THEATRE REVIEW: URINETOWN The Musical

Well, well, well...So my mom won 2 tickets to the Los Angeles opening night of Broadway's newest hit musical PissCity, and then was called away out of town at the last minute...

Urinetown, a title which I was surprised to find being mocked more in the first five minutes of the show by those on the stage than by those in the audience (cast 1 / audience 0 - ?)...is a self reflexive, pee-stained farse about what life would be like in a far off and unfamiliar future where the 'the people' actually decide to revolt against the cruel domination of their bladders by an evil collusion of the regining neo-conservative government and their greedy, compassionate-conservative, corporate captains --lets just call them pee-profiteers shall we.

As far as my taste in socio-political commentary goes, I usually like it to have some greater depth beyond simply an obtuse exoskellatal allegory, especially when this is all that is standing-in the place where original plot should...or at least it should be funny. Though I consistently felt the dancing and the exhibition of voice talent were both consistently impressive, upon leaving and even now, days afterward, the melodies of this musical have not found their way into my long-term memory.

I have decided that I can no longer in good conscience, in what is really a stand on ethical grounds, align myself with the concept that musical theatre has a 'sustainable future'. I hereby declare it dead to me! Just like the average age in the audience itself (deceased). Not that I didn't find it amusing and heartwarming listening to this one old man try to convince another senior gentleman, who had no recolection of the former, that they had once known eachother and been fast friends in the time of yor...all while we sipped $6 wine in plastic cups and waited for the doors to open --I just love a world where total strangers can just talk to one another. Also for the record the gent with the velcro shoes and the feathered cap won our best dressed 'older' award of the evening.

The last bit of tantalizing trivia is that "Officer Lockstock" the narrator and head of the brutal town police, was played by non other than Jeff McCarthy a.k.a. the voice of the animated icon and mascot, Michigan J. Frog from television's the WB Network.

Not Reccomended