Review: Arizona Broadway Theatre Presents URINETOWN ~ Wicked Pissah!!

Think of "funny" as the defense mechanism against fear. This is the angle of Greg Kotis's and Mark Hollman's dark satirical musical, URINETOWN ~ that you have to laugh if you don't want to cry over the seemingly inevitable and horrid consequences of chronic environmental neglect.

Well, friends, "funny" is what's on tap in Arizona Broadway Theatre's current production of the show, directed with a steady hand by Renée Kathleen Koher and accentuated by Stephen Hohendorf's energetic choreography.

In fact, the show is wicked pissah! (The term is Bostonese for pretty darn good! And it's also kudos to an actor whose stage work I've long admired and has now applied her theatrical chops in an outstanding debut as a director.)

The stage is set for this contemporary tale of talking-truth-to-power when the cop of the walk, Officer Lockstock, breaks the fourth wall and briefs the audience on Urinetown's back story. As the show's cynical narrator and chief patrol officer, Josh Pike is a hoot, imbuing his role with a keen comic sensibility, a commanding voice, and an emphatic swagger.

In a city-without-a-name that could be any city anywhere (in the wake of a twenty-year drought), all public toilets, euphemistically called amenities, are subject to harsh fees. Violations of the restrictions are punishable by exile to a mysterious place called Urinetown.

The rationing of water and pay-to-pee facilities are regulated by Urine Good Company. (In this show, it's the puns that freely flow!) UGC's CEO, Caldwell Cladwell (Braiden Lee) is the self-appointed and self-righteous savior of the city. He knows what's good and necessary for the folks far below his towering suite and has no qualms about greasing the skids with the help of an unscrupulous politician (Landon Kalinowski).

Down at the street level, Penelope Pennywise (Jazmin Moehring) is the stern traffic controller of Public Amenity #9, where the pee-needy wait in line with bladders aching to be liberated. Whatever relentless commitment to order she has will dissipate when other instincts overcome her. There's a riddle yet to be solved!

Of course, every oppressive regime, (think Les Mis!), requires heroic and idealistic rebels who will charge the ramparts to proclaim and reclaim their freedom. Bobby Strong (Kieran Klaphake), an assistant to Pennywise, rises to the challenge when his father (Ethan Drew) pees at will and is carted off to Urinetown. That's enough to piss him off, declare his independence, and mobilize him to lead the resistance.

What else could fire the flames of Bobby's animus but a big crush! URINETOWN is nothing short of campy when, in another of several nods to classic Broadway musicals, it arranges for our hero to discover a kindred spirit. Enter Hope (Cassie Miller), Cladwell's daughter and UGC's heiress-apparent who tosses aside corporate fame and fortune to join the insurgency. Problem is, she gets kidnapped by the rebels as ransom for their demands.

Yes, there has to be a waif, a street urchin that sees with a child's eye the truth of the streets. So, we have Little Sally (Zoey Waller) who rankles Lockstock with her astute observations and irreverent questions. She is the other lens through which we come to learn what and where Urinetown really is. Another riddle awaiting resolution.

It's no exaggeration to say that each of these performances and those of the supporting members of the ensemble are outstanding. Their characters are finely defined and crisply portrayed, a tribute not only to their talents but also to director Koher's astute direction and Cassandra Klaphake's casting savvy.

Lee and Klaphake deliver the vocal goods as they embody the polar opposites of corporate greed and progressive idealism. Kalinowski's Senator Fipp is the epitome of sleaze. Cassie Miller is charming as Hope. Waller is a jewel of genuine innocence and street smarts. Put them all together and you have a chorus of rich songsters who bring Broadway-style panache to their roles.

And then, there's the amazing Moehring. The range of her voice is jaw dropping, as evidenced in her delivery of It's A Privilege To Pee. And, in her hands, Pennywise is a powerful stage presence. Her exaggerated movements and sassy attitude cover up a tangle of emotions that unravels as her loyalties are challenged.

Likewise, laurels go to Kurtis Overby for his well-balanced music direction; Rebecca Ryan's mood-appropriate lighting and Jesse Worley's crisp sound design; and Carter Conaway's costumes.

Hope springs eternal ~ but not enough to stem the tide of drought and repression. While Bobby's band of rebels hold fast to their cause, alas, the playwright has chosen to flush their liberal fantasy down the toilet.

You can't leave the theatre without realizing the insanity of humankind's denials...but, hold on, Kotis knows you can't let an audience go home feeling doomed. So prepare for being uplifted and returned to complacency by the company's rousing rendition of the gospelly I See A River.

My bottom line: Run on down to ABT's Mainstage. URINETOWN runs through November 14th. Inasmuch as Lockstock observes that URINETOWN is not a happy musical, Little Sally reminds us that the music is so happy!

Poster credit to ABT

Arizona Broadway Theatre ~ https://azbroadway.org/ ~ 7701 W Paradise Lane, Peoria, AZ ~ 623-776-8400