinetown”
Nov. 7-10 and 14-17
7 p.m. Thursday
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday
2 p.m. Sunday
Riverwalk Theatre
228 Museum Drive, Lansing
“A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes”
MSU Department of Theatre
Nov. 8-10 and 13-17
7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday
2 p.m. Sunday; Nov. 16
Wharton Center Pasant Theatre
750 E. Shaw Lane, East Lansing
“Cosplay”
LCC Performing Arts
Nov. 8-10 and 15-16
7 p.m. Friday-Saturday
2 p.m. Sunday
LCC Black Box Theatre
411 N. Grand Ave., Lansing
“Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic”
All-of-Us Express Children’s Theatre
Nov. 8-10
7 p.m. Friday
3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Hannah Community Center
819 Abbot Road, East Lansing
“What the Constitution Means to Me”
Peppermint Creek Theatre Co.
Nov. 8-10 and 14-17
7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday
2 p.m. Sunday; Nov. 16
Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood
2200 Lake Lansing Road, Lansing
“The Magic Flute”
MSU Opera Theatre
Nov. 13 and 15-17
7 p.m. Wednesday, Friday-Saturday
3 p.m. Sunday
Fairchild Theatre
542 Auditorium Road, East Lansing
“A Very Williamston Christmas”
Nov. 14-Dec. 29
Opening weekend showtimes:
7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday
2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Rest of run showtimes:
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday
2 p.m. Thursday, Saturday-Sunday
Williamston Theatre
122 S. Putnam St., Williamston
“Sherlock Holmes and the Great Royal Goose Chase”
Starlight Dinner Theatre
Nov. 15-16 and 23-24
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday (dinner at 6:30 p.m.)
2 p.m. Sunday (dessert at 1:30 p.m.)
Waverly East Intermediate School
3131 W. Michigan Ave., Lansing
facebook.com/StarlightDinnerTheatre
“MSU UnScripted”
MSU Department of Theatre
Nov. 21 and 23-24
7:30 p.m. Thursday
2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
8 p.m. Saturday
6 p.m. Sunday
Studio 60 Theatre
542 Auditorium Road, East Lansing
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