Theater Review: Urinetown

I was feeling bad because I’d forgotten my notebook when I went to review “Urinetown,” San Diego Musical Theatre’s latest show. But I got over that in a hurry when I realized that this is a show that doesn’t require rigorous thought but rather a relaxed attitude of “let’s have a good time.”

SDMT has several missions, one of which is to support musical theater students and upcoming actors, and this show calls itself “pre-professional” for that reason. These are not Equity folks; they are all young actors between 15 and 20 and moving into the profession.

But don’t let this keep you from this raucous, often hilarious, sometimes even moving and overall wonderfully sung and danced show.

In “Urinetown,” you have to pay to pee. Urinetown isn’t where you live, it’s a terrible place you are sent if you don’t pay and resort to peeing in the street. This is the problem under discussion, because many of the residents are poverty-stricken and have difficulty coming up with the fee.

The public toilets are run by UGC (Urine Good Company), a typical American mega-corporation interested in making a profit and unwilling to listen to complaints from those who can’t fork up the dough. UGC is owned by the Cladwell family and run by Caldwell B. Cladwell (Megan Greer, playing male). She has no sympathy for the town’s poor and oppressed, but is grooming her daughter Hope (Aneesa Ali) to take over one day.

The oppressed masses use the town’s filthiest urinal in town, Public Amenity #9, run by unbudging Penelope Pennywise (Eleni Stavros) and her dashing assistant Bobby Strong (Tyler Sanderlin), and often policed by Officers Lockstock Quinlan King) and Barrel (Carlin Smith).

Well, to make a long story more fun, Hope meets Bobby and love blooms, making life both better and worse for both of them.

When the politicians like Senator Fipp (David Azcona) and the UGC contingent decide to increase the urinal fees, a revolt is in order, and Bobby decides that the only way to get the bad guys to relent is to kidnap Hope and hold her for ransom. Get ready for the second act.

The people revolt, and hole up in a secret hideout (the sewers) where they are holding Hope hostage. How will this end? You’ll have to see this wondrously crazy show to find out. 

Bravi tutti. 

Don’t miss this show.

The details

“Urinetown plays through July 30, 2023 at San Diego Musical Theatre, 4650 Mercury Street in San Diego.

Shows July 23 at 2 p.m.; July 27 at 7 p.m.; July 28 at 7 p.m.; July 29 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and July 30 at 2 p.m. 

Tickets (starting at $20): (858) 560-5740 or info@sdmt.org