Review: Lake Worth Playhouse's URINETOWN a Rush of Wit

Political humor and an abundance of urine aren't an obvious match for downtown Lake Worth's theatre scene. Artistic director Jodie Dixon-Mears and director Clayton Phillips decided, after many years of waiting, that the time was ripe to throw Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis' satirical masterpiece at the Palm BeacheS. Boasting a cast of strong vocalists, and the comedic timing this show requires, Urinetown at the Lake Worth Playhouse is a strong stream of wit.

The book to Urinetown is a delight- due to a water shortage, the world has to pay to urinate. A massive, monopolizing U.G.C. (Urine Good Company) runs the pay systems and manipulates its way to the top of legislation. Until one of the public urinal janitors decides to lead a socialist revolution against the masses.

Greg Kotis set his show apart from the crowd in structural experimentation- the show opens with Officer Lockstock, both a character and narrator, discussing with Little Sally the premise of the show. "Welcome to Urinetown. Not the place, of course, the musical." The show toys with the ideas of musical theatre, moving around expectations and skewing structure. Things shift the whole duration, making the ride a fun, unpredictable adventure.

Leading the charge of this show is Michael Cartwright as the head Officer Lockstock, a booming bass voice with a sharp humor. Cartwright is a genius on the stage, inventing his own comedic punches, creating new and improved jokes in the role. His voice is true enjoyment from 'Too Much Exposition' all the way to his final bars in 'I See a River'. There's nobody who could welcome an audience to Urinetown as Cartwright does.

His cohort in crime, the straight-man to Cartwright's absurd, is Ashlley Rodriguez's Little Sally. Rodriguez's clever delivery, the campy nature that floats her surrounding cast, balances the nonsense of plot. It doesn't hurt that her voice is a spectacular coupling in every song she's featured in, especially 'Tell Her I Love Her', one of the production's best numbers.

The satire's 'protagonists' are Bobby Strong and Hope Cladwell, played by Drew Spinelli and Rhiannon Karp respectively. The hopelessly poor Strong falls for U.G.C.'s heiress in a typical musical-theatre fashion, with parody of West Side Story clear in Phillips' staging. Spinelli and Karp both know to withhold the dramatics for their numbers, and work their chemistry to give stand-out duets like 'Follow Your Heart'. Karp's ditz matches with Spinelli's innocence in a way that keeps you rooting through the show, giving rise to all the great twists the second act holds.

An underrated role of the Public Amenity 9's janitor Ms. Penelope Pennywise is stolen by Kat Gold, a soaring belt that tackles the opening 'It's a Privilege to Pee' with gusto. Her over-the-top delivery is the final touches Phillips' production called for, a challenge Gold snatches up. Every time Pennywise storms the stage, tensions rise and the humor spikes. Another role usually not shown as much love as Phillips has is Officer Barrel, a riotous Emmanuel Oliver whose dancing and criminally few lines are a blast. 'Cop Song' has never been so full of soul.

The ensemble finds itself fighting for their lives, in the plot at least. Each member gives a hammy performance that fits right into the background. You have Dimitri Gann chewing the scenery is 'Snuff The Girl', Emily D'Addio's smart pregnant sheningans, and Justin Rubenstein's ridiculous faces all hidden in The Shadows. The dozen extra cast members rush between scenes, filling the important foundations of humor and staging that gives the leads the spring board to succeeding.

Between Gold, Cartwright, Rodriguez, Karp, and the rest of the cast, the vocals of group numbers ('Act One Finale', 'Why Did I Listen to That Man', and 'Look at the Sky') are a wonder. Musical director Ed Kolcz took the large numbers and whittled them to a knife, the blade dancing around the immensely difficult harmonies (the 'Act One Finale' split towards the end is hair-raising). On occasion, in the second act primarily, soloists falter once or twice, but there is strength in this production's numbers.

Nikki Allred's choreography is inspired, a retouching of the multitudes of Broadway classics. Her parodies range from the 1930s to modern (I saw that dab, Cartwright), all tasteful in their placement. Her work pairs with Chris Albert's lighting, another set of throwbacks. His color scheme varies along the show, matching the throwbacks Phillips and Allred hid, until they switch back to his Urinetown original. The more theatre you know, the more you're going to take back from Phillips love-note to the stage.

Many things could kill a show. A bad title, too much exposition, or, most likely, tackling more than the crew can handle. Many a production of Urinetown find themselves drowned in the overflow of obstacles, from the vocal difficulties, outrageous expectations, and the endless references. Director Phillips has spent enough time studying to figure out just what the show would need- a talented cast, a more talented tech team, and a lot of soul. Urinetown at the Lake Worth Playhouse is a river of wit, great music, and the type of show you shouldn't miss.

Urinetown runs through Oct. 23rd, tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

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