Urinetown: the Musical Draws on That Tradition
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Letter fromthe Producers of “Urinetown?! They’re kidding, right?” “Why would I want to go to a show with a title like that?” “Why would I bring my students to see it?” Okay - the title. Let’s talk about the title. Social satire has a long tradition of startling readers and audiences and shaking them loose from their traditional ways of thinking. From Aristophanes’ Lysistrata to Saturday Night Live, satire has always broken the boundaries of public taste in order to make a point. Think of Jonathan Swift, who in his classic essay “A Modest Proposal,” suggested that the children of the poor be eaten, neatly solving the problems of famine and population control. Urinetown: The Musical draws on that tradition. If you don’t know anything about it, you might not know what to expect. But unlike so many other pieces of entertainment one encoun- ters these days – movies, television, even some books and plays – Urinetown has something to say about the world we live in. Not only that, it’s both entertaining and educational. Urinetown challenges your expectations. It has a self-awareness that makes you think about what you’re watching. It draws on historical tradition – Brecht, Weill, Blitztein – and yet it pushes forward into new territory. But most important (for any audience of students): it’s really, really funny. Urinetown: The Musical has wit, it has intelligence – and it also has an enjoy- able surplus of vaudeville gags, physical comedy and low-brow humor. Want to get students doing more than sitting passively in their seats? Get them laughing, get them groaning, get them thinking. Take them to Urinetown. Little Sally (Spencer Kayden) and the cast of Urinetown: The Musical 1 Synopsis rinetown: The Musical begins its satirical tale of industrial B. Cladwell. Hope finds her way to the UGC headquar- corruption in a Gotham-like city, where a 20-year ters where she is to take a job as a fax and copy clerk, drought has brought on a crippling water shortage. In a naively ignorant of her father’s coldhearted and profit Umad attempt to regulate water consumption, the govern- seeking motives. Senator Fipp receives a bribe from ment has outlawed the use of private toilets. The citizenry Cladwell to insure that the new fee hikes are voted in; he must use public, pay-per-use amenities owned and oper- plans to go to Rio with the cash. ated by Urine Good Company (or “UGC”), a private corporation run by the corrupt and iron-fisted Caldwell Back at the Amenity, Old Man Strong, Bobby’s father, B. Cladwell. Anyone who refuses to pay is immediately begs to be allowed to pee for free, but Ms. Pennywise and without question hauled off to Urinetown. Nobody refuses to make any exceptions. Old Man Strong, knows exactly what happens in Urinetown, but the frustrated and desperate, relieves himself on the wall population is going mad, desperate for relief. outside the Amenity. He is arrested by Officers Lockstock and Barrel and taken off to Urinetown, never to be heard from again, except as a ghost. Bobby is plagued with guilt, but doesn’t understand what to do until he sees Hope again. She tells him “be true to his heart,” advice that he takes to heart. When new fee hikes are announced the next day, Bobby knows exactly what he needs to do. Bobby follows his heart and incites rebellion. In an idealistic fervor, the poor take over the Amenity and start "peeing for free." The higher-ups at the UGC are terrified and outraged and order the police to arrest all Bobby Strong (Hunter Foster) and Penelope Pennywise (Nancy Opel) and parties involved. All gather at the Amenity. the cast of Urinetown: The Musical Hope arrives and sees that Bobby is the cause of the all the trouble. She tries without success to get her father to be merciful. Bobby is shocked to learn that Hope is the When the show opens, we are at Public Amenity No. 9. daughter of his nemesis. Hope swears that she is the Officer Lockstock welcomes us to Urinetown: The same girl he met the night before, but that she cannot Musical. Little Sally enters the scene to help Officer possibly choose between him and her father. Bobby real- Lockstock narrate. She tells the audience about the izes that the only way to win the revolution and get the drought years that brought about the current situation. girl is to take Hope hostage. Act I concludes with general As Lockstock and Little Sally discuss how much exposi- mayhem ensuing as the rebels escape, taking Hope with tion the audience can handle, the musical begins around them. them. Officer Lockstock welcomes us back to Act