"Welcome to Urinetown. . . .

Discussion of performing arts, including theatre, film, television, and music.
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MaidenOfTheShieldarm
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"Welcome to Urinetown. . . .

Post by MaidenOfTheShieldarm »

Not the place, the musical."

As per request. :)

I wasn't sure whether to start a Urinetown thread or a musicals thread, so this can be both! I'll change the title as necessary.

Urinetown is an amazing show. As you can probably tell, it's a satire of, well, everything. It totally breaks down the fourth wall. The title and opening line of this thread are the beginning of the show, as spoken by the narrator, Officer Lockstock. He and another character, Little Sally, have little aside conversations throughout the show in which they discuss the show and the characters in it.

The premise is this: It takes place in a sort of mythical future, in the middle of a drought that has already lasted 20 years. To regulate water, people have to pay to pee (It's a Privilege to Pee). Mr. Cladwell owns all of the "amenities" as they're called and uses them to extort money from the populace, which the rich use to go on "fact finding missions" to Rio. If you can't pay or you find other places to pee, you get sent to Urinetown. No one really knows what Urinetown is except that those who go there never come back. The heroine is Cladwell's daughter, Hope, just returned from university. She meets Bobby Strong, the assisant custodian of Amenity #9, and tells him to "Follow Your Heart," which he does.

I'm not sure how to describe it without giving things away, so please tell me if I'm being obscure. The music is fantastic and the show itself is hilarious. It satires other musicals, politics, archetypes, etc. Even so, the show manages to be very serious underneath it all and make you really care about the characters.

So, that's the show I've been working on for the last week and a half. I was a spotlight operator. We had our final run and strike today. I saw it eleven times and I'd gladly see it another eleven times. If anyone is interested in hearing the soundtrack, let me know.
And it is said by the Eldar that in the water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance else that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Ilúvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the sea, and yet know not what for what they listen.
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Post by Alatar »

Sounds interesting Mossy. Was it a professional production? I think I have the soundtrack squirelled away somewhere but I'll get back to you on that. What is the style? Could you compare it to any other musical?
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MaidenOfTheShieldarm
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Post by MaidenOfTheShieldarm »

No, it was my university's production. The actual theater, however, was that of a professional company (The Shakespeare Theater on New Jersey) which is on our campus.

I'm not entirely sure what the style is. The only thing I can think to compare the music itself to is You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, but that's not quite right. The songs range over a range of styles. The Act I finale kind of reminds me of the Phantom finale, Down Once More, etc, while Run, Freedom, Run is almost like a musical theatre version of gospel.
And it is said by the Eldar that in the water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance else that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Ilúvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the sea, and yet know not what for what they listen.
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Post by Alatar »

Well, I just had a look and the soundtrack is sadly absent from my collection. Perhaps if I could listen to it we might be able to discuss more... :whistle:
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Post by MaidenOfTheShieldarm »

What did you think of it?
And it is said by the Eldar that in the water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance else that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Ilúvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the sea, and yet know not what for what they listen.
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Post by Alatar »

Just starting to listen to it now. I got sidetracked when I "acquired" an audio recording of the LotR Musical... :twisted:
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Post by Alatar »

Well, I had a listen to Urinetown. It's interesting, in a quirky sort of way. The music has its moments, but the plot, such as it is seems a little threadbare. It seems this musical has a message, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it's supposed to be :)
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Post by JewelSong »

It's really excellent seen live, Al. They did a wonderful production of it up here in Boston - I brought my Theater Tech students and they all loved it.

It's not destined for the Broadway stage - it works best in a smaller, more intimate venue. And it IS very quirky. But I loved it - it was just fun.
"Live! Live! Live! Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" - Auntie Mame

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Post by MaidenOfTheShieldarm »

Alatar wrote:Well, I had a listen to Urinetown. It's interesting, in a quirky sort of way. The music has its moments, but the plot, such as it is seems a little threadbare. It seems this musical has a message, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it's supposed to be :)
The plot is far from threadbare. It's much easier to appreciate when you see the show, I think. The plot is much more fleshed out and much darker and the music (ie, Don't Be the Bunny) needs the accompanying visuals. For example, you miss scenes where Cladwell and the senator talk about rigging senate votes, fee hikes for the "amenities," and Bobby being sent to Urinetown for refusing to be bribed, etc etc. I wish I had video or photos I could share, but I can't find any except this one, badly scanned from our school newspaper. This is a review of our production (the top one, at Drew University with Buist and Chrissy) and this is more about the show itself, I think. It's funny, quirky, strange, and sad all at once. There is a message, but more than that it makes you think. I saw it eleven times and would gladly see it again, if that tells you anything.

Edit: I found photos! Not many, but here they are.

(What is this about "aquiring" a recording? :suspicious:)
And it is said by the Eldar that in the water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance else that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Ilúvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the sea, and yet know not what for what they listen.
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