Review Roundup: What Did Critics Think of URINETOWN at 5th Avenue Theatre?

URINETOWN is running at the 5th Avenue Theatre through June 2, 2019.

This hilarious multi-Tony Award® nominee is an outrageous satire set in a fictional future where a terrible 20-year drought has crippled the city's water supplies. The citizens must now use the public pay-per-use amenities owned and operated by Urine Good Company. Citizens who try to circumvent the peeing-fee by relieving themselves in the bushes risk being taken away to "Urinetown," a mysterious place where many have been sent but no one ever returns. With fee increases in the pipeline, the poor rise up to fight the tyrannical to make the public amenities free for all to use. Urinetown is a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love and revolution.

"A declaration of the power of theatre!" -The New York Times

Nominated for 10 Tony Awards® Winner of Best Book and Best Score!

Run Time for Urinetown is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes including one intermission.

For tickets and more information, please visit https://www.5thavenue.org/show/urinetown

Let's see what the critics have to say...

Jay Irwin, BroadwayWorld: The stunning ensemble cast nails every moment and even brought in a few I hadn't seen before. And with most of them playing multiple roles and switching from desperate good guys to greedy bad guys on a dime, their characterizations abound. Nathaniel Tenenbaum gives us a hilarious sycophant as the screeching Mr. McQueen which complements the comedy gold of the greedy Senator Fipp played by Chris Enseweiler. Sarah Russell and Brian Lange stop the show (literally) as the way too pregnant Little Becky Two Shoes and the psychotic Hot Blades Harry as they scheme about winning at all costs. Leslie Law makes for the perfect beleaguered Mother as Josephine Strong. Andi Alhadeff manages her own kind of crazy as Soupy Sue. Arika Matoba is adorably inquisitive as the ever-present Little Sally. And I must mention the comedy gold of Posner who brought us a pervy German Office Barrel.

Stefan Milne, SeattleMet: While the sound got a little squirrelly, like it was turned up for a larger theater, the music and performances were hard to resist. I found one sour-faced audience member scowling through the early numbers who by the end was literally clapping along. Admittedly, she was drinking wine, but she was not alone: The Thursday night audience that I saw the show with left largely elated, gushing: "It was so good." "The songs'll be stuck in my head all week." The word incisive and its synonyms were, unsurprisingly, absent. But who comes to a musical for a sharp take on capitalism?

Eric Andrews-Katz, Equality365: Sarah Rose Davis plays Hope Caldwell, the young daughter of the Urinary mogul. Ms. Davis is delightfully wonderful adding a comic-book naivety to a powerful singing voice and an animated stage presence. Her voice is sweet to listen as she sings the optimistic "Follow Your Heart". Whether she is interacting with her powerful father, or with the beginnings of romance with Bobby Strong, Ms. Davis delivers a charming performance. Mikko Juan takes on the role of the rebellious Bobby Strong. He first appears shy until meeting Hope. The audience soars along as his gusto enthusiastically bursts forth showering the theatre in utter optimism. Mr. Juan has a strong voice when he's leading the song "Look at the Sky", or the gospel-like "Run, Freedom, Run". This is Mr. Juan's ACT debut, and we hope to see him in many future roles here and about on the Seattle stage.

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