new musical at the Rep delivers laughs

Imagine if you had to pay to pee. Now imagine, on top of that, you’re flat broke—and you’ve really gotta go.

That’s the condition many characters find themselves in at the beginning of “Urinetown,” which is running at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth through May 31. A group of haggard, impoverished people stagger onto the stage, writhing and squirming as they wait their turns at the public amenity. The set includes a number of fetid toilets and a general atmosphere of squalor.

There’s been a 20-year drought, you see, and human waste threatens to contaminate the community’s dwindling water supply. The townspeople must pay a fee to use the toilet each day at the nearest public restroom, which is managed with an iron fist by Penelope Pennywise (Merrill Peiffer). She’s a singing, dancing Nurse Ratched who steadfastly espouses the dictum that “it’s a privilege to pee.”

Those who violate the law by peeing without paying are summarily carted off to a dreaded place called Urinetown by the two-man police force of Officer Lockstock (Jamie Bradley) and Officer Barrell (Chris Bradley). Nobody’s really sure where Urinetown is or what it’s like there, but it evokes the fear of exile in Siberia.

To make matters worse, the president of the company that owns all the “public amenities” aspires to raise the fee to pee. The nefarious Mr. Cladwell (Bradshaw Branch), who wears a flashy white suit and sports a mustache and slicked hair, is involved in some underhanded dealings with Senator Flipp (Miles Burns) to get the fee hike pushed through. It’s a classic case of what happens when corporate greed joins forces with political corruption.

Fighting against this tyranny is Bobby Strong (Tommy Labanaris), who gives up his custodial job at the local amenity after his father is hauled off to Urinetown. Strong, a regular working class Joe Hill, is sympathetic to the poor residents and their stressed bladders, and the idealistic lad leads an unlikely rebellion.

But the real face of hope in this story is Hope (Christine Dulong). Hope Cladwell, that is, daughter of the public amenity tycoon. She has just finished her studies and is ready to take a job in the family business, but becomes conflicted after she meets Bobby Strong and the two fall in love. Torn between loyalty to her father and her newfound romance, Hope must examine the true nature of her dad’s company. 

The satirical messages in this musical have been tackled before, but rarely have they been tackled so hilariously. With music by Mark Hollmann and writing by Greg Kotis, “Urinetown” first hit Broadway in 2001. Director Bill Humphreys assembled a truly stellar cast for this local production, utilizing actors whose vocal capacities are complemented by their comedic abilities. Peiffer as Ms. Pennywise and Labanaris as Bobby Strong, especially, demonstrate natural timing and expressive body language in their singing and acting.

The two police officers, oppressive as they are, also provide some of the play’s biggest laughs. Wearing aviator sunglasses and conspicuously short shorts, Officer Barrell is a lot like that one cop in “Reno 911,” except feistier. He’s a big hit with the audience, as is Officer Lockstock, who also serves as a sort of narrator along with Little Sally (Megan Quinn). The aside commentaries between these two lend to the play’s proclivity for poking fun at itself—including its dubious title.

Overall, “Urinetown” is kind of like a cross between “Schindler’s List” and “Idiocracy,” except less appalling than the former and much funnier than the latter (OK, it’s not like either of those films, but you get the idea). The tale illustrates the hazards of corporate power, the gap between the classes, the consequences of unsustainable environmental practices, and more.

But there’s also a twist here. Without the detestable Mr. Cladwell imposing his rule over people’s bladders, who would keep the water clean and usable? Could it be a necessary evil? And what happens when a rebellious faction stoops to the same level of moral depravity as the tyrants it formed to fight?

Serious questions, indeed. But the musical is a lot less serious than all that, and you’d be hard-pressed not to laugh out loud through much of it. And here’s the kicker—we might be laughing at ourselves a little bit, too. Because as the play ultimately reveals, we’re all in Urinetown.