If you have ever wondered what life would be like without the right to pee for free, then “Urinetown” is for you.
The Tony award-winning musical comedy opened this weekend at the Baton Rouge Little Theater’s Second Stage and will run through Sunday.
“It’s the funniest show with the crappiest title,” said lead actor Steven Bailey, theatre freshman.
He plays Bobby Strong, a starry-eyed revolutionary who leads a rebellion against the Urine Good Company, a private corporation that charges a pretty penny to carry out the most basic and private of human needs. Because of a 20-year drought, all private amenities have been outlawed to save water. Any person caught relieving themselves outside of the appropriate facilities is carted off to Urinetown and never seen again.
In one scene, after warning Little Sally that revealing too much information about the place would ruin the surprise for the audience, Officer Lockstock immediately lets slip, “There is no Urinetown. We just kill people.”
This type of smart, tongue-in-cheek humor defines the play, according to director Keith Dixon, University adjunct theatre professor.
“It doesn’t take itself too seriously and doesn’t let the audience either,” he said.
Theatre freshman Marion Bienvenue, who plays Little Sally, said Urinetown pokes fun at past musicals, musical clichés and, of course, bodily functions.
“We do have our fair share of bathroom humor, but I don’t think it overpowers the piece,” Dixon said.
The show parodies other musicals like Les Misérables, Chicago and West Side Story.
Bailey said it is one of the reasons he auditioned. “This show gives you a chance to caricature everything about musical comedy,” he said. “But at the same time, there is a socially driven ulterior motive.” Urinetown not only pokes fun at other musicals, it also takes light-hearted jabs at capitalism, bureaucracy and small-town politics. Dixon said the play asks whether people learn from their mistakes, and the play does so in a funny way. “The greatest thing about Urinetown is anyone and everyone can enjoy it,” Bienvenue said. “Even if you aren’t into musicals, it’s entertaining.” But Dixon warns, “If you’re easily offended, this show is not for you.” He said performing at the Second Stage gives him more freedom to do what the mainstream audience might not enjoy. The space is a 99-seat black box theatre featuring newer, more cutting edge shows, according to Dixon. “I think it is a testament to Baton Rouge that we had nearly as many turn out for auditions for Urinetown as Showboat,” he said. The performances also start later at 7:30 p.m. every day except Sunday, when the show starts at 2 p.m. “Don’t eat beforehand,” cautions Bailey. “We talk about pee. A lot.”
Editor’s note: The times were corrected on the Web site version of the article.
—Contact Lauren Walck at [email protected]