Stage Review - Urinetown (Bainbridge Performing Arts)

Stage Review - Urinetown
Presented By: Bainbridge Performing Arts - Bainbridge Island, WA
Show Run: October 11 - October 27, 2024
Date Reviewed: Thursday, October 10, 2024 (Preview)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

It’s funny how things work out sometimes. You can go a whole lifetime and not see a particular play, and then you see that same play twice in the span of four months. That’s Urinetown for me. This is a musical that was first produced in 2001, after writer Greg Kotis had visited a pay toilet on a trip to Europe, and until this past July, and the Ballyhoo Theatre production of Urinetown, it’s a show I didn’t have a chance to take in. And now, with the season opener at Bainbridge Performing Arts (BPA), I’ve now seen it twice in this short span of time. The first takeaway is that boy, I wish I had seen it before. Urinetown tackles so many important issues, unchecked capitalism, socioeconomic disparity, greed, climate change, and corruption, just to name a few, and it does so in such a funny and self-deprecating way that it is most definitely a new favorite. For the details of the plot and the background of the show, head back to see my review of the Ballyhoo production, but the Cliff’s Notes version is that Urinetown is both the name of the musical, and a place. As a result of a 20-year drought, a company called Urine Good Company (UGC) has controlled and rationed the water supply by limiting access to it and other resources and by forcing the populace to use public, pay toilets, and penalizing those who don’t follow the rules by sending them off to, yes, Urinetown. There’s an undercurrent of rebellion when rates to use the facilities are raised as a way to pad the pockets of the government, which is under the financial thumb of UGC, a rebellion kicked into high gear when the father of one of the locals gets sent away to Urinetown for not being able to wait to use the legal facilities. Add to this the arrival of the UGC CEO’s daughter to town, who forms a relationship with the rebellion-leading local and a story of oppression, corruption, divided allegiances, and revolution comes to bear. It’s a story that Shakespeare would be proud of, a comedy and tragedy all wrapped into one package, and it’s a musical that any fan of the genre will fall in love with. It satirizes so much, including theatre and musicals themselves, and does so in a way that presents its message without being preachy. The Bainbridge Performing Arts production, on stage at the theatre’s Buxton Center, runs through October 27.

Director Jalyn Green has produced what I can only categorize as a complete musical. Across the board, the creative team has come to play, and it shows in all aspects of this show. Erik Furuheim’s set screams post-industrial, highlighted by distressed metal and concrete set pieces that immediately set the stage and the tone of the program. The three predominant locations in which the show takes place are Public Amenity (Toilet) No. 9, the Urine Good Company office of CEO Caldwell B. Cladwell, and the secret hideout of the rebellion, and while the pieces flanking the stage remain constant, their stairs, railings, and landings used to support the movement of this show, and there is a lot of movement, larger components slide on and off to reveal at which location a particular scene is taking place. Each piece is creative and is accentuated by Robert Falk’s lighting to make them stand out. There’s a lot of creativity in this set, from the town sewer entry points, to a desk that becomes part of the choreography, along with an excellently lit UGC logo in Cladwell’s office, and finally the coup de gras Urinetown manhole cover that you’ll know when you see it. BPA seems to be giving Erik the freedom to develop his scenic designs, and he’s continued his excellent work from last season with this year’s opener. And on the lighting, Robert’s work here stands out as well. Other than some preview night missteps on spotlighting, the lighting most definitely adds to the telling of this story, and not just by its brightness in the UGC offices or the dimness representing depressive life in the streets, it’s things like a scene where two actors are looking into the sun, or the backlighting of the Urinetown skyline, or that professional looking UGC logo, that only looks that way because of the lighting. Matt Hadlock’s work in sound is a bit more subtle, though I give him credit for even balance among the vocalists and between the singers and the live band, which, under the direction of WIll Sanders, is as professional sounding of any community theatre performance as I’ve seen, or heard. All that said, Matt does know how to present a good “splat”! Dawn Janow’s costumes are also well designed, especially in the coordination of clothing among the individual groups. There’s a continuity of tone between all of the costumes worn by the locals, designed with more earthy browns and greens and so forth, while the corporate uniforms are brighter and more solid. There’s never any doubt which side each person is on, simply by looking at the design of their clothing. And rounding out Jalyn’s creative team is choreographer Philippa Myler, but her work deserves a separate paragraph.

A show like Urinetown can be a challenge for a music director or a choreographer, if for no other reason than there are so many different musical styles presented. For example, there’s what could be considered more classical Broadway, jazz, gospel, and big band, just to name a few. There’s a number that feels like a take on Les Mis, another that screams West Side Story, and others that feel like every other musical style imaginable. Music Director Will Sanders has to make sure that the actors understand the multiple genres they’re asked to perform, and the nuances of their individual styles, while choreographer Philippa Myler needs to design dances and movement that work within the constraints of, while also taking advantage of, Erik’s set pieces, and at the same time match the style of the music. This is a big reason I love shows like this, they test the versatility of the design team and the choreographers in particular. The Bainbridge production of Urinetown is so well done in this aspect, I can’t say enough about it. Each number has constant movement, circles become lines, desks become part of the dances, and the actors are fully in character the whole time. Dance steps are not simple, but each actor is precise in their work with them. It’s just quite lovely, the varied styles, the detail of the moves, and the expressiveness of the actors.

