Now Seated For: Urinetown
New York City Center, February 15th, 2025
When I started this blog just over a year ago, I had the intention of writing about my international travel as well as my adventures around New York. It’s called Near and Far, after all. So today, two years and a few days a after signing a lease in this amazing city, I am making good on that.
I know I have said this in previous posts, but as much as I love traveling, I feel so lucky to be able to call New York City my home. Although the slow-walking tourists can be a pain, they are a reminder that this city is a once in a lifetime destination for many. With no big trips on the calendar (for now), I plan to write more about life here and other local-to-me places.
Before the Curtain
If you are reading this and have never seen Urinetown, you might be wondering why on earth someone made a show about, well, urine. Let me explain. As much as it is a show about toilets, it is primarily a political farce that tells the story of corrupt cops and politicians, an evil corporation (Urine Good Company or UGC), and the people they oppress. It is set in some unnamed town that has been decimated by years of drought. During this time, known as the Stink Years, UGC took control of all toilets with help from local legislators. This scheme served to protect the limited water supply and make things smell better, but charging people to use their amenities also turned a massive profit. The corporate executives got rich while the poor stayed poor, begging for the privilege to pee, which is where the show begins. Punishment is swift and brutal as transgressors are sent to the titular Urinetown, never to be seen again. Depending on where in the world you are, this might feel as oddly prescient as it is absurd.
Ok enough exposition. On with the show!
New York City Center
As I get off the subway at 55th and 7th, I almost immediately find myself in a line of theater-goers waiting for the house to open. It is a little before 7:00pm on and a dreary late winter Saturday in the city. Headlights of yellow cabs illuminate the rain, which is admirably washing away the dirty slush from last week’s snow. It is the perfect night to be inside a warmly lit theater.
As the crowd files in, there is plenty of staff to guide people like me who have never been to this theater and don’t know where to go. After a quick trip to the restroom, which is decorated with fake graffiti and signs, I find my seat and look through the program.
Despite being an off Broadway production, the cast bios include many impressive credentials, from Tony winners to lead Broadway roles to Emmy nominees. The two most anticipated stars are Jordan Fisher who recently played the role of “Orpheus” in Hadestown on Broadway, and Rainn Wilson, best known for his portrayal of Dwight from The Office. At this point, I am too excited to focus on the program or my book, so instead I look around at the beautiful theater and listen to what the other patrons are talking about. It strikes me that this is a primarily local crowd rather than the touristy ones found in the upscale Broadway theaters. I feel a sense of warmth and kinship with the people discussing which subway to take home and the other shows they have seen.
A few minutes after 7:30, the house lights dim and the usual announcement about silencing cell phones and not recording is made. Just as the curtain is about to go up, the same voice informs us that the lead role of Bobby Strong will not be played by Jordan Fisher, but instead his understudy Joshua Grosso. This elicits some disappointed groans followed by louder cheers from the audience. My impression is that the crowd, although bummed to be missing out on seeing a Broadway star, wants to support this unknown guy who will be carrying the show and is probably within earshot of the stage.
Please note that there are spoilers ahead!
The curtain rises and we see a man in a long navy coat and matching police hat illuminated by a spotlight in front of a large structure. This structure takes up most of the stage and has a facade of orange porta-potty doors in front of which a small group of dejected, raggedly dressed people slumped on the ground. Next to this sorry looking group is a sign which reads “Public Amenity #9” and a folding table.
On top of the structure, above the porta-potties, sits the band which is primarily comprised of brass and wind instruments. The conductor is a woman with short blonde hair and everyone wears all black. One of my favorite things in the world is when musicals have the musicians on stage rather than in the pit, so my level of excitement continues to rise.
The first lines of the show come from the policeman, Officer Lockstock (Greg Hildreth), who immediately breaks the fourth wall and welcomes the audience to Urinetown, “the musical, not the place.” His exposition-heavy monologue ends when he is joined by Little Sally (Pearl Scarlett Gold), a poor girl who is a lot smarter than him. Nonetheless, Lockstock busies himself with over-explaining the premise of the story to her.
[LITTLE SALLY, spoken]
Say, Officer Lockstock, is this where you tell the audience about the water shortage?
[LOCKSTOCK]
What's that, Little Sally?[LITTLE SALLY]
You know, the water shortage. The hard times. The drought. A shortage so awful that private toilets eventually became unthinkable. A premise so absurd that—
[LOCKSTOCK]
Whoa there, Little Sally. Not all at once. They'll hear more about the water shortage in the next scene.
