ITJA Critics' Workshop Final Drafts: Urinetown Reviews
Final drafts of Urinetown reviews are to be posted here.
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ITJA Critics' Workshop 
What if you had to pay to pee? That’s how the poor citizens in the musical UrineTown have to live. On January 28th at the KCACFT festival Urinetown was performed by Dean college, and aside being moved to a completely different location that expected, the musical was a hit with the crowd. Walking in you saw students lining the floors, sitting cross legged, taking pictures with their neighbors, like they were back at summer camp orientation; Kicking off their shoes getting comfortable while waiting for the show to begin. It was a warm sense of community. Urinetown develops a direct relationship with its audience, leading to much of the humor. I don’t believe the audience went more than 20 minutes without laughing. This play is not for those with a light sense of humor, as the comedy is very old fashioned, sprinkled with some sexual innuendos, and moments that make you do a double take. The actors were all wonderful singers and dancers, but at times those without microphones would get lost among the constant applause and laughter, (and sometimes even those with). The actors brought their own individual sass to every character, even those not in the spotlight. The lighting occasionally hit front stage actors in a way that made them look like criminals in a film noir movie, but as expected in an unfamiliar environment, that is 1/4th the size of the whole room. It’s evident the cast put time into their set, as it was wonderfully choreographed and flowed smoothly when changing settings. More thought could be paid to the rich citizens costumes. Aside some sound problems, voices clipping and popping, the crowd stood for almost a full 5 minutes applauding. And the cast definitely earned the applause. Despite the awful name, Urinetown is a play to see.
The satirical concoction of “Urinetown”, equal parts crass parody and traditional show-tune extravaganza, might not be for everyone. It’s the story of a dark future in which the poor must pay to use filthy public urinals, so audience members who blush when faced with toilet humor may at the very least wish to consider themselves warned. For anyone who thinks the show might fit their tastes, however, it would be hard to beat Dean College’s production.
The performers from Dean delivered a show that was fun, romantic, and wickedly subversive, and did the material justice with their smooth technic al presentation. A last-minute change of venue couldn’t diminish their bold energy, and may have even made it more memorable. Instead of theater seats, the majority of the audience sat on the floor in front of the stage. Aside from the occasional leg cramps, this arrangement only emphasized the unique, subversive nature of the show.
It’s difficult to single out any of the performers in particular as exemplary, because the whole ensemble was a joy to watch. Even the background dancers in the big song numbers exuded personality and humor, frolicking across the stage and reveling in the winking exaggeration of the spectacle. The relatively simple set and lighting design proved versatile as well, and the costumes, especially those of the downtrodden poor strike just the right balance between drabness and personality.
In a time when dystopic sagas like “The Hunger Games” are as popular as ever, it’s always nice to see a show that takes an irreverent look at the same themes. “Urinetown”, as presented by Dean College, keeps things fresh with an enthusiastic and well-executed take on a story we’ve all heard before… though perhaps not quite like this.