The Arts HUB in Lafayette puts dystopian satire 'Urinetown' on stage

Sep. 13—Patrons may want to use the bathroom before settling in to watch a dark, political satire about pee, presented by The Arts HUB.

The Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way in Lafayette, will present the musical "Urinetown" from Friday through Sunday and Sept. 22-24.

"Urinetown," written by Greg Kotis, is a satirical musical set in a dystopian world where a severe drought has caused private bathrooms to be outlawed. All public bathrooms, or "amenities," are controlled by the giant, evil corporation of Urine Good Company, which has been progressively raising the fee to pee.

One day, the character Bobby Strong has enough of it and starts a rebellion against Urine Good Company, but he finds himself falling in love with the CEO's daughter Hope Cladwell (a role that's been double-cast and played by Lyndsay Krausa and Hailey Ewing).

The premise of the musical is perfectly silly as it starts with Officer Lockstock, played by Josh Quitmeyer, taking a lap around the audience and explaining the exposition of the musical with Little Sally (a role double-cast and played by Molly Fickes and Natalie Behunin) while singing the song "Too Much Exposition."

Quitmeyer said being able to break the fourth wall is incredibly fun and joked that some unexpecting audience members look like unprepared students in a lecture hall.

Lockstock and Little Sally speak directly to the audience to explain that Urinetown — the place, not the musical — is where people get sent to when they use the bathroom without paying. Urinetown is a mythical place "filled with symbolism."

Director Jason Lindsay said if "Urinetown" was not as funny, it would make for a pretty bleak tale.

"Between the songs and the humor, it ends up being a lot of fun," Lindsay said.

He noted that the cast has had fun finding hidden jokes in the script.

Bobby works at the grimiest and cheapest Public Amenity 9, operated by the strict Penelope Pennywise (a role double-cast and played by Shauna Marble and Rachel Brady). One day, Bobby's father Joseph "Old Man" Strong does not have enough money to use the bathroom, and can't hold it, so he begs Pennywise to let it slide just once. "Old Man" Strong then publicly urinates on the streets and is carried off to Urinetown by Lockstock.

As Urine Good Company CEO Caldwell B. Cladwell plans to further increase amenity fees, his new copygirl, his daughter Hope, exclaims she never knew "large, monopolizing corporations could be such a force for good in the world."

Bobby is distraught over seeing his father carried off to Urinetown, and he tells Hope how upset he is after the two meet, and he explains how upset he feels. They both just want a world where people can be happy and pee for free.

When the fee hikes are announced, Bobby decides enough is enough and announcing he's creating a new law where everyone can pee for free.

Pennywise runs to CEO Cladwell to tell him about the rebellion, although the two seem to have some history together. Cladwell tells Hope their job is to stomp out the poor. When Hope, Cladwell and Pennywise arrive at the amenity, Bobby realizes Hope is Cladwell's daughter, so he takes her hostage.

Act 1 ends with Lockstock breaking the fourth wall again and telling the audience the police can not catch the rebellion because they are moving in slow motion and they should enjoy the intermission.

Bennet Forsyth, who plays Bobby, noted the end of Act 1 is his favorite part of the musical as it ends with the catharsis of the oppressed class finally standing up for themselves in a song cleverly named "Act One Finale."

"There are so many great moments where people are standing up and fighting for themselves, in a funny way and also a serious way," Forsyth said.

He hopes people walk away from the theater with the courage to stand up for themselves.

Lindsay has loved "Urinetown" for many years and has always been a project he wanted to direct. He said, jokingly, that he was "passive-aggressively" pushing for The Arts HUB to present the musical.

"In many ways 'Urinetown' flies in the face of conventional musicals and thumbs its nose at traditional love stories or the traditional story of the hero's journey. It gets away with a lot of stuff because of the comedy, " Lindsay said.

Quitmeyer said it has been a fun challenge for the cast to find the balance between playing serious characters who are stuck in a silly situation.

Brandon Warren, music director, said the musical is fun and complex. Because the musical is so self-aware, he said the music is like a "tour of musical theater," showcasing jazz, gospel and traditional theater ballad songs.

Songs from Act 2, like "What is Urinetown," alludes to "Fiddler on the Roof" and takes notes from the musical "Chicago." Warren said the music is incredibly fun while allowing the actors to show off their musical ability.

Standout songs from Act 2 include "Snuff That Girl," where the rebellion decides killing Hope is a good way to get back at Cladwell but Bobby is able to talk them out of it with another standout "Run, Freedom, Run."

The musical ends with "I See a River," a hopeful song that leads to the not-so-hopeful end of the musical. As things slowly fall apart in the last minutes of the show, Little Sally says, "what kind of a musical is this?" Lockstock goes on to speak directly to the audience and explain the demise of this dystopian society.

While the musical does not end on a high note, and the musical states it is not a happy one, audiences can still learn to not just fight, but fight for sustainable change.

Tickets for "Urinetown" presented by The Arts HUB range from $15-28 and are available to purchase at tinyurl.com/UrinetownArtsHUB.

More information about The Arts HUB is available at artshub.org.