On Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 the State High Thespians debuted their spring musical “Urinetown.” The musical was made up of two acts directed by Steve Snyder, choreographed by seniors Audrey Shaner and Bri Dzyak, and accompanied by a pit music ensemble directed by Erik Clayton.
The satirical comedy delivers sharp commentary on capitalism, environmental issues, and social justice, while creating a parody of classical musical tropes.
“I think the most different thing is that ‘Urinetown’ makes fun of musicals, like that the point is it’s making fun of musicals. It’s also fun because it incorporates two very drastically different styles of music and of choreography and of characters,” Shaner said.
Set in a dystopian future, where a severe drought has led to government-enforced bans of private toilets, citizens have to pay fees to use public amenities, run by the corrupt “Urine Good Company” (UGC).
The plot follows Bobby Strong (Ryder Cunningham), a rebellious idealist, who sparks a revolution against UGC after his father’s (Tim Letwin) tragic arrest for defying the toilet laws.
The preface of the musical led to many comical behind the scenes moments. Senior Maddie Powell, who plays Pennywise, recalled a funny behind the scene moment.
“My favorite moment was the first day Tim had his fake pee bag and they didn’t tell any of us…he just whipped it out on stage, and we were all laughing,” Powell said. “Then he didn’t tuck it back in right and when he turned back around, the tube fell out and started spraying all over the stage. I almost broke character every time I saw it after that.”
Instead of being sent to jail, Bobby’s father, Old Man Strong, was sent to “Urinetown,” a place no citizen knows anything about, as a way to add to the fear tactic of UGC and the government.
As the show continues, Bobby teams up with Hope Cladwell (Hannah Smith), the daughter of UGC’s ruthless CEO, Cladwell B. Cladwell (Evan Shondeck). As their love story unfolds, tensions rise between the oppressed citizens and corporate overlords.
The emotional tension within the story adds to the difficulty of the actors’ performances.
“’Why Did I Listen to That Man?’ is pretty hard, cause the emotions are high, the tensions high, and it’s right before Bobby dies…I feel like everything else [in the musical] is very comical as well, but that scene was more serious,” Powell said.
Through fourth-wall-breaks from narrator Officer Lockstock (Luca Snyder) and Little Sally (Genavieve Clayton) “Urinetown” challenges traditional musical storytelling, while exploring themes of power, greed, and societal collapse.
Powell shared the theme she hopes the audience took away from the performance. “Definitely to stand up from what you believe in, and don’t back down just because someone in power thinks they can control you,” Powell said.
It’s absurd, yet thought-provoking, ending serves as a reminder of the dangers of environmental negligence and unchecked power.
The oddity of the musical gave room for creative liberties with some aspects of the play, like choreography.
“My favorite number is ‘Snuff That Girl.’ It was the number I was most excited to choreograph because I really like weird dancing…I felt like that was the number I gave myself like you are allowed to just do choreography that I enjoy,” Shaner said.
Many of the main cast and crew were seniors making this their last spring musical with the State High Thespians. Being a senior herself, Powell reflected on the most rewarding part of her time with Thespians, as well as her last performance.
“[The most rewarding part] I’d say is all the friends I made along the way, and just everyone saying how proud of me they were. I feel like this is the first time I’ve actually been able to showcase what I’m capable of, and it felt really nice to have people be proud of me after,” Powell said.
Similarly, Shaner reflected on the most fulfilling moment of her last spring musical at State High.
“Being a senior, there’s such a joy in watching other people do what they love and to watch it mesh with what you love,” Shaner said. “There’s usually not something that other people love as much as we get to love our shows.”
