Well it’s a hard, cold, tumble of a tourney, jumble of a journey to Urinetown! Actually, it’s a long drive, and it’s pretty hot outside, all the way up to Rising Sun for Urinetown. But my friends, I say— you have to run, freedom-run-freedom-run-awaaaaaay— up there to go and see this fine production! Campy, humorous, creative, clever, with all sorts of piss-taking songs and a company 32 strong in that little black box of Street Lamp Community Theatre, this Urinetown is worth the trek. Directed by Eric Bray Jr. with Musical Direction by Mia Bray and Choreography by Christi Janney & Eric Bray Jr., you’ll laugh, you’ll clap…hopefully you’ll pee before the show, else they’ll box you up and ship you out and call it Urinetown!

Kevin Woods and Andy Wehner have elevated the platform that hugs the back wall of the black box to create ‘levels’ for this bathroom play. Quite literally— scenery is painted-on shower curtains and the UGC executive desk is a washroom sink and the desk chair/kidnapping chair is a porta-potty chair. (And there are toilets in the lobby-thruway, snag a pic on one and tag them on social media!) Eric Bray Jr. and his design team are leaning into the campy nature of the production and its paying off. The light work is used to tremendous effect, especially when initially lighting the masses in what can only be described as urine yellow. And the costumes are some of the most authentically distressed that I can recall seeing in quite some time. Pennywise’s utility belt— complete with plunger, toilet brush scrubber, AJAX, and liquid toilet bowl cleaner just to name a few— and her rust-distressed overalls, which match Bobby’s, are one of my personal favorites. And all the members of the UGC get personalized UGC buttons to wear on the various lab boats and blue tops. An when “The Cop Song” hits, every ‘authority’ costume in the SLCT wardrobe is comedically on display for the dancing segment of that number.

Director Eric Bray Jr. keeps the show perfectly paced. Not too fast, not too slow, and surprisingly enough— not too crowded despite the number of bodies featured in the production! (The intimate black box nature of Street Lamp’s present performance space doesn’t always lend itself to shows with larger casts but Bray Jr. does an impressive show of keeping a handle on that!) Public Amenity #9 even has a pop-out window where people pop through and it’s cheeky. Of course one of the most clever things that Bray Jr. does is the ‘chalk outlines.’ And I don’t really want to spoil what that entails but it’s funny and a great way to address limited spacing in the intimacy of the black box while still getting a campy, humorous point across. And his opening directorial bid, which has Officer Lockstock engaging in a little audible private business just out of sight, is hysterical and an excellent choice for this show.

Mia Bray is a master at tempo, blends, and richly full authentic sounds when it comes to working this group of 32 through their musical paces. Bray is giving intensity with articulation where required and it makes for an exquisite aural experience. Even that bumpy “I’m Not Sorry (Reprise)” harmony blend sounds good with Bray guiding the performers through it (Mark Hollmann was trying something when he strung the music together for that number; it didn’t work.) Add to Bray’s musical genius the fun and zesty choreographic routines of Christi Janney & director Eric Bray Jr. and you’ve got a spunky fun good time on stage. The link-arm shuffle line that happens in three different groups during “What Is Urinetown?” is really fun to watch, as is all the acrobatic chaos being executed during “Snuff That Girl.”’ And what musical would be complete without a kick-line? Bray Jr. & Janney give you one during “Mr. Cladwell” including the song’s eponymous character as the center point. The choreography is sharp, often staccato informed, and is impressively spread out so that it doesn’t look or feel scrunched despite the physically limiting spatial constraints of the stage.

You’ve got an ensemble 25 deep— some rabble, uprising poor, pee-minded folk, some UGC uptight executive folk, and some who even get character names! Featuring Sofi Becherer, Caine Blosser, Isabel Bray, Kalea Bray, Rose Cochell, Eliana DeVoe, Victoria DeVoe, Abbey Edwards, Lannon Fritts, Alana Guardipee, Lindsay Hamilton, Cory Huber, Anna Jones, Kelly Koncurat, Megan Koncurat, Alexa Lehnert, Brannon Marshall, Beth Ostrusky, Sarah Paxton, Brayden Piccolo-Klein, Lindsey Serio, Abigail Standish, Alexandria Stevenson, Jess Simonson, and Mo Tacka. Personal ‘tickle-the-funny-bone’ moment of the show goes to Kelly Koncurat in a scene where something campy-over-the-top is happening, a full beat occurs and then Koncurat turns to face the audience and literally says the word “GASP.” instead of gasping. It’s hilarious and on-brand for the breed of humor that Greg Kotis intended for the libretto.

