“Urinetown” is a ragingly raucous and hilariously heartful musical.
It was written in 1999 by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis. It first debuted on Broadway in September of 2001. “Urinetown” opened in Robinson Theatre on Feb. 29 at Colorado Mesa University (CMU).
Where to start with this show? The title seems a bit off-putting, but the cast is phenomenal. The subject matter is pressingly relevant, but the music is stunning. It’s a show about bodily functions, but the set and lighting are gorgeous.
In the weeks leading up to the opening of “Urinetown,” I have seen and heard people talking about how this show shouldn’t be done, either because it sounds like a terrible choice (based on the title) or because it’s going to be too crass (also because of the title).
Having been present for opening night, it was anything but the aforementioned negatives. This cast, which featured a whopping 18 members of the theatre department, as well as a fantastic orchestra from the music department, absolutely owned everything about this show.
“Urinetown” is a musical about the dangers of global warming and corporate greed, which only accentuates its pressing subject matter. It puts audiences in an awkward sort of position where we want to root for the hero, but may not want to admit that we constantly fall into the same trap.
Senior musical theatre major Donovan Kriskowski (Bobby Strong) and sophomore design & technology and acting & directing double major Hannah Feeney (Hope Cladwell) fed into their audience on opening night. Kriskowski walked and talked like the heroes of old, with wide stances and arms bent and slightly flexed, and he felt like a hero on that stage.
Feeney did something interesting, turning around from playing Renfield in last semester’s “Dracula,” to starring in this show as Hope, the romantic lead opposite Kriskowski. They did so well during their audition that it threw the entire casting process for a loop, delaying decisions by a couple of weeks, but oh how it was worth it.
Feeney felt alive and brilliant, stepping seamlessly into the shoes of a character who has never known darkness and who is so full of light and life that she can lift others around her and inspire people to do better.
Between her and Kriskowski, the audiences were eating out of their hands and crossing their fingers for their story to work out.
Also a standout from “Dracula,” this show sees the return of senior acting & directing major Austin Jensen, as the seemingly all-knowing and sarcastic Officer Lockstock. Jensen killed this role. His goofy grin and loose easy going energy made Lockstock one of the more enjoyable parts of the show.
However, senior musical theatre major Isa Sanchez brought the house down on opening night as the audience gasped and marveled. All night, people around me were continuously blown away at Sanchez’s incredible vocal range. From the very outset of the show, Sanchez turned all eyes on her anytime she walked on stage and began to sing.
Though the set for this show is not nearly as massive as “Dracula,” the tiered and stair covered rising platforms, drop down portals and spinning flat made this set feel like a perfect blend of utilitarianism and versatility.
I would be remiss to leave out the lighting of this show, which Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Katherine Stepank designed. The blended yellows, greens and purples did nothing but accentuate and highlight the difference in class between the two crowds of characters.
The rebel poor, with their dirty makeup and sunken eyes were washed out, sallower and appeared thinner and more disgusting in green and yellow tones. While the rich seemed more full and cleaner than anyone else when highlighted in purple.
Whatever people’s thoughts on this show based solely on its title, it is absolutely worth watching. The choral moments when all 18 members of the cast are onstage are stunning, filling the Robinson Theatre in its entirety.
