"Urinetown - The Musical" - River City Stage

Photo copied from the River Stage Web Page. Photo features 'Bobby Strong' (Kevin Caravalho), leader of the rebellion at Public Amenity #9. To left is 'Josephine Strong' (Monica Parisi). Behind her is 'Hot Blades Harry' (Scott Woodard). On floor on right in front is 'Little Becky Two Shoes' (Amanda Morish). In the background, hands over face, is the kidnapped 'Hope Cladwell' (Maggie Elizabeth May). 'Little Sally' is at right (Francesca Jimenez).


Excellent show at River Stage! Fine dance routines choreographed by Pam Kay Lourentzos. Many friends in this show, at their very best.

Pam's choreography featured many trademark moves (even a 'shimmer'): fast-paced, representing the music faithfully and strongly. A real workout!

It's interesting whom the audience will identify with. Especially in an ensemble show, it's often not the whom you might expect - the leads. I sat with J. behind five trim, sophisticated women in their fifties. When Monica Parisi, who in make-up appeared to be in the same age range, came jamming down the fire pole like any other 20-year-old, all the women gasped and said "ooh!"

I tended to identify with Scott Woodard. When he came right to the edge of the stage, and without the benefit of much space did a double outside pirouette, followed immediately by an inside jazz pirouette, I gasped and said "ooh!"

Roger McDonald was superb as the smug and corrupt, but not entirely-evil 'Caldwell B. Cladwell'. Maggie Elizabeth May (aka Maggie Roesser) was excellent as well as his daughter, 'Hope Cladwell'. Roger and Maggie last performed together in 2001 in DMTC's "Peter Pan", with Maggie as 'Wendy' and Roger as 'Captain Hook'. Kevin Caravalho was also very strong as 'Bobby Strong', the male romantic lead, and Martha Omiyo Kight as 'Penelope Pennywise'.

Andrew Hutchinson was perfectly cast as 'Officer Lockstock'. Both he and Franchesca Jimenez ('Little Sally') expanded upon and narrated portions of the show. Some may wonder whether Little Sally's cloying innocence would have been better played by a child (Megan Sandoval, who played 'Tiny Tina' can nail 'child' better), but for myself, college-aged Jimenez played the part faithfully and well. I agree with Marcus Crowder at the Sacramento Bee that I wish we had seen more of 'Officer Barrel' (Kevin Menager).

Special moments: Roger's own special dance. Monica's tap dance. Amanda Morish's sly facial expressions, which were variations on the theme of "I'm bad." Jabriel Shelton counting his pee fee coins on his fingers. Kevin waving a TP banner from a roll placed on an extra-long toilet plunger. And of course, the big send-up of "Fiddler on the Roof's 'Bottle Dance.'

The musical itself has great songs, but the writing is a bit weak - too simple - OK for only certain kinds of musicals. The romance between Bobby Strong and Hope Cladwell is written to be too rote, too abstract. The age compromise between casting together the younger Maggie Elizabeth May and the older Kevin Caravalho didn't matter in the end, since the writing itself wasn't as good as it could have been (although I do admit to liking the verbal imagery of interlocked veins and arteries).

"Urinetown" is a 'metaphysical' concept, meaning any town - your town - is Urinetown. Nevertheless, I kept thinking about the towns and cities of Australia's Darling Downs. Last year, the city of Toowoomba (population 100,000), known for its elaborate gardens, voted down a serious plan to recycle sewage directly into drinking water. You just know that somewhere in the city's planning department, civil engineers are yelling at the wall, demanding to know how they are expected to find enough water for the idiot voters, given the severity of the drought. And next year, the City of Brisbane, which is larger than Sacramento, will finally exhaust its supply, Lake Wivenhoe, and face a conservation bludgeon no city of its size has ever faced.

Indeed, today's news from Queensland has uncomfortable echoes to the 'Senator Fipp jetting off to Rio' part of "Urinetown":

PREMIER Peter Beattie jetted overseas yesterday, three hours before a report revealed the southeast was moving quicker than previously known towards water Armageddon.

The sobering report showed construction of the region's recycled water pipeline, designed to take purified wastewater from Brisbane to Wivenhoe Dam, had fallen further behind schedule. It will also deliver only two-thirds of the water originally forecast.

...Mr Beattie's final public announcement before jetting off to Hong Kong on a trade mission outlined a new plan to enlist prisoners to build up to 50 rainwater tanks a week. Massive demand for tanks and other water-saving devices has caused huge delays and blown out the cost of the Government's water rebate scheme to $50 million.

The developments came as the weather bureau and SEQWater revealed Brisbane City received a miserly 3.2mm of rain last month.

In the catchment areas of the region's three main dams, only 10mm of rain was recorded – the worst on record. The worst news, however, was that the 200km recycled water pipeline – the centrepiece of the Government's strategy to keep the region from running dry late next year – would deliver far less than the 210 million litres of water previously announced.

That was due to residents cutting water consumption, reducing flows to waste treatment plants.

"The full effect of level 5 restrictions may result in total volumes of approximately 142 million litres a day," the commission's report said.

...Mr Beattie meanwhile announced that the Government was looking for a private sector partner to help manufacture water tanks at the Woodford Correctional Centre near Caboolture.

..."Prisoners will help the community get through the drought," Mr Beattie said.

Reality is beginning to imitate art!