Reston Community Players' 'Urinetown': Flush with talent
I have to tell you, writing a review of "Urinetown, The Musical!" takes every bit of self-control to fight the urge to indulge in potty humor.
I will try to be mature and exercise some blather control.
The premise of "Urinetown," on stage now at the Reston Community Center's CenterStage, is a bit bizarre.
Somewhere in some future time, after a withering 20-year drought, the government, in an effort to end the ensuing Stink Years, adopts a pay-as-you-go policy, so to speak, to put the lid on water consumption. The popular belief is that limiting the number of toilet flushes will help conserve water. And what better way to eliminate flushes than to charge a fee for each and every one?
Wiped out are all private facilities, replaced by public "amenities." To gain access, you must pay a toll. No longer is it a right to relieve oneself, but a privy-lege that comes at the expense of dignity – see all those loyal subjects squirming and hopping from one foot to the other as they clutch their coins and wait their turn. (It's worse than the line at the ladies room during intermission.)
The choice is theirs. Pay up or face the consequences: lifelong exile in a mysterious place called "Urinetown," from which no one has returned.
This perilous predicament sets the stage for the cliche: the big, bad corporation – Urine Good Company – that profits from the public amenities; the corrupt politician – Senator Fipp – who accepts UGC cash in exchange for votes, assuring the potty law stays in effect; the poor, downtrodden Les Miserables-esque citizens who rise up for the right to pee for free; the loony love interest/would-be heroine who mucks up everything by counseling the masses to listen to their hearts; and the no-good cops whose job it is to maintain order and keep the audience apprised of what's going on.
Keep the audience apprised? Well, yes, because "Urinetown, The Musical!" is not just a musical – it's a parody of a musical. Basically, the show makes fun of itself as it rolls along.
Jay Tilley is hilarious as Officer Lockstock, who with his partner, Officer Barrel (get it?), patrols the premises to make sure no one is behind the bushes doing ... well, you know.
Then every so often Tilley breaks the fourth wall, as they say in theater, and steps through that invisible boundary separating the audience from the stage to tell viewers what's going on. He pokes fun at musicals in general with their splashy production numbers, their end-of-Act-I climaxes, their predictable twists and their saccharine endings.
Tilley is terrific, a natural with perfect comic timing who easily earns the audience's affection and trust. He is, after all, one of the few who's privy to what's going to happen at the privies.
John Loughney as Bobby Strong leads the charge of the defiant indisposed. The audience so wants to believe in him. But he's not a true romantic hero, resembling as he does a blend of Jerry Seinfeld and Ben Stiller. He's a bit of a joke, with no real plan except to just say no to potty fees.
The actress who steals the show is June Schreiner, a perky, polished eighth-grader from Langston Hughes Middle School. She plays Little Sally, who is trying to make sense of both the storyline – Why do we have to pay to pee? Why is UGC so mean? Why is everybody yelling? -- and the concept of a musical – What happens next? Why are those two in love? What happened to the happy ending? She joins Tilley in breaking the fourth wall and poking fun at the story – and musicals in general – by pointing out the obvious.
Watch for Schreiner's costume changes – through them she alludes to repressed heroines in other musicals. She was into her third such costume before I caught on. (I want to see the play again to make sure I didn't miss any.)
"Urinetown" is so goofy and outrageous, that by the end the entire cast – the good guys, the bad guys, the innocent, the misguided and the confused – ends up in a giant compost pile, more or less.
But the production is top of the line. The acting is very good, often professional quality. The set is amazing -- Broadway caliber, really -- with deft and effective scenery changes.
The singing – especially that of Sharon Grant as Hope Cladwell – and the choreography are flawless. The live orchestra is a real plus and adds much to the energy of the ensemble numbers. It could be a bit less exuberant during the solos, though – sometimes it's hard to understand the words.
You have one more weekend to catch "Urinetown," so don't hold back. Let yourself go – to the show, that is. Order tickets at www.restonplayers.org.
NOTE: I do have one bit of advice – visit the restroom before the curtain rises or you run the risk of being very uncomfortable!