Sporting a premise kooky enough to be downright ridiculous campy theatre, Encores! Urinetown returns to the stage after its original Broadway run over two decades ago. What once felt prescient in 2001 has now evolved into relevancy once more. While the entire show is fiercely satirical in nature, the deeper messages about respecting the homeless community, affordable living for all, and faceless corporations lording their power over the common man for profit have perhaps never felt more timely. A comprehensive ensemble cast, led by angel-voiced favorite Jordan Fisher, truly makes this production a hilariously engaging gem from start to finish. Sure, the book may be a little flimsy—ironic, given that the Broadway production won a Tony for Best Book of a Musical—but Urinetown has no problem taking the (literal) piss out of itself along the way. Supercharged by a meta approach and seamlessly flipping between belting tunes and laugh-out-loud comedy, Urinetown impresses even with its silly title.
Greeting theatregoers at the sprawling New York City Center, impressive decor lines the walls and bathroom stalls. Even the urinals are on-theme for Urinetown, and the mirrors are a staunch reminder that it is “a privilege to pee.” Well before I took my seat from the fifth row, I was swept up in the immersive nature of the whole experience. If there is one show that will drive people to the bathrooms during intermission, it would be this one. After the curtain rises, the orchestra is visible on the top tier of the stage, with the central portion comprised of urinal stalls lit up on either side. Through the show, the unique staging shifts and uses urinals, desks, scaffolding, and every section of the stage they can, including the top tier amongst the orchestra. The bareness of the setup was never an issue for me, but could prove problematic for a harsher critic. Being swept up in the ferociously dark story and sharp comedy, it was hard to be critical of an Encore performance’s staging; in my opinion, they did the best they could with the space they had.
The narrator, Officer Lockstock (Greg Hildreth), happens to be a terrible person. But Little Sally (Pearl Scarlett Gold) could not possibly know that so early in the show. The duo are our first introduction to the strange dystopia. As Officer Lockstock explains, in the world of Urinetown (the show, not the place), due to drought and general greed, the people no longer have access to regular use of toilets. Instead, they must pay to use “public amenities,” courtesy of the Urine Good Company corporation, run by cutthroat visionary Caldwell B. Cladwell (Rainn Wilson). If caught publicly relieving themselves or breaking the law in any way, the poor folks are sent off to “Urinetown.” Throughout the musical, sporadic check-ins with Officer Lockstock and Little Sally slowly reveal horrifying truths regarding this new system of controlling the masses.
Our story begins at Amenity #9, the “poorest, filthiest urinal in town.” Bobby Strong (Jordan Fisher), assistant custodian, opens up for the morning rush beside his boss as he divvies up portions of toilet paper. Unfortunately, at my matinee performance, Keala Settle, who normally plays stern head custodian Penelope Pennywise was out; her understudy, Tiffany Mann went on instead. Mann was not completely off book, but for a show with such a limited run, that was totally excusable. Mann still managed to sell it in a big way as she hit the high notes. The zippy opening number, “Urinetown”, lets the poor folk jump in on the action. Unfortunately, a major disturbance of the peace soon occurs that will permanently shake up the status quo. Old Man Strong (Kevin Cahoon) lacks the funds to use the facilities, and uncontrollably pees nearby. The two-cop police force shows up to cart him away to Urinetown, setting a cruel precedent. Bobby loses his father to some unknown land, and the seeds of a rebellion are born.
Enter: Hope Cladwell (Stephanie Styles), the daughter of CEO Cladwell, starting her first day at the company as a tax copy girl. A casual flirtation develops between naive Hope and bleeding heart Bobby. In “Follow Your Heart,” an adorable duet that blends two strong vocals spectacularly, they take turns hearing each other’s hearts. Not long after they share a kiss, Bobby is already proclaiming his love to the “big heart in the sky.” Bobby becomes the de facto face of the resistance, opening up his amenities for free to all who come. This action sparks an ultimate confrontation that makes Act II just as fun to watch as the first.
The majority of this ensemble has been perfectly cast. As Cladwell, Rainn Wilson channels the exact correct level of smarmy cockiness. He even needs a team to be lowered off of his desk at the office. As Senator Fipp, Josh Breckenridge plays a super-creep who slaps himself with cash, and gets off on imagining Hope in a compromising manner. Styles also soars as Hope, leaning into the preposterous nature of her character’s obliviousness. The real revelation and by far my favorite aspect of this show was Jordan Fisher’s performance. Anyone who has seen the performer live will probably be quite familiar with his soothing tones and extraordinary vocal range. Urinetown allows Fisher to embrace his whistle-tone falsetto in bold, gospel-esque grandiosity. “Run Freedom Run” truly brought the house down, resulting in several minutes of rapturous applause. The rest of the cast undergo seamless wardrobe changes and, in the case of Kevin Cahoon, eye-catching physical transformations as well.
Despite obvious metaphors and a perhaps overly simplified love story, Urinetown still manages to shock and surprise. For a satirical dystopian comedy, the narrative goes to some especially unsettling places. Surprising even to someone often jaded by the typical cliche musical theatre structure, expecting a typical feel-good happy ending may result in disappointment. Still, the whole affair remains meta enough to never take itself too seriously. Even the hysterically tragic “Tell Her I Love Her” remains broadly painted with strokes of comedy. See it while you can—without a Broadway transfer, the amenities at Urinetown will only be available for just a little while longer.
Urinetown pisses on the stages of the New York City Center, now through February 16th.