As promised, the next scene focuses on the poor and their current woes dealing with the drought and ongoing corporate oppression. They are a motley crew dressed in colorful, mismatched clothes. Their opening song, called “Urinetown,” is short but memorable and has stuck with me since I fist saw a high school production as a teenager.
This is Urinetown!
One restroom here at Urinetown!
It's unisex at Urinetown!
All by design
It's the oldest story -
Masses are oppressed
Faces, clothes and bladders
All distressed
Rich folks get the good life
Poor folks get the woe
In the end
It's nothing you don't know
You're at Urinetown!
Your ticket should say Urinetown!
No refunds, this is Urinetown!
We'll keep that dough!
After the opening song and dance, we meet our hero, Bobby Strong (Joshua Grosso), who is a custodian at Public Amenity #9. His hero’s journey begins when he is unable to save his father, Old Man Strong (Kevin Cahoon), from being arrested after not being able to pay the toilet fee. We are briefly introduced to the aptly named Hope Cladwell (Stephanie Styles), who is the beautiful daughter of the CEO of UGC. She immediately becomes Bobby’s love interest and is, of course, a moron.
We also meet Penelope Pennywise (Keala Settle) who is the coin collector and fee enforcer at the amenity. She stands behind the folding table and, although she is also poor, she has some status with the corporation which makes her relatively better off. In explaining her position to Bobby and the other poor folk, she underscores her need for the money and cleverly amends her line to say that she has to pay “tariffs” along with taxes, a change that garners cheers from the crowd. Her big number, called “It’s a Privilege to Pee,” is equal parts hilarious and powerful, ending with extended applause. I later learned that Keala Settle was also in Wicked the movie as Ms. Coddle!
I run the only toilet in this part of town, you see
So, if you've got to go, you've got to go through me
It's a privilege to pee
As the stage lights dim, the actors swap out Penelope’s table and sign for a massive mahogany desk with the words Urine Good Company emblazoned on the front in red, marking our first look at the UGC headquarters. This is where Rainn Wilson makes his dramatic entrance as the comically evil toilet executive Caldwell B. Cladwell. When he swivels his chair around to face the audience (like any good villain sitting behind a desk would do), he is greeted by applause and whistles. As noted in the last line of his cast bio, he has “never sung in front of people before,” although you wouldn’t know that based on his performance. While clearly not a Broadway vocalist, he holds his own, incorporating physical comedy and solid dance moves during his big number, “Mr. Cladwell.”
I saw gray skies, foreboding and cold!
I saw gray skies and made them rain gold!
Now those skies aren't so bleak to behold!
They're still gray
But they pay for your sal'ries tenfold!
We also meet the corrupt politician, Senator Fipp (Josh Breckenridge) who shamelessly hits of Hope when she arrives to speak to her father. Since Hope has been to the public toilets and has started to fall for Bobby, she tries to logic her way through her father’s inhumane policies. This culminates in Cladwell singing her a song called “Don’t be the Bunny” which is about as darkly funny as it sounds.
[HOPE]
But Daddy, we're talking about people, not animals
[CLADWELL]
People are animals, Hope, darling
[HOPE]
Animals with huge incisors and big floppy feet?
[CLADWELL]
Look closely, you'll see them. I do. I see them everywhere
Before the end of act one, we return to Public Amenity #9, where Bobby has started a rebellion against the toilet fees. Caught between the memory of his father asking him for help and Hope telling him to listen to his heart, he lets everyone use the bathroom for free without thinking through the consequences. This ultimately leads the poor folks to turn into an angry mob of rebels who kidnap Hope and take her hostage. Bobby is torn, but there is no time to negotiate because Cladwell and the police have learned of their infractions and are determined to bring them to justice (i.e. get Hope back and send the rest on a one way trip to metaphorical Urinetown). The act ends in a comical slow motion chase with the police and UGC minions on the heals of the poor rebels, Bobby, and Hope.
Act two leans into the darker aspects of the satire and opens once again with Officer Lockstock talking to Little Sally to set things up. It is explicitly revealed, although already heavily implied, that there is no place called Urinetown where rule breakers are taken. “We just kill people!” blurts Officer Lockstock to a clearly traumatized Little Sally. This tonal shift reminds me of Into the Woods, where the first act focuses on different fairy tales while the second goes completely off the rails and things get messy.
