'Urinetown' is sassy and outrageous

By Kathleen Allen

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Review

"Urinetown"

• Book, lyrics: Greg Kotis.

• Music, lyrics: Mark Hollmann.

• Director: Richard T. Hanson.

• When: Various times through May 4.

• Where: Marroney Theatre at the UA's Fine Arts Complex, North Park Avenue and East Speedway.

• Tickets: $29, discounts available., 621-1162

• Et cetera: Contains mature themes, violence.

If you pee, you pay.

It's a simple premise that rules the deliciously self-conscious "Urinetown," which Arizona Repertory Theatre opened Wednesday.

There's a horrific water shortage, see, and the government has turned over regulation of the liquid to a private enterprise, Urine Good Company. Its solution: charge for the privilege to pee.

Despite the name, this is not a good company.

It's led by the megalomaniac, Caldwell B. Cladwell. His office is in a big high-rise. On one wall is his portrait; the picture on the other wall changes regularly, from Rudy Giuliani to Eliot Spitzer to Dick Cheney.

Cladwell's goal isn't water conservation; it's making lots and lots of money, and paying off cops and politicians so he can make more.

He has made all toilets public and costly. No in-home toilets are allowed. No public elimination. No sneaking behind the bushes. If you are caught — and you will be — you are sent off to Urinetown. Urinetown is a big-time dead end.

Naturally, the poor suffer the most, have the seediest facilities and are punished most harshly. Hmmm. Sounds familiar.

The play won three Tony Awards back in 2002.

It spoofs everything from "Les Misérables" to "West Side Story," ties in some economic and political theories, takes heavy influences from 1930s musicals and movies, and still seems wholly original. And it is scrumptiously outrageous.

This Arizona Repertory Theatre production, directed by Richard T. Hanson with just the right amount of sass and irreverence, revels in all that outrageousness.

And the audience does, too.

These student actors are clearly having a ball performing the Greg Kotis/Mark Hollmann play, and you can't help but go along for the bumpy ride.

Add to that some sumptuous voices singing tunes that range from gospel to rock to Jewish folk songs, and you've got a musical evening designed to sit back and enjoy.

Kyle Harris' role as young Billy Strong, who leads the rebellion against Urine Good Company, was perfectly earnest. Harris has an enthralling voice, but he also has some solid acting chops — even portraying an over-the-top character, he seemed deeply rooted and honest.

His love interest, Hope, the golly-gee daughter of the big, bad Mr. Cladwell, is given a hokey and captivating innocence by Stefanie Brown, whose voice has gotten fuller and more glorious in her four years at the UA.

Christopher Violett's Cladwell was so out there that you couldn't help but love the greedy ol' guy. And Violett's rendition of the ridiculous "Don't Be the Bunny" was a howler.

Among the others who helped make this an impressive production were Richelle Meiss as the bright, ironic Little Sally, and Scott Reynolds in a small but quite funny role as a corrupt politician.

The choreography, also the work of Hanson, was alternately elegant and silly. In short, the moves were just what the song and the story called for.

Hanson, who has been on the faculty at the UA since 1982, retires after this semester. "Urinetown" is a fine punctuation to his UA career — it lovingly spoofs many of the musicals he directed over the years, uses his considerable skills well and gives the audience a rollicking good time.