[NEohioPAL] PRESS RELEASE: CVLT summer musical is anything but 'toilet humor'

[Chagrin Valley Little Theatre]

  *PRESS RELEASE*
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: 7-14-08

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact: Andrew Rothman
From: Chagrin Valley Little Theatre

40 River Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44122
Phone: 440-247-8955
E-mail: cvlt at cvlt.org <mailto:cvlt at cvlt.org>
Website: www.cvlt.org <http://www.cvlt.org/>


        PLEASE DOWNLOAD HIGH-RESOLUTION PRESS PHOTOS from
        www.CVLT.org/promo <http://www.cvlt.org/promo>


    CVLT summer musical is anything but 'toilet humor'

CHAGRIN FALLS, OH - Gas prices are high, the stock market is down, and 
housing is in a tailspin. Times are certainly tough. But imagine how 
much tougher things would be if all private toilets were banned and the 
company that owned the public amenities charged an ever rising cost for 
their use? That's the dark premise of the satirical hit musical 
/Urinetown/, which opens July 25th at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre. 
Don't let the title fool you - this neo-Brechtian absurdist melodrama is 
anything but an indulgence in toilet humor. /Urinetown/ instead indulges 
in making fun of greed, corruption, and Broadway itself through the 
hilarious music and lyrics of Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann. Songs such 
as "Too Much Exposition", "Don't Be The Bunny" and "It's a Privilege to 
Pee" are sure to have you doubled over... and that's only Act 1! This 
wildly unconventional was nominated for an impressive 10 Tony Awards, 
winning for Best Book, Score, and direction. It also won the Drama Desk 
and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical.

With a story as unlikely as its title, /Urinetown/ takes us to a 
destitute city suffering from a 20-year drought, where a single 
malevolent corporation forces citizens to pay up for admission to public 
facilities or be sent off to a Guantanamo-like secret prison referred to 
as "Urinetown". Up from the cross-legged masses rises a brave young man 
named Bobby Strong (Kenny Fadeley) who is willing to start a revolution 
against the U.G.C. (Urine Good Company) for the basic needs of his 
fellow man. A singing and dancing cast of twenty supports as Bobby 
fights against the tyrannical Caldwell B. Cladwell (Rob Albrecht), who 
is not only the head of the U.G.C., but the father of Bobby's true love, 
Hope Cladwell (Katelyn Vogias). Officer Lockstock (Eric Oswald) serves 
as narrator to this tale of greed, corruption, and ultimately love, 
along with his sidekicks Officer Barrel (Brandon Hood) and the lovable 
moppet "Little Sally" (Miranda Fantz).

Director David Vosburgh (recently thanked as an early vocal coach by 
Patti LuPone during her Tony Award acceptance speech) says, "If Ayn Rand 
had written a musical comedy, /Urinetown/ would be it." The corporate 
leader doing good for the wrong reasons and do-gooders making things 
worse would be "right up her alley". In putting the show together with 
musical director David Keith Stiver and choreographer Pamela LaForce, 
Mr. Vosburgh has chosen to emphasize the writers' obvious parodying of 
other Broadway shows. Kotis and Hollmann pay homage to great musicals 
like /West Side Story/, /Les Misérables/ and /Fiddler/ with such aplomb 
that the director notes that the audience could practically be given 
scorecards to see how many shows they can pick out.

/Urinetown/ is the final show of CVLT's 78th consecutive season. The 
79th Season begins with the annual /Murder By The Falls/ fundraising 
mystery event on September 5th and 6th. Season subscriptions for the 
79th Season are now available, including subscriber-exclusive valet 
parking options and other perks.

/Urinetown / runs Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 PM from July 25 - 
August 23, with 2:00 PM matinees on Sundays August 3 and 10. Tickets are 
$16 regular admission, or $12 for students and seniors. Tickets for CVLT 
shows and events can be purchased online at www.CVLT.org 
<http://www.CVLT.org>, or by calling the Box Office at 440-247-8955 
between 1 and 6 PM, Monday through Saturday.

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is generously funded by Cuyahoga County 
residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and is supported by the Ohio 
Arts Council. CVLT was voted 'Best Community Theatre' by Cleveland 
Magazine Readers, and 'Best Theatre Group' on the Fox 8 HotList in 2007.

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