West End's URINETOWN Supports World Toilet Day

Today, Wednesday 19 November, the cast of the multi Tony award-winning musical Urinetown, directed by Jamie Lloyd shows support for the UN recognized event: World Toilet Day.

Urinetown is a hilarious and satirical musical set in a futuristic, dystopian society where the Earth's water supply has been depleted, therefore making private toilets unthinkable and against the law.

Urinetown the Musical shares and supports the aims of the UN recognised event, World Toilet Day - an international day of action against the global water crisis - to break the loo taboo and draw attention to the global sanitation challenge.

World Toilet Day is not just about toilet humor, or an attempt to make toilets sexy. World Toilet Day has a serious purpose: it aims to stimulate dialogue about sanitation and break the taboo that still surrounds this issue. In addition, it supports advocacy that highlights the profound impact of the sanitation crisis in a rigorous manner, and seeks to bring to the forefront the health and emotional consequences, as well as the economic impact of inadequate sanitation. - Quote, The World Toilet Organisation.

The production has an existing partnership Water.org, to support and raise awareness about the very real water crisis our world is facing today.

Water Crisis Facts:

· 780 million people in the world lack access to safe water. 2.5 billion lack improved sanitation.

· 1 in 9 people don't have safe water to drink. 1 in 4 doesn't have a toilet.

· Every minute at least one child dies due to a water-related illness.

· More people in the world have access to a mobile phone than a toilet.

"The best sort of theatre engages directly with the world. It may be great fun, but it should also be vital and apposite, and perhaps, instigate a broader discussion. Urinetown's dystopian future does not have to be a prediction unless we make it so. We are delighted that the production can assist the mission of Water.org whilst keeping its audience laughing along the way." Jamie Lloyd, Director, Urinetown.

Urinetown The Musical is running at the Apollo Theatre until 10 January 2015. Phill Jupitus joins the cast from 1 December in the role of Caldwell B. Cladwell, the tyrannical president and owner of Urine Good Co.

The current cast includes the Olivier Award winning Jenna Russell (Penelope Pennywise), star of the RSC, Jonathan Slinger (Officer Lockstock), EastEnders' Marc Elliott (Mr. McQueen), critically acclaimed actor and playwright Simon Paisley Day (Caldwell B. Cladwell), rising star Matthew Seadon-Young (Bobby Strong), BBC's The Voice star Nathan Amzi (Officer Barrel), Chris Bennett (Swing), Katie Bernstein (Little Becky Two Shoes/Mrs. Millennium), Alasdair Buchan (Swing), Cory English (Old Man Strong/Hot Blades Harry), Madeleine Harland (Soupy Sue), Rosanna Hyland (Hope Cladwell), Karis Jack (Little Sally), Julie Jupp (Old Woman/ Josephine Strong), Aaron Lee Lambert (Billy Boy Bill/ UGC Executive), Mark Meadows (Senator Fipp), Christina Modestou (Swing), Joel Montague (Swing), Jeff Nicholson (Tiny Tom/ Dr. Billeaux), Kane Oliver Parry (Robbie The Stockfish) and Vicki Lee Taylor (Swing).

Urinetown is a sharp-witted rampant riot of a show that tells the tale of a town fit to burst; spending a penny can prove problematic in a place where the privilege to pee has become a punishable offence. There is no such thing as rent free relief until our young hero, Bobby Strong, appears - with more than a good set of pipes - and starts a revolution!

URINETOWN The Musical originally ran on Broadway to great acclaim from 2001 until 2004 and was nominated for ten Tony Awards, and won for Best Book, Best Score and Best Direction. In addition, it also won three Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, two Obie Awards and the Drama League Award for Best Musical.

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