II. The rebels A young woman enters looking for the Urine Good keep Hope hostage at the secret hideout. Bobby and Ma Company. Bobby Strong takes one look at her and is in Strong are out spreading the revolution at other love. He points her in the right direction, unaware that Amenities when they overhear Cladwell and McQueen 2 she is Hope Cladwell, daughter of the notorious Caldwell discussing how Urinetown is just an idea to frighten the Characters OFFICER LOCKSTOCK OLD MAN STRONG Narrator of Urinetown: Bobby Strong’s father, The Musical and police an honest and poor old officer in charge of man who doesn’t have maintaining law and enough money to use order in the town. the Amenity. PENELOPE PENNYWISE JOSEPHINE STRONG An employee of Urine aka MA STRONG Good Company, she is Bobby Strong’s mother. in charge of Public Amenity No. 9, collect- THE POOR PEOPLE OF ing fees from everyone THE TOWN aka THE who needs to pee there. REBELS Jeff McCarthy (Officer Lockstock) and Spencer Kayden (Little Sally) in Soupy Sue, Robbie The a scene from Urinetown:The Musical BOBBY STRONG Stockfish, Little Becky Our young hero, works Two Shoes, Tiny Tom, masses. Little Sally is caught by Officer Lockstock who tries for Pennywise at Public Hot Blades Harry, Billy to get her to tell him where the secret hideout is. She refuses Amenity No. 9. Boy Bill and escapes. Back at the hideout, the rebels have become bloodthirsty and fantasize about killing Hope. Bobby shows LITTLE SALLY THE RICH PEOPLE OF up in time to save Hope but is then faced with the task of A twelve-year-old girl URINE GOOD COMPANY leading the revolution. Just as they are debating what needs who saves her pennies to be done, Penny arrives to tell them that Cladwell wants to to use the Amenity. CALDWELL B. meet with Bobby to discuss the situation. With Officer Lockstock, CLADWELL she narrates Urinetown: The head of the Urine At the UGC headquarters, Cladwell offers Bobby "a lot of The Musical. Good Company. cash" and amnesty to all involved in the rebellion if they will return to the status quo. Bobby refuses and Cladwell orders HOPE CLADWELL MR. MCQUEEN Bobby to be sent to Urinetown, even though he knows this Pure-hearted ingenue An executive of the means that Hope may be killed. Everyone, especially Ms. and daughter of the Urine Good Company. Pennywise, who was Cladwell’s secret mistress, is horrified by tyrannical Caldwell B. Cladwell’s actions. Cladwell tells Senator Fipp that he can’t Cladwell, the head of SENATOR FIPP leave for Rio until this matter is settled. Penny tries to escape the Urine Good A corrupt politician, to save Hope. Bobby is thrown from the rooftop. Company. paid off by the UGC to pass fee hike laws. Little Sally tells the rebels what happened to Bobby; they are OFFICER BARREL devastated without their leader. Penny arrives to beg the Officer Lockstock’s MRS. MILLENIUM rebels not to kill Hope and confesses that she is her mother. partner. Everyone is shocked. Hope, now truly convinced of her DR. BILLEAUX father’s wrongdoing, offers to lead the revolution. Mr. Cladwell is ousted and Hope becomes the new head of the UGC, making all toilets free. For a time the people live hap- pily, but after a while, the water runs out and they begin to fall ill, left only with their dreams and high ideals. 3 Satire and Social Commentary he Uvic Writers Guide defines satire as “a manner of theater, in which ideas or lessons are the most important writing that mixes a critical attitude with wit and humor element. in an effort to improve mankind and human institu- Ttions…The satirist’s goal is to point out the hypocrisy of For Brecht, the theater was most useful as a forum for his target in the hope that either the target or the debate. His plays raised social issues that were of great audience will return to a real following of the code.” importance to his audiences – often using humor mixed in with politics. Mother Courage and Her Children (1939) Urinetown: The Musical is a satire. Starting explores the ways greedy entrepreneurs with an absurd, exaggerated premise – that help to make devastating wars possible. all the toilets in a city are controlled by one The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (1957) is greedy corporation – the show makes us a parable about Hitler’s rise to power, set laugh while it explores real social issues. It in prewar Chicago. His most famous uses the medium of theater to examine work, The Threepenny Opera (1931), is a corporate control, corruption, environmen- musical, composed by Kurt Weill, that tal conservation and the growing divide satirizes class differences and moral cor- between rich and poor.