By Urinetown: The Musical, a Tony award-winning, satire play that spoofs capitalism, corporations and musical theater will premiere this week at the Long Beach Studio Theater as part of its fall 2024 season.
Presented by CSULB’s professionally modeled theater organization, the California Repertory Company, or Cal Rep, performances for this new adaptation began Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a total of 10 performances split over two weeks before ending on Oct. 13.
The show is directed by Daniel Nakawatase, a Long Beach State graduate with 12 years experience working with students in theater arts.
Choreography is by Liz Hoefner Adamis, and musical direction is by Anthony Lopez, according to a press release sent by Cal Rep graduate assistant Drew Olvey.
Described as an “irrelevant comedy,” the story takes place in the not-too-distant future where, following extended droughts that have made water a scarce commodity, all personal use toilets have been outlawed.
When nature does call, megacorporation Urine Good Hands (UGH) provides public toilets for all citizens to use, for a fee, of course, as peeing isn’t free.
Those unable to pay and caught relieving themselves in public are arrested and taken to the mysterious and reviled “Urinetown” as punishment.
When citizens, including hero Bobby Strong, are fed up with the toilet totalitarianism they rise up in revolution.
Told in two acts, the satirical show spoofs politics and ideas but enters meta-territory where, as described by in a press release, it “takes on a wide variety of musical cliches and winking nods to [other musicals] such as West Side Story, Evita, Les Miserables, Guys and Dolls, and many more.”
Urinetown had its debut premiere in 2001 in an off-Broadway production based on the book by Greg Kotis and music by Mark Hollmann. Both Hollmann and Kotis shared original lyrics credit.
Kotis, the show’s original writer, said he first got the idea for the show in 1995 while backpacking through Europe and experiencing a public pay toilet for the first time.
Tickets for the show are available here.
“Urinetown: The Musical” full performance schedule:
- Thursday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. – Followed by opening night reception
- Saturday, October 5 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m.
- Thursday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, October 12 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, October 13 at 2:00 p.m.
