Stage Review - Urinetown (Ballyhoo Theatre)
Stage Review - Urinetown
Presented By: Ballyhoo Theatre - Edmonds, WA
Show Run: July 19 - July 28, 2024
Date Reviewed: Friday, July 19, 2024 (Opening Night)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
I’m not sure what has been more enjoyable, seeing Urinetown for the first time, as I did this past Friday when I experienced the opening night performance of the Ballyhoo Theatre production of the Tony Award winning musical, or researching the history of it and how Greg Kotis was inspired to create and subsequently develop the piece, which made its Broadway debut in 2001. The show is an extremely funny and satirical look at unchecked capitalism and its contribution to socioeconomic disparity, power and corporate corruption, and politics in general. It’s a show that, while tackling some pretty big issues, does so in a way that never takes itself seriously. It’s a fourth-wall breaking, irreverent comedy with a funny name that was inspired by a visit to a pay toilet while Kotis was traveling as a student in Europe. In the world of Urinetown (the musical), a twenty-plus year old drought has led to a severe water shortage, resulting in a consolidation of “personal relief” by forcing everyone to only use public, pay toilets. The toilets are under the control of a corporation called “Urine Good Company” (UGC), one of many plays on worlds deployed by Kotis, and they are the only place citizens are allowed use the bathroom. Relieving themselves anywhere else, against a wall, or in a bush, failing to pay, or not cooperating in any way results in arrest and exile to Urinetown (the place). The status quo has persevered for years, that is until a new chess piece jumps on to the board, the daughter of UGC’s CEO. She, and a select few accomplices who have had enough of her father’s corporation’s control and oppression, decide to fight back. What follows is a musical that doesn’t just tell this story of “fighting the man” with a satirical look at the topics at hand, but also one that targets itself with its style and humor, poking fun at every genre of musical theatre, lampooning shows like Les Miserables, West Side Story, and so many more. At the end of the opening night performance of the Ballyhoo production, directed by Shileah Corey, I finally understood what the fuss was about, and why Urinetown is loved by so many theatre fans that I know.
The design is simple enough. The show is being presented in the Black Box Theatre at Edmonds College and is a prime example of how a show that is funny, entertaining, and smart can be told without a lot of flash or complex sets and design pieces. In fact, the set is minimal, and Craig Marshall’s lighting and Andy Brooke’s sound design aren’t over the top, they are more supportive of the storytelling than anything, but there’s something about they way Shileah has put this together that makes it seem so much bigger than its design would indicate. The least simple piece of the creative design is probably Shileah’s costumes. There are three groups of people in Urinetown, the poor segment of the population who are dressed in worn and weathered clothes, their dress and makeup design commensurate with their socioeconomic position, the administration and staff of UGC and its allies, each clad in clean and neatly pressed pastels, except for the CEO, he’s in white, which may be the biggest irony of the show, and finally the police, officers clad in the standard style blue uniforms. The costumes tell their own story, and provide context to the people and places in the largely sparse set. There’s also the choreography. Jordan King is responsible for that here, and what I love about shows that employ so many different musical styles is seeing how choreographers handle that variety. Jordan hasn’t just matched the musicality of the show, but he’s done it with just as much humor infused into his design as Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann (original music and lyrics) have written into the show.
Ultimately, though, it’s the cast that is the collective star of this show, and what strikes me about it is that the group is generally so young, while their performances are so mature, so complete, so well-prepared, from top to bottom portrayals that bely their ages. It really gives me a lot of hope for the future of theatre here in Seattle and beyond, with this level of ability in song, dance, and acting. Some of the work here is as good as what I’ve seen on the professional stages in Seattle. This starts with the leads, with Peter Wujek as Bobby Strong, assistant to Penelope Pennywise (Rylynn Davis) at one of the public lavatories. When a girl comes through the area, someone who is clearly not from “around those parts”, Bobby is immediately smitten. The girl turns out to be Hope Cladwell, daughter to UGC CEO Caldwell B. Cladwell. Hope is played by Harper Flynt in a role that sees her as the wide-eyed newcomer to town, fresh out of college and raring to go to work at her father’s company, naive to the control he exerts over the populace. There’s a lot to like about every portrayal here, but Harper’s is extremely good. From her perfectly timed hair flips, to her sweet and hopeful attitude, her performance is delightful, it’s funny, and it’s good, not to mention her vocal ability, as displayed in her duet with Peter’s Bobby in “Follow Your Heart”. The two are sweet together, and Peter plays Bobby with a determination that compliments Hope’s intentions. Bobby is the de facto leader of the revolution and Peter takes charge in this role, also very good vocally and in movement. He’s extremely energetic and fun to watch. Contrast that to Hayden Treves’ performance as Caldwell B. Cladwell. Hayden’s Cladwell is schlocky and slimy, a capitalist of all capitalists, and someone who is the sheer definition of corruption. Hayden oozes smarminess in his posture, his tone, and his capability in song and dance is at a very high level. The number “Don’t Be the Bunny” tells the audience everything they need to know about this character. It’s a very well designed number and extremely well performed. When you’re the evil character in a comedy, it’s important to maintain that appearance, while making sure to keep it humorous. Well done by Hayden to manage that balance. The fact that he comes across as evil as he does is a testament to how good his work is here. Then there is Penelope Pennywise, the attendant at the pubic toilet where much of the action of Urinetown takes place. Rylynn is as strong in this role as her character is in upholding the law. Underneath the rough exterior, it’s clear there’s a heart, but it’s one that’s conflicted, Penelope needs to balance old feelings with responsibility. I enjoyed watching Rylynn manage this layered character, and her singing voice is just as strong as the character is.
Urinetown consists of a fairly large cast, twenty-one if my math is right. And Shileah has produced something that feels like a big performance, with a big cast, but the small space never feels crowded. Ensemble-wise, the group is excellent together, and what I noticed especially is how confident each and every actor is in their performances. In a cast of this size, there is usually one or two that skate along, perform the steps, sing the notes, say the dialogue, but that’s it. Here, everyone is bought into their characters and they each put everything they can into their work. Rose Scott is a prime example as Officer Lockstock. Rose’s Lockstock is not just the chief officer in charge of upholding and enforcing the law, but Lockstock is also the show’s narrator. Rose’s character speaks directly to the audience, explains what they’ve seen, what they’re about to see, and leaves it for those in attendance just to sit back and watch. Her humor comes from the way she plays the character, completely straight and serious. Typically, in the show, at her side is Little Sally, one of the poor children, inquisitive and not as resigned to fate as some of the others before they join the rebellion. Sally is played by Kylie Sammons, and Kylie is the surprise of Urinetown (the musical). As the saying goes, big things come in small packages, and Kylie’s voice is big, strong, and just good. It was a pleasure to see this young and talented cast introduce me to Urinetown in such an entertaining way.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Urinetown through the years, though I’ve never seen it until last week’s opening night performance presented by Ballyhoo Theatre. Performed by a cast that is talented, confident, and strong, and under the direction of Shileah Corey, this production on one hand makes me wish I hadn’t waited so long to see Urinetown, but on the other hand I’m glad that this was my introduction to it. A funny, irreverent, and tragically topical comedy, Urinetown is a show that will entertains from start to finish.
The Ballyhoo Theatre production of Urinetown runs on stage at the Black Box Theatre at Edmonds College through July 28. For more information, including tickets, visit https://ballyhootheatre.org/.
Photo credit: Gabriel Corey
