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Winter 2017: Urinetown

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Maggie Devine-Sullivan

  • Don't miss our production of "Urinetown" -- February 17-26.

URINETOWN
Book and lyrics by Greg Kotis
Music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann

February 17-19 & 23-26
The Moore Theater

A Theater Department MainStage Production
Tickets available at the HOP Box Office NOW!

This hilarious and touching social musical is full of greed, love and – TOILETS!

In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage caused by a 20-year drought has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he's had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom!

Inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, Urinetown is an irreverently humorous satire flush with smart, high-energy numbers that temper its depiction of a drought-crazed dystopia in which a single malevolent company profits from one of humanity's most basic needs. A Tony-winning musical that offers a whip-smart look at a future in which water is worth its weight in gold.

JAMIE HORTON director
KEITH COUGHLIN co-director/choreographer
KEVIN A. SMITH music director
MICHAEL GANIO scenic designer
JULIE SOLOMON ’17 associate scenic designer
LAURIE CHURBA costume designer
DAN KOTLOWITZ lighting designer
TODD J. HENDRICKS sound designer
STUDENTS IN THEA 41 stage managers

RELATED EVENTS:

Our Dystopian Moment: 2017 and the Politics of Urinetown (panel discussion)
Tuesday, February 21, 4:30pm at the Top of the HOP
Dystopian stories are often meant to warn us of certain dangers looming on the horizon. Through its depiction of a post-apocalyptic world in which a corporation controls water consumption, Urinetown conveys a clear warning of state corruption and climate change.  But what purpose might dystopian narratives serve in our post-election moment, when the warnings have perhaps come too late? Might we find hope in theater?  Please join director Jamie Horton, Professor Steve Swayne from the Department of Music, and theatre scholar Daniel Sack from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst for a discussion on how the dystopian vision of Urinetown resonates for audiences today.  Members of the cast will perform a brief excerpt from the show to spark the discussion, which will conclude with a reception on the Urinetown set.

Post-Performance Discussion
You are invited to remain in the theater immediately following the performance on Friday, February 25, for an informal discussion with the director and members of the cast.