URINETOWN THE MUSICAL Book and Lyrics by GREG KOTIS Music and Lyrics by MARK HOLLMANN URINETOWN was produced on Broadway in September, 2001 by the Araca Group and Dodger Theatricals in association with TheaterDreams, Inc., and Lauren Mitchell.
CAST LIST
Officer Lockstock - Liam Nelson Little Sally - Lilly Mecham Bobby Strong - Seth Brinkerhoff Hope Cladwell - Lexie LaFeber Caldwell B. Cladwell - Chris Knowlden Penelope Pennywise - Madison Rigby Senator Fipp - Tanner Linford Mr. McQueen - Tyler Call Officer Barrel - Jordan Brown Hot Blades Harry - Tobey Griffeth Little Becky Two-Shoes - Ireland Pritchett Soupy Sue - Hannah Elmer Tiny Tom - Kyle Crezee Joseph 'Old Man' Strong - Brady Evans Josephine 'Old Ma' Strong - Paige Holliday Robby The Stockfish - Sam Della-Piana Billy Bay Bill - Kaleb Nelson Cladwell's Secretary - Lindsey Wolthuis Mrs. Millenium - Siatyl Fawcett Dr. Billeaux - Ryker Knowlden
Police, UGC Executives, and Rebels Aubrey Anderson Aubrey Darrington Caleb Turner Coleman Crawford Dawson Wangsgard Devon Geppelt Elizabeth Lund Emilee White George Martinson Gwen Dahlin Halle Hart Jackie Hall Jed Bullock Kimberlee Monson Lauren Henley Matthew Mower Mykenzie Preisler Nathan Burnett Nate Norman Olivia Burt Rachel Poll Savanna Chertudi Sydni Anderson Tavita Fewell Theron Peterson Zac Nielsen Zach Oveson
LIST OF SCENES AND MUSICAL NUMBERS
Act One
Overture Too Much Exposition – Lockstock and Company Urinetown – Full Company It's a Privilege to Pee – Pennywise and the Poor It's a Privilege to Pee (Reprise) - Lockstock and the Poor Mr. Cladwell – Cladwell, Hope, Mr. McQueen, and the Office Staff Cop Song – Lockstock, Barrel, and Cops Follow Your Heart – Hope and Bobby Look at the Sky – Bobby and the Poor Don't Be the Bunny – Cladwell and the Office Staff Act One Finale – Bobby, Cladwell, Hope, and Company
Act Two
What is Urinetown? – Little Becky Two Shoes, Hot Blades Harry, Cladwell, Bobby, Little Sally, Lockstock, and the Poor Snuff That Girl – Hot Blades Harry, Little Becky Two Shoes, and the Poor Run, Freedom, Run! – Bobby and the Poor Follow Your Heart (Reprise) – Hope Why did I Listen to that Man? – Pennywise, Fipp, Lockstock, Barrel, Hope, and Bobby Tell Her I Love Her – Little Sally, Bobby, Soupy Sue, Tiny Tom, and Josephine We're Not Sorry – Little Sally, Hot Blades Harry, Josephine, Soupy Sue, and Company I'm Not Sorry (Reprise) - Cladwell and Pennywise I See a River – Hope, Little Becky Two Shoes, Josephine, and Company
PRODUCTION STAFF
DIRECTOR MARK DANIELS
DIRECTOR / CHOREOGRAPHER LINDSEY POLL
MUSIC DIRECTOR LEIGH MARRIOTT
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR / STUDENT TEACHER ZION AUSTIN
STAGE MANAGER TICHELLE BLAYLOCK
ASST. STAGE MANAGER OWEN LARSEN
SOUND DESIGN KAEL WARD / ALEX JACKSON
LIGHT DESIGN JACOB REID / MADISON FORSBERG / ASHTON SMITH
ASST. PRINCIPAL QUINCEY MOGOLICH ASST. PRINCIPAL RYAN WAITE
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
I grew up in a family that lived and breathed all things sports. Baseball was our main focus, but college football and the Jazz were equally important. I was in high school when musical theatre became a big part of my life, and to my family’s surprise, theirs as well. I tried to catch up with my lack of knowledge of all things musicals (I didn’t see Sound of Music until I was 18), so when my University decided to produce Urinetown it gave me an unexpected crash course on iconic musicals wrapped up in humor. I didn’t have to be an expert to see the dialogue was quick-witted and poked fun of the typical musical, with young love and the downtrodden rising above the elite. Even with a narrator making fun of the show itself (yes, we know it’s a bad title) made it a musical I always wanted to get my hands on and choreograph. So, when Mark and I got the green light to produce the show, my goal was to help newbie theatre goers get a taste of what they’ve been missing and still give a nod to veteran theatre goers as well. I hope you get a kick out of the many styles of musical theatre weaved throughout the show. Music like, Les Miserables (Look at the Sky), Fiddler on the Roof (What is Urinetown?), Chicago (We’re not Sorry) and West Side Story (Snuff the Girl).
Lindsey Poll
WHAT'S IN A NAME
The idea for the Tony Award®-winning musical Urinetown came to writer Greg Kotis while traveling through Europe as a student on a tight budget. He tried to save money by eating in cheap restaurants and sleeping in train stations. When he discovered that many of the public restrooms in Europe were pay-per-use, he also avoided going to the bathroom as much as possible. That’s when the idea for a place like Urinetown began to form in his mind. “It would be a grand, ridiculous reflection of the world as we know it to be, complete with rich and poor, the powerful and the powerless, a government controlled by industry and an industry that exists apart from and above us all.” He wrote in the introduction of the published version of the show.
When he returned to the United States, Kotis approached his friend and collaborator Mark Hollman with his idea. Kotis and Hollman had both been active in Chicago’s improv-comedy theatre scene and had written five full-length plays and two musicals together. Much to Kotis’ surprise, Hollman loved the idea of Urinetown and began to write music right away. And so, the journey of this quirky and delightful musical was set on its course.
Once you get past the unsavory title, Urinetown, is a side-splittingly funny musical. In the preface to the published script, composer Mark Hollman describes his rule for the show: “a joke is funnier if you don’t smile while you’re telling it.” The musical’s satire begins with an absurd premise—all of the toilets in the city are controlled by one greedy corporation. As a satirical comedy, the show makes us laugh while also exploring very real social issues of corporate greed, the growing divide between the rich and the poor, and environmental conservation. Through humor and parody, Urinetown tackles some of the most pressing issues in contemporary society.
SPOILER ALERT
HAIL MALTHUS! At the end of Urinetown, Officer Lockstock and the company cry “Hail Malthus!” Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834) was a British economist and demographer best known for his theory that population growth will eventually outrun the food supply. He believed that as population grows faster than resources, poverty, famine, and disease are unavoidable. His theory and his argument for strict population control become known as Malthusianism. Many of his ideas were later proven to be false. However, the mention of his name in the musical reminds us that even predictions that seem ludicrous and dire can become reality if we are not carful.
WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE
In the musical Urinetown, the people of the city are suffering from a twenty-year drought that has caused a devastating water shortage. Here are some tips to save water and avoid a future like that in the show.
WAYS TO SAVE WATER INDOORS
Check for and fix leaks, including checking your toilets for silent leaks.
Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Don’t pre-rinse dishes.
If purchasing fixtures or equipment, choose water-efficient models.
WAYS TO SAVE WATER OUTDOORS
Weed and mulch: Add 2-3 inches of mulch to the soil surface.
Never leave a hose running; always use a shut-off nozzle.
Check for and fix leaks.
Wash your vehicle at locations that recycle the water.
Use a broom rather than a hose to clean sidewalks, driveways, and patios.