Review: URINETOWN is Satire at its Best at NextStop Theatre

What if you have to pay a fee to pee? NextStop Theatre's production of Urinetown: The Musical introduces us to a dystopian world in which "it's a privilege to pee." A snippet of the lyrics from the song, "Urinetown," perfectly sums up what the musical is about:

"It's the oldest story -Masses are oppressed
Faces, clothes and bladders
All distressed
Rich folks get the good life
Poor folks get the woe
In the end
It's nothing you don't know."

In this story, Officer Longstock (Ryan Manning) plays the role of the narrator while Little Sally (Amy Maniscalco) asks all the questions. The rich, led by Senator Flipp (Bobby Libby) and Caldwell B. Cladwell (Christopher Gillespie), owner of Urine Good Company, want to continue to drain the poor of their cash. When a scuffle occurs at Public Amenity #9, run by the strict Penelope Pennywise (Jennifer Lambert), Bobby Strong (Ricky Drummond) is inspired by Hope Cladwell (Emily Madden) to follow his heart. As the masses struggle under the weight of the fees, Bobby (Ricky Drummond) decides that he must be the one to save them from the oppression of the Urine Good Company. NextStop Theatre's Urinetown, directed by Walter Ware III, is a side-splitting satire with a solid cast, musical numbers, and production design.

The cast of NextStop's Urinetown is hilarious. From their line delivery to their interactions with each other on stage, they nail the satirical humor. The characters are quirky in a good way. The cast is able to take the quirkiness and run with it. The duo of Manning and Maniscalco play off each other well especially during scenes in which Sally asks Longstock questions about the musical. Bobby Libby's portrayal of the Rio obsessed, downright southern Senator Flipp is great fun to watch as he sashays around the stage doing as told by Mr. Cladwell. Gillespie is memorable as the overly tan-faced corporate tyrant Caldwell. His Caldwell eerily is spot on to the point in which one begins to draw parallels between him and his real-life counterpart.

If the satirization of the politics, justice system and corrupt corporations are too uncannily similar to real life, there is always the music to distract you.

Broadway musical lovers rejoice as they recognize songs being parodied from classical musicals such as Les Misérables and The Threepenny Opera. Standout musical numbers include "Mr. Cladwell," "Follow Your Heart," "Don't be the Bunny," "What is Urinetown?", "Run, Freedom, Run," and "Tell Her I Love Her." The choreography by Kelly Crandall d'Amboise pops the most during "Don't be the Bunny" and "What is Urinetown?" During "Don't be the Bunny", the cast sings and dances while holding cartoon carrots. "What is Urinetown?" makes creative use of plungers. Madden and Drummond's performance of "Follow Your Heart" is playful as they listen to each other's hearts in order to get closer. "Tell Her I Love Her" is a sorrowful song featuring the voices of Maniscalco and Drummond. Drummond's voice shines in the jazzy, soulful "Run, Freedom, Run."

The set, designed by Jack Golden, is an excellent urban concrete brick jungle whose aesthetic compliments the dystopian world of Urinetown. The set's levels allow the cast to be able to use the space to their advantage. The projections, designed by Sean Cox, mesh well with the set and don't distract from the actors. In fact, they often enhance the scenes that they are featured in especially during the Act One Finale. The projections are Easter eggs which are fun to look out for during the show and intermission.

NextStop Theatre's production of Urinetown is a musical that is certainly worth the wait in line...even if you have to hold your bladder.

Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes with a 15 minute intermission

Urinetown runs until June 25, 2017. For tickets and show information, please visit http://www.nextstoptheatre.org/.

Pictured: The cast of Urinetown, The Musical, at NextStop Theatre in Herndon Virginia. (toilet paper flag: Lynn Audrey Neal, top row L-R: Grant Saunders, Malcolm Lee, Dani Ebbin, Ricky Drummond, Amy Maniscalco, Teresa Danskey; bottom: Ryan Manning, Bobby Libby, Christopher Gillsespie, Jennifer Lambert, Brent Stone, John Loughney; trashcan: John Sygar.) (Photo by Traci J. Brooks Studios)

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