Musical Theater Heritage Stages URINETOWN, Now thru 11/22

Musical Theater Heritage (MTH) will present Urinetown: The Musical, by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis, winner of three 2002 Tony Awards. Performances will take place Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays @ 8pm, Saturdays @ 2pm & 8pm, and Sundays @ 2pm, tonight, November 5, through November 22. All performances will be held in the main stage at Musical Theater Heritage in the Crown Center Shops.

Tickets range in price from $17 to $55 and can be purchased by calling the MTH box office at (816) 221-6987, or by visiting www.MTHKC.com. Group discounts are available, as well as a *KIDS COME FREE program for kids and teens 16 and younger (1 free kid?s ticket for each 1 paying adult. Parents must call to purchase).

The idea for Urinetown was born when composer Greg Kotis, traveling in Europe, encountered pay-per-use toilets in Paris. Traveling on a budget, he found he had to decide to use his spare change to have something to eat, or use the amenities. It was then that the musical?s central idea hit him: a Gotham-like city where all the toilets were controlled by a greedy, crooked corporation called "You're In Good Company" with no concern for the poor, bladder-oppressed masses.

The result is pure, hilarious and innovative entertainment. "Urinetown" parodies many popular musicals and theater conventions and playfully pokes fun at itself. Urinetown is also rich with social commentary about the American economy, and the division between rich and poor.

In 1999 Urinetown got its start when became the hit of the New York City Fringe Festival, which led to a commercial production, opening at the Henry Miller Theater in 2002. It won Tony Awards that year for Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. Today "Urinetown" is very popular with regional, community & school theaters thanks to its off-beat humor and the variety of its songs.

Don Richard, from the original cast of Urinetown on Broadway, returns to Kansas City to play the role of Officer Lockstock. Richard was also seen in Musical Theater Heritage production of Sweeney Todd in 2012 playing the title role and receiving much critical acclaim.

Urinetown features 22 Kansas City local favorites, including Kip Niven & Julie Shaw. The production is directed / music directed by Sarah Crawford and conducted by Jeremy Watson. A pre-show talk will be given at every show by MTH founder and radio host, George Harter.

MTH?s live productions were spearheaded by George Harter and Chad Gerlt, producing shows in Kansas City since 2003. Recently the two signed a long-term contract with the Crown Center Redevelopment Corporation, making the Crown Center Shops their permanent home and have agreed to provide Kansas City with 180 performances each year. They have also acquired the two unused movie theaters in the complex and converted them into additional performance & rehearsal space.

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