Urinetown
Produced by LaSalle School of the Arts
Reviewed by Kenneth Lyen
INTRODUCTION
Flushed with international success, this toilet musical is now making a big splash in Singapore’s LaSalle College of the Arts. Perhaps the producers should have a warning that watching this musical can make one laugh so much that you are in danger of wetting yourself! Inconveniently, I visited the public convenience during the interval, and again after the show. Luckily I did not have to pay to pee.
PLOT
I really enjoy a good satire, especially one with multiple layers of jabbing. Urinetown fulfils that role. This absurdist melodramatic has become a bit of a cult musical. The story takes place in a parallel universe where a mythical town suffers a prolonged drought resulting in severe water shortage.
Penelope Pennywise: Twenty years we've had the drought
And our reservoirs have all dried up
I take my baths now in a coffee cup
I boil what's left of it for tea
And it's a privilege to pee
To save water, private toilets are banned, and everybody must use public toilets that they are forced to pay. The toilets are managed, or rather mismanaged, by a corrupt private corporation that exploits their absolute authority in order to generate revenues for themselves.
Penelope Pennywise: The politicians in their wisdom saw
That there should be a law
The politicians taxed the toilets
And made illegal
Public urination and defecation
Lack of public toilets has resulted in long queues and citizens line up for many hours to discharge their personal waste. Some cannot afford the charges, including the father of the musical’s hero. He could not hold his pee and illegally urinated on the streets whereupon he was seized by the police and sent to Urinetown.
The heroine of the musical is Hope Cladwell. Her father, Caldwell Cladwell shows himself to be a despicable rascal, one who cares more about himself and how to generate a personal fortune at the expense of the poor. He displays his total lack of integrity in the song to his daughter, “Don’t be a Bunny”. The song starts off seeming rather cute, but suddenly degenerates and reveals his callous philosophy that forms the basis of his corporate behavior.
Caldwell Cladwell: A little bunny in the meadow
Is nibbling grass without a care
He's so delightful as he hops for you
You say, "Hi, bunny"
And he stops for you
You pull your trigger
And he drops for you
Goodbye, bunny-boo
Hello, rabbit stew!
Later Caldwell shows that he is capable of allowing his own daughter to die, in order to preserve his corporate empire.
In contrast, Bobby Strong, the hero, has compassion for the common people, and he wants to abolish the fee to pee. He leads a revolution to overthrow the regime and to repeal the law on toilet charges. In the meantime he meets and immediately falls in love with Hope Cladwell, They sing a love duet.
Bobby Strong & Hope Cladwell: Love is kind and considerate
Love is peaceful and fair
Love can creep up so suddenly
When you least think of it
Your love is there
Soon Bobby finds out that Hope is the daughter of Caldwell, the unscrupulous owner of the toilet management corporation. When he starts the revolution, Caldwell sends his lackey police to invite Bobby to meet him for talks. When they meet, Caldwell tries to bribe Bobby, unsuccessfully. Once Bobby refuses to accept the bribe, he is taken away by the police to Urinetown, where he is thrown off a skyscraper. Before he dies, amazingly, he lives long enough to sing a last song.
Bobby Strong: Tell all the people
Tell them the time is always now
Tell them to fight for
What they know is right
When Hope Cladwell hears Bobby’s dying words, she makes an about turn, and decides to fight her father, and she becomes the leader of the rebellion. They successfully topple the father’s urine corporation. But as they sing the inspirational gospel-sounding finale song, “I See a River”, the exposition takes a depressing turn:
Officer Lockstock:
Of course, it wasn't long before the water turned silty, brackish and then disappeared altogether. As cruel as Caldwell B. Cladwell was, his measures effectively regulated water consumption, sparing the town the same fate as the phantom Urinetown. Hope chose to ignore the warning signs, however, preferring to bask in the people's love for as long as it lasted.
Little Sally:
What kind of musical is this?! The good guys finally take over and then
everything starts falling apart.
Officer Lockstock: Like I said, Little Sally. This isn't a happy musical.
