2008 Woodie Awards
Review: Urinetown the Musical
Daniel Boston
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Entertainment
The Rutgers-NJIT The-
atre Arts Program pre-
sented five performances of
"Urinetown the Musical"
over the last week. In case
you missed it, Urinetown
the Musical is a show about
a world where water is
scarce and private necessi-
ties are publicly regulated.
Most notable of these regu-
lations is urination. A viola-
tion of the pay-to-pee laws
results in expulsion to
"Urinetown," a vaguely de-
fined but deeply feared
place where all violators are
sent. The show revolves
around the polarization and
strife between economic
classes, pitting the poor
against the rich. Represent-
ing the upper class is Cald-
well Cladwell, owner of the
Urine Good Company that
regulates the public uri-
nals. Inevitably, conflict
breaks out when Bobby
Strong, the protagonist, de-
cides to take a stand
against unjust urination fee
increases. Plenty of people
die and there's more than
enough exposition, singing,
and dancing to satisfy most
theatergoers.
The volume of prepara-
tion invested in this show
was immediately obvious.
The cast panhandled wait-
ing audience members, ask-
ing for coins or cash so they
could pee. Their costumes
were soiled, ripped, well-
worn rags, and their faces
were smudged with dirt,
adding to their downtrod-
den appearances. Even the
ticket slips were in charac-
ter, as admission stubs
were pieces of toilet paper
with the name of the show
stamped on them. As the
auditorium filled, cast
members moved among the
audience, trying to hide
from "police" officers who
were on the prowl, making
sure no one peed without
paying. As the performance
unfolded, it was apparent
the cast and crew's hard
work paid off. Overall, the
show went well. The follow-
ing is a breakdown of the
show based on a number of
critical evaluation criteria.
atre Arts Program pre-
sented five performances of
"Urinetown the Musical"
over the last week. In case
you missed it, Urinetown
the Musical is a show about
a world where water is
scarce and private necessi-
ties are publicly regulated.
Most notable of these regu-
lations is urination. A viola-
tion of the pay-to-pee laws
results in expulsion to
"Urinetown," a vaguely de-
fined but deeply feared
place where all violators are
sent. The show revolves
around the polarization and
strife between economic
classes, pitting the poor
against the rich. Represent-
ing the upper class is Cald-
well Cladwell, owner of the
Urine Good Company that
regulates the public uri-
nals. Inevitably, conflict
breaks out when Bobby
Strong, the protagonist, de-
cides to take a stand
against unjust urination fee
increases. Plenty of people
die and there's more than
enough exposition, singing,
and dancing to satisfy most
theatergoers.
The volume of prepara-
tion invested in this show
was immediately obvious.
The cast panhandled wait-
ing audience members, ask-
ing for coins or cash so they
could pee. Their costumes
were soiled, ripped, well-
worn rags, and their faces
were smudged with dirt,
adding to their downtrod-
den appearances. Even the
ticket slips were in charac-
ter, as admission stubs
were pieces of toilet paper
with the name of the show
stamped on them. As the
auditorium filled, cast
members moved among the
audience, trying to hide
from "police" officers who
were on the prowl, making
sure no one peed without
paying. As the performance
unfolded, it was apparent
the cast and crew's hard
work paid off. Overall, the
show went well. The follow-
ing is a breakdown of the
show based on a number of
critical evaluation criteria.
Be the first to comment on this story