Power to the pee-ple: 'Urinetown' at FGCU lampoons literal income streams

"Urinetown" may rank, for some of us, among the most dubious names ever devised for a musical, right up there with "Slut" and "Noel Coward's Sweet Potato."

But what's in a name? People who have seen or played in the Mark Hollmann-Greg Kotis satire love it. A number of the cast in the TheatreZone-FGCU collaboration at FGCU this weekend (see information box) had starred in the Florida Repertory Theatre production in 2014. They wanted to do it again. 

Rachel Salerno (Miss Millennial for Florida Rep, Little Sally in this production) is one of those who wanted to reprise a role. Alec Taylor (Mr. McQueen, lackey to the story's villain) has a favorite song he sang for high school competitions. 

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"I've heard about this show for so many years. It premiered around 9-11 and it was at a time when Broadway needed a comedy like this," said Chris Lewis, who plays the hero of the story, Bobby Strong. Lewis said he has seen videos and played the soundtrack "hundreds of times."

"I was probably 11 or 12  at the time it came out, and ever since then I've always loved the score and loved the soundtrack, and the concept of it. And now, many years later, I'm getting to do it."

"For people who enjoy musicals, there's a kind of lot of knockoffs of some of the more popular musicals," said Sommer Senne, who plays Soupy Sue, secretary to the play's uber-villain Caldwell Cladwell.

"For example, one of the songs in Act Two takes a scene and kind of mocks it form 'West Side Story.' And in Act One there's one that mirrors a scene in 'Les Miz.' "

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"It's also funny because it addresses the fact it's making fun of musicals," Taylor said. "There's a lot of breaking that fourth wall and speaking to the audience."

The triple Tony-winning comedy takes aim at capitalism, misguided social justice and Broadway musicals with one finely sharpened arrow: the rage of a city bound by an expensive pay-toilet system with harsh penalties for seeking free relief outside its stalls. No one gets a full victory lap in "Urinetown"; the baddies and the saints both make fatal mistakes in its citywide revolt.

Of course, resemblances to current political and economic issues drift through.

"One hundred percent. But I'm glad we're doing this show now because there's such a political divide that we need to have some fun," Lewis said. "We need to let this show reflect on that and just laugh about it a little bit."

"You see this capitalism-versus-socialism atmosphere, and you can kind of laugh about it because it's a lighthearted version of telling that story."

"Urinetown" is not the metropolis enforcing the pay-potty rules, but the hell to which people are consigned if they don't abide by the dictums of Cladwell. He owns the ironically titled toilet supplier, Urine Good Company.

"Urinetown" is also a somewhat delicate sale to a college administration. 

"When you do a play at a university with a title like 'Urinetown,' you have to answer for it to the decision makers," said Gerritt VanderMeer, associate professor of theater at FGCU who plays the quietly subversive narrator, Sheriff Lockstock. He said he did a lot of research on the play and located "dozens and dozens" of other universities that had staged productions.

 "I think it's a brilliant social commentary. I like it because it's fun — and funny."

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Mark Danni, founding artistic director of TheatreZone, is directing, Karen Molnar is choreographer and Robin Frank is music director. 

This production, at the studio theater at FGCU, teams professional actors with FGCU students. It's an annual outreach for TheatreZone, meant to help educate theater students in real-time productions.

"I've never had a rehearsal period so short. This is my first professional show," Salerno said. "I've never had to put up a show in two weeks. It's really interesting to see all the work that goes into putting up a show in that cramped amount of time." 

"This is pretty much your job for two weeks, and if you don't do a good job you're going to make yourself look bad. Especially in professional theater, that's not good to do," Taylor said. "You need to be at the top of your game."

Senne has been in several TheatreZone productions already, and she likes seeing what happens within that two-week period compared to community theater she's done: "The caliber of people, the talent that comes in, the professionalism — it's a big difference."

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'Urinetown'

What: Joint production of the satirical musical by TheatreZone and FGCU Bower School of Music & The Arts

When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 11-13, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13-14

Where: FGCU Arts Complex Building 15, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers

Tickets: $10 (student with ID), $40, $45

To buy: theatre.zone or call 888-966-3352, ext. 1