[NEohioPAL]Berko review: URINETOWN (Beck Center)

[Roy Berko]

Beck’s ‘Urinetown’--bad name for a musical, but great
production


Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	


Every once in a while a musical opens and you wonder
about the wisdom of the producers and the writers in
selecting the name for the show.  A prime example is
Beck Center’s show, URINETOWN:  THE MUSICAL.”  Even
the script makes fun of the moniker it was dubbed
with.  Don’t let the title turn you off, the show is
not only fun and meaningful, but the Beck production
is extra special.

The idea for the play came to author Greg Kotis  when
he visited Luxembourg and was confronted with having
to use the city's pay-per-use toilets.  He, along with
his friend Mark Hollmann, developed the show. 

Theatrical producers took one look at the title and
subject matter and wouldn’t take on the project. 
Luckily, Kotis and Hollmann happened upon three of
Cleveland’s own, who at that point in their careers
were fledgling New York want-to-be legends. 
Westsiders Matt and Mark Rego and Hank Unger had
already produced ‘VAGINA MONOLOGUES’ and were ripe for
another hit. They optioned the script, mounted an
off-Broadway production, and, against the odds, they
became the Big Apple’s new “wunderkinds.”  They have
gone on to produce the likes of ‘WICKED.’

‘URINETOWN:  THE MUSICAL’ won the 2002 Tony Awards for
Best Direction, Best Book, and Best Music and Lyrics. 


Don’t think of the show as a light bit of escapism. 
It is fun, in fact, a total delight, but it also has a
serious underbelly.  This is a tale of greed,
corruption, love and revolution in a city where water
is worth its weight in gold.  Messages pervade, such
as what happens when big business is given the right
to control our lives.  Think of the pharmaceutical and
medical companies and their stranglehold over our
health.  What happens when citizens have their rights
taken away from them?  Think Patriot Act and prisoners
being held in jail without being officially charged
with a crime.  What is it like to be lied to
continually in an attempt to push a political and
economic agenda?  Think of the missiles of mass
destruction hoax, resulting in the Iraqi war, and the
amount of money being made by the oil and
military-industrial complex and influential public
officials.  Think of the rape of the environment
caused by loosening the clean air act.  The fantasy of
the situation described in ‘URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL’
has become near reality.

Beck’s’ production is outstanding!  I enjoyed this
creation even  more than the New York or recent
Cleveland Playhouse Square offering.  Scott Spence
pulls out all the stops to completely capture the
necessary farce without losing the meaning and
controls the tendency to go overboard with shticks.  

Martin Cespedes insured himself of another Times
Theatre Tribute with his amazing choreography.  Larry
Goodpaster gets a nod of approval for this musical
direction even though some of the music under the
spoken scenes was too loud and drowned out the actors.
 Don McBride’s scene design, which paralleled the
Broadway sets,  was excellent.  Ali Hernan Garrigan
did her usual “run to the thrift store” to find the
right grubby clothing.

The cast is excellent...not a weak link in the chain. 
Matthew Wright is delightful as Officer Lockstock, the
narrator.  He builds a wonderful rapport with the
audience and can do a double take with the best of
them.    His voice has an ironic sound that brings
many a reaction from the audience.   Betsy Kahl
(Little Sally) is wonderful as his foil.  Whether
singing or whining her lines, she is delightful.  

Colin Cook is physically appealing and portrays the
perfect innocence of good-boy Bobby Strong.  He has a
well modulated  voice and interacts effectively with
Maggie Stahl (Hope) the daughter of the tyrant who
controls the local urinals and is Bobby’s love
interest. .  Stahl’s’ rendition of “I See a River” is
a show highlight.   

Greg Violand, who normally plays the handsome mature
love interest in productions, takes a turn at being a
bad guy in this show.  He does it well with a big
dynamic vocal range and strong acting talents.  His
version of “Don’t Be a Bunny” is hysterical.   He was
so successful in playing the villain the audience
booed him during the curtain call.

The choral sounds are excellent, the dancing
wonderful.   The orchestra was well tuned.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:   Beck Center has undertaken a
difficult task in choosing to produce ‘URINETOWN.’  
They not only succeed, but are flush with success! 
This is THE musical to see!

For tickets to’URINETOWN’’  which runs through October
9 at the Beck Center for the Arts, call 216-521-2540.


Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.

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