Southwestern students had a joyful frolic with Rick Roemer's vigorous production of the smart-alecky musical Urinetown last week. This show won the 2002 Tony awards for best original score for a musical and for best book of a musical.
The show gives us a cheeky, animated cartoon story of a bleak, bleak future world when water has run out. The common folk are obliged to cross their legs and hold their own water until they can scrimp up the outrageous prices of admission to public toilets. Wicked, wicked Big Businessman Mr. Caldwell B. Cladwell in his pinstripe suit exercises the power of life and death as he reaps in the profits.
Authors Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis are cribbing bits from Bertolt Brecht, assigning cynical commentary about stage business and about the expectations of musical comedy to the imperturbably corrupt policeman Officer Lockstock (Matthew Harper, who has the smiling presence, sonority and shameless confidence of a real rascal). Lauren Knutti as his foil the indignant young idealist Little Sally represents all of the deluded who hope for a better day, and she is adorable at it.
Read more and see images at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .
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