By Nina Zipkin
Staff Writer

Greasepaint’s production of “Urinetown: The Musical” has it all; romance, intrigue, corruption, political uprising and public facilities. Mostly it’s just a lot of fun.

The show tells the story of a down-on-its-luck town in the midst of dealing with a drought that has lasted for 20 years. The water shortage has gotten so bad that having private toilets is impossible, and “everyone has to use public bathrooms in order to take care of their private business.” The public amenities are owned by a big business corporation, called “Urine Good Company” or UGC, which is headed up by the wheeling and dealing Caldwell B. Cladwell (Cody Oakley HC ’10).

People are miserable, having to scrape together a high fee just to wait in line to use the bathroom. If they’re caught not paying for the “privilege to pee” they get taken to the mysterious “Urinetown,” as a punishment, and are never seen again.

Directed by Josh Samors HC ’11, the musical was staged in the teaching theater of BMC’s newly renovated Goodhart Auditorium. The show played to a packed house on Dec. 4. There was one set doubling as UGC Headquarters and Public Amenity # 9, the poorest, dirtiest urinal in town, run by the strict Penelope Pennywise (Erin Washburn BMC ’13) and her assistant, the young, idealistic, Bobby Strong (Jeff Wildermuth HC ’10).

As the play opens, Caldwell’s daughter, Hope (Jessica Nelson BMC ’12) returns to town after being away at school to work as a fax/copy girl in her father’s office. She meets Bobby one night, and they fall in love. And Bobby, galvanized by the unfair treatment of the townspeople and his father’s exile to the mysterious Urinetown, becomes an unlikely revolutionary.

In Act II, the action mounts as secrets are revealed and the war between UGC and the poor escalates. The proceedings are narrated by a hilariously meta-cognitive duo, Officer Lockstock, gleefully authoritative, (Conor Weiss HC ’10) and astute street urchin Little Sally (Allison Keefe BMC ’11). The two put a satiric spin on the plot being carried out on stage. When Little Sally exclaims that Hope loves Bobby, Lockstock replies, “She has to love him. He’s the hero of the show.”

Samors got great performances out of his cast. Nelson gave Hope depth while still skewering the idea of the “Broadway ingénue.” She and Wildermuth played off each other well. Their first musical number together, “Follow Your Heart,” was romantic, and silly, but in a good way. Oakley tore through his scenes. “Mr. Cladwell,” the office paean to the boss, and “Don’t Be the Bunny,” Caldwell’s advice to Hope about being a winner in life, not a victim, were some of the best executed songs. The standout number from Act II was the gospel infused “Run, Freedom, Run.” Allison Elkin BMC ’10 and Jari Rizvi HC ’13 also had some nice moments as Ma Strong, and Officer Barrel, respectively.

The cast was rounded out by an incredibly hardworking ensemble, the majority of the actors taking on two roles, as a poor townsperson and a sycophantic worker at UGC headquarters. The choreography was well done, and pianist Evelyn Pan BMC ’13, did yeoman’s work providing the musical accompaniment for the show, never missing a beat. I also appreciated the costume choices made by Costumer Designer Kathleen Scalera BMC ’11 (Lil Becky Two-Shoes/Mrs. Millenium), especially in how the UGC workers were dressed, in very similar shades of purple and gray. With the sets being so minimal due the theater’s smaller size, the costumes helped to define the different spaces the characters found themselves in. The technical aspects of the show ran smoothly as well.

The play was enjoyable, sharp and fast-paced, and I’m looking forward to Greasepaint’s next production.

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