WHAT IS URINETOWN?
This question is asked several times during the musical.
Officer Lockstock; It's 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.
Later you learn that Urinetown is a euphemism for being killed.
ORIGINALITY
One of the ways that musicals try to become more original, is to become self-referential, to look inward. This is shown in Urinetown right from the very start:
Officer Lockstock: Little Sally… nothing can kill a show like too much exposition.
Little Sally: How about bad subject matter?
Officer Lockstock: Well …
Little Sally: Or a bad title, even? That could kill a show pretty good.
Towards the end of the musical, Officer Lockstock and Little Sally have a dialogue that goes like this:
Little Sally: I don't think too many people are going to come and see this musical.
Officer Lockstock: Why do you say that, Little Sally? Don't you think people want to be told that their way of life is unsustainable?
The other way of trying to become original is to break down the fourth wall. The actors talk directly to the audience. This takes place several times in Urinetown.
STYLE
It takes a certain personal attitude to appreciate the jokes enunciated in Urinetown. For example, some may laugh others might groan when they hear pee-related puns such as “We, we never fail” or the chorus “You’re in Urinetown.”
Kotis’ dialogue is packed with hysterically literal responses to metaphors and common turns of phrase. “What an unexpected surprise,” for example, leading to the retort, “Is there any other kind?”
REFERENCES TO OTHER MUSICALS
Urinetown makes several references to other well-known musicals including:
Les Miserables: where the rebels wave a flag in the background and march on the spot.
Titanic: where Bobby Strong embraces his girlfriend Hope Cladwell from behind
There are other musical and dance references, including The Boyfriend, Dames at Sea, Little Mary Sunshine, West Side Story, Guys & Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Annie, and Chicago. This is very clever.
UNDERLYING MESSAGE
Urinetown spoofs many things, including corporate and political corruption, social disintegration, and the fallout from our mismanaged environment. There are comments on social injustice, organized rebellion, and even terrorism. Because there is a cartoon superficiality in its tenor, the more serious moral dilemmas and ethical issues are conveyed in a mocking, campy style. Unfortunately, this irreverence might obscure the gravity of the message embedded in Urinetown.
THE MUSIC
Much of the music is not the hummable Andrew Lloyd Webber genre, but it is serviceable. There are two mock-gospel songs, “Run, Freedom, Run”, and the penultimate inspirational song “I See a River”.
Hope Cladwell: I see a river flowing for freedom
I see a river just in view
I see a river flowing for freedom
I see a river straight and true
TARGET AUDIENCE
Urinetown is an entertaining commentary on many aspects of modern society, including unethical corporate behavior, ruthless adherence to the letter of the law, mistreatment of the environment, and even on how to write a musical. It is an offbeat, unconventional, intelligent musical. This approach may not appeal to everyone, especially those schooled in the traditional musical. But for those who are receptive to this genre, it is absolutely brilliant!
LASALLE PRODUCTION
What make LaSalle’s production of Urinetown so remarkable are the professional display of the triple threat of singing, acting, and dancing. The performers are absolutely wonderful and they carry the show. Kudos is given to the director George Torbay, the incredibly well-synchronised and original choreography of David Sirianni, and the musical direction of Joanne Ho. All this would not have been possible without the hard work and creativity of the phenomenal producer, Dayal Singh.
This is a performance that I thoroughly enjoyed and shall remember for a very long time. Congratulations LaSalle!
Kenneth Lyen
20 April 2018
CREDITS
ORIGINATORS
Music and Lyrics: Mark Hollman
Book and Lyrics: Greg Kotis.
PRODUCTION AND CREATIVE TEAM
Producer: Dayal Singh
Director: George Torbay
Choreographer: David Sirianni
Musical Director: Joanne Ho
LEVEL 3 STUDENTS CAST
Claris Tan Little Sally
Felix Lim Hot Blades Harry
Hana Rosli Soupy Sue
Michelle Ler Jin Yi Hope Cladwell
Penny Chan Yuen Khuan Penelope Pennywise