You get Caine Blosser and Beth Ostrusky as the ‘aids’ to Cladwell, as Senator Fipp and Mr. McQueen, respectively. Blosser embodies her best sleezy-creep dynamic and a nice vocal pop from her during “Why Did I Listen to That Man?” and Ostrusky who is the embodiment of physical nerdiness, bouncing up and down with an eager-to-please attitude and crestfallen bunny facial expressions when things aren’t quite looking up for McQueen.  Isabel Bray, playing Tiny Tom, picks one of the most hilarious vocal affectations for her callback joke line, making her sound not unlike a muppet, and it sticks to your ribs in the silliest sense. She plays opposite of Brannon Marshall in that moment, he’s Old Man Strong, and his physicality for that character is on point. Of course you get a nice vocal sampling from Marshall when he switches into Hot Blades Harry for the second act.

As Hot Blades Harry, Marshall goes toe-to-toe line-for-line with Alana Guardipee (as Little Becky Two Shoes) and they’re all fired up and vocally burning the house down during “Snuff That Girl.” Guardipee even has mismatched shoes as a character choice and when she’s swinging, slinging, and strutting her way through that number you won’t be able to keep from clapping and bouncing around in your seat. The choreography in that number is really high-octane and gives all the right energy to match the music too. And while there isn’t an opportunity for ‘Ma Josephine Strong’ to have such comedic antics, Sarah Paxton finds that moment— mostly up on the top-deck when she calls Bobby out with that line “a stallion?” during “What is Urinetown?” and the pair repeat the same link-arm shuffle dance as the more numerously grouped sections did on the main stage area of the floor earlier in the song.

Gooey eyed, simping hardcore, and really great with that affected comedic timing, Kwame Coker as Officer Barrell knows how to draw attention to a bit part. For the most part, you’ll find Coker appearing at exactly the right moment, eyes all a-bug for Lockstock and it’s pretty priceless. Lockstock (Matthew Peterson) is a law onto himself. With that barrel-boom voice, which is perfect for the comedy written into the role, Peterson isn’t afraid to dive into the self-awareness of the show. He’s got some hilarious dance moves and a stellar powerhouse sustain that really puts punch and panache into the end of “What is Urinetown?” and the very finale moment of “I See a River.” And his interactions with Little Sally (Sadieanne Cole) are precious. As Little Sally, Cole is a pip and a hoot and all that jazz. She perfectly embodies that youthful innocence that’s been conscripted to the character and plays up her facial expressions and vocal outbursts divinely. It’s really quite something and when she’s making her cheeky running commentary with Lockstock, it’s a scream. Plus she’s got a great vocal style for singing, so win-win all around and keep your eyes on her during “Snuff That Girl” for some bonus wild dance moves!

If you want a sleazy, unctuous villain; Al Ulozas has got you covered in that thin layer of oily grime that makes you feel disgusting no matter how many times you wash your hands. It’s not vile, it’s not wholly nefarious, it’s just gross and you’ll be living for it. Particularly when he starts barking in Bobby’s face for “Act I Finale.” Of course you get a taste of Ulozas’ vocal capabilities in the number immediately before that, “Don’t Be The Bunny” (which again, great creative choreography happening here!) and his that fake earnestness he infuses into “Mr. Cladwell” is cheeky as hell plus he gets a powerhouse sustain at the end of that number which he nails without question.

Penelope Pennywise (Cathy Koncurat) is a nasty-wasty skunk-like character that I’ve never seen played any other way until I watched Koncurat roll through it last night. The bristly, gritty edges are all still there, the roughness, toughness, gruffness, particularly when she’s blasting out at Old Man Strong, and rage-belting her way through “Privilege to Pee.” But there’s some intricately layered nuance going on with Koncurat’s character as well; a sophisticated layer of character development that almost seems out of place for such a campy musical. She’s worried; she’s human, and it’s extremely subtly but you can catch it every now and again and it’s a really fascinating choice that works— because no one else is trying to do it. You’ll notice it most intensely during “Act 1 Finale” before the chaos breaks loose and Bobby and Hope are on the main floor and she’s up on the deck, watching. She never takes her eyes off of Hope. Koncurat has powerful vocals, a curious and exceptionally well-executed character development and it puts a refreshing flush on Pennywise that you would never expect.

Our meet-cute couple of distressed lovers, Bobby (Chris Williams) and Hope (Kaitlyn Jones) are the ooey-gooey mushy-stuffs that ingenue couples were made to be. They’re both playing sincerity-for-camp and camp-for-sincerity in spades and it works just fine for this production. Both Williams and Jones have extraordinary voices that when blended together, like during “Follow Your Heart” almost make you forget that you’re watching a kitschy send-up-spoof-style show. Jones’ soaring sound is delicate and syrupy, while Williams’ lands a more robust tone, particularly when singing “Look at the Sky.” And he’s a comedic crack-up during “Run, Freedom, Run” and has all the body language, gestures, and dance moves to go along with the character.

It’s a really delightful production and even if you’re not the biggest fan of self-aware comedy musicals, this one is extremely well produced, directed, and executed. So what is Urinetown? Well, Urinetown is here— err… there. There being Street Lamp Community Theatre. For two weekends! Don’t miss them!

 

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours with one intermission

Urinetown plays with Street Lamp Community Theatre— 5 Valley View Drive in Rising Sun, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 658-5088 or purchase them online.