And these actors are expressive whether they’re performing their choreography or not, or even whether they’re at the center of a particular scene or somewhere in the background. It’s part of what makes this show work so well, how dialed into their roles each of them are. In fact, a lot of the humor in Urinetown comes from their over-expressiveness, but don’t get me wrong, they never cross the line into absolute corniness, unless it’s on purpose. The first example of this, and also how the play is structured, in all of its irreverent glory, is Officer Lockstock and his partner Officer Barrel. Get it? Lockstock and Barrel? If you got that right away, you’re a step ahead of me. That’s just one example of the creative wordplay and double entendres in the writing of Urinetown, and I did eventually get it, it only took me until the second act of the second time I’ve seen the play. But there’s a lot of it, and there are certainly a lot of pee jokes, but they all seem to be strategically placed to work, they never feel squeezed in. While Lockstock is responsible, along with his partner, for keeping the peace, which here means making sure all of the laws associated with releasing oneself are followed, he’s first and foremost the show’s narrator. Sebastian Floyd Hulburt plays Officer Lockstock in this production and is so good in the manner in which he tells the story, at times to the audience and at times to Little Sally, one of the younger locals, whom Lockstock has taken a shine to. Sebastian is an engaging storyteller, even when he’s telling the audience something they don’t necessarily want to hear. Sally is played by Sydney Swalberg, and is one of the many surprises of this show. The Sally character is sort of a foil to Lockstock, in both his narrator role and as a policeman. Sydney is extremely funny as Young Sally, and while she’s good there, it’s her singing that is truly exceptional, her voice is powerful, and in character. She’s just one example of this, another is Rachel Brinn, who plays the gatekeeper of the “public amenity”, Penelope Pennywise. The highlight of Rachel’s vocal performance is when she leads the ensemble of poor people in “It’s a Privilege to Pee”, and she’s strong in portraying the tough exterior that Penelope has in her part of enforcing the laws regulating access to the public bathroom. Back to Lockstock and Barrel, though. This pair is really good together, Sebastian as Lockstock and Elizabeth Dangelo as Barrel. In “The Cop Song”, they lead an ensemble of police officers in their anthem, which involves some amazing choreography, and showcases their ability to sing, and especially highlights Elizabeth’s talent in dance. Honestly, the nice thing about having an even balance of volume among all of the actors, since nobody is overpowering anyone else, you can focus on each individual and hear their specific voice, which means that you can hear how good each member of this ensemble is in voice, which includes Abby Dickson (Little Becky Two-Shoes), Sarah Conte-Bacolini (Hot Blades Harry), Amy Jo LaRubbio (Josephine Strong), Jo Johnson (Soupy Sue), Dolly Lane Courtway (Tiny Tom), Kestrel Rundle (Robby the Stockfish), and Christine Dove (Billy Boy Bill). Most of these actors aren’t just part of the poor community in Urinetown, they also do double-duty as members of the UGC ensemble and officers in “The Cop Song” group. They all show a versatility in being able to manage their acting for sure, but it’s in their singing and dancing where they really excel. All this comes together in Act 2 with “Snuff the Girl” and “Run, Freedom, Run!”, each a showstopper in themselves combining all of the wonderful aspects of this musical, but together they’re a juggernaut, building the show to such an energetic climax that carries the show through to its emotional conclusion. These are numbers that simply blow the roof off of the Buxton Center and personify all that is good about this version of Urinetown.

At its heart, Urinetown turns out to be a battle between good and evil, the latter represented by UGC and its CEO Caldwell B. Cladwell, played by Jessica Robins. Jessica is so engaging in this role, so evil, and so dramatic. It’s a professional-level performance that contains so much stage presence that it’s hard to take your eyes of Jessica when they’re on stage. Their movement, voice, and tone of delivery is exactly what should be expected from this character, but Jessica brings so much more to Cladwell, an intangible that I can only describe as almost enchanting. Their bluesy performance of “Don’t Be the Bunny” for me is the highlight of Act 1. Cladwell’s partners in crime, literally, are Senator Fipp (Robert Craighead) and Ms. McQueen (Kate Pippinger). None of these characters care at all about the plight of the poor, they’re just after enough money to fund a trip to Rio, and Robert, Kate, and of course, Jessica, are all so convincing in their characterizations. On the other side, fighting for the right for people to pee wherever and whenever they want, is Bobby Strong. Anden J. Leo is Bobby, the boy who is spurred on by his father being whisked away to Urinetown. Bobby’s father Joseph “Old Man” Strong is played by Alan Brinn in a turn that sees him exhibit a good deal of humor, especially in his entrances later in the program. Anden, though, is supurb, and his chemistry with Olivia Ingram, who plays Cladwell’s daughter Hope, excellent. Hope enters the picture, having just come from college to intern at UGC, and soon becomes torn between loyalty to her family and her feelings for Bobby. Feelings that, quite frankly, are palpable in the duet “Follow Your Heart”. The pair are a very sweet together, a lot of that coming down to the way Olivia portrays Hope, who is, frankly, the hope for Urinetown. Olivia is wide eyed and a bit naive as Hope, but as the character finds her footing through Act 1 and especially into Act 2, Olivia’s performance gets better and better. In a cast of wonderful and talented singers, Olivia excels.

Oh, lest I forget about Erik Furuheim, and his work on stage, which is in addition to his work behind the scenes on the set design and build. Erik has the fewest lines in the show, and is maybe on stage the least, as UGC’s Dr. Billeaux, but not only is he solid in this supporting role, he has what may be the laugh out loud funniest moment of the show near the end.

Urinetown, the musical that takes aim at capitalism, government corruption, socioeconomic disparity, and so much more, is something that is extremely relatable, and has a serious message to present, but does so in such a fun and funny way that you almost won’t realize what it’s trying to say until it’s already been said. The Bainbridge Performing Arts production is as complete a show as it gets, and with this incredibly talented cast, under the direction of Jalyn Green, and with a design that is superb, Urinetown is one of the most irreverent, humorous, and enjoyable shows out there.

Urinetown runs on stage an Bainbridge Performing Arts’ Buxton Center for the Performing Arts through October 27. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org/.

Photo credit: Adam Othman