The set has changed into a secret lair where the rebels are keeping Hope. The cops are unable to find it despite the massive sign reading Secret Lair with an arrow pointing to it, much to the chagrin of Cladwell. Inside, things are getting testy as Bobby tries to prevent the rebels from killing Hope while the most sinister of the group, Hot Blades Harry (also Kevin Cahoon), tries to convince the group otherwise in the unhinged song called “Snuff that Girl.” Like I said, dark.
Nuts, they fall close
So they say, to the tree
Looky here, here's an acorn
From Cladwell I see
I say, she is the nut
And of course, we're the squirrel!
She is what we saved for winter
So let's snuff that girl!
They finally decide that it’s best to keep Hope alive (pun very much intended) to use as leverage. Bobby once again rallies the group, which leads into my favorite song of the whole show, specifically because Joshua Grosso (Bobby Strong understudy) totally nails it and the whole theater, cast included, feels that. The number is a send up of a Gospel song and has a good amount of acapella, requiring direction from Grosso to keep it all together. I’m sure Jordan Fisher did an amazing job with it too, but this felt like a big moment for a young actor which was really special.
That freedom sun will shine
All over your freedom story
I said freedom -
I said freedom -
I said freedom, run away!
The rebels’ high spirits doesn’t last long as Bobby is immediately summoned to UGC headquarters under the pretense of negotiating a deal to release Hope and have people start paying toilet fees again. This essentially amounts to Cladwell trying to bribe him which Bobby, being the hero, refuses. He is subsequently sent to Urinetown (aka thrown off the roof of the UGC building).
Penelope, who was present for the would-be negotiation, is appalled by Cladwell’s brazen lack of concern for his daughter knowing that killing Bobby means the rebels will likely kill Hope. With the implication that Penelope is Hope’s mom from a previous affair with Cladwell, Penelope sets out to team up with the rebels and seek revenge against UGC. She laments that she ever got involved with Cladwell while Senator Fipp, Hope, and Bobby all express their regret their choices in the song “Why Did I Listen to that Man?”
Why did I listen to that man?
Why did I listen to the nature of his plan?
And when he talked
I should have balked
I should have walked
I should have ran!
Why did I listen to that man?
Back in the secret lair, the rebels are getting worried that Bobby hasn’t returned and when Little Sally arrives to tell them he is dead, chaos ensues. After imparting Bobby’s (lengthy and at times incoherent) last words, Little Sally leaves while the rebels decide how to proceed without their leader. Seizing on the opportunity, Hope is able to convince them to free her so she can help them overthrow her father’s terrible reign. They decide to trust her and she gets them access to the UGC headquarters where they ambush Cladwell and his staff. Despite his pleas, the rebels throw him off the roof and rejoice at their new found freedom to pee “whenever they liked, as much as they liked, for as long as they liked, with whomever they liked.” They rename Urine Good Company to The Bobby Strong Memorial Toilet Authority in honor of their beloved hero.
In the final number, “I See a River,” all characters living and dead return to sing about how justice was served and how everything played out once Cladwell lost control of their toilets. As you might have guessed, things did not go well.
[LOCKSTOCK]
Of course, it wasn't long before the water turned silty, brackish and then disappeared altogether
As cruel as Caldwell B. Cladwell was, his measures effectively regulated water consumption, sparing the town the same fate as the phantom Urinetown
Hope chose to ignore the warning signs, however, preferring to bask in the people's love for as long as it lasted
[LITTLE SALLY]
What kind of musical is this?! The good guys finally take over and then everything starts falling apart
[LOCKSTOCK]
Like I said, Little Sally. This isn't a happy musical
And so, we end where we began. Everyone is still poor and can’t use the bathroom because of the drought. They ultimately decide to send Hope to the metaphorical Urinetown to join her father and are left to deal with their choices. In the final moments, they come to terms with where they are:
This is Urinetown!
Always it's been Urinetown!
This place, it's called Urinetown!
Before the final curtain drops, the cast comes together to take their bows altogether. There is a massive cheer for Joshua Grosso as Rainn Wilson raises his arms for him in triumphant acknowledgment. Then the house lights come up and we all head for the subway or a late bite, back into the rain and reality.
Local Theater Tips
A good thing to know about the NYC performing arts scene is that there are myriad ways to get cheap tickets if you are young and/or willing to wait in line. For example, New York City Center has a program called the Access Club which has limited $28 tickets for people under 40. If you are under 40 and want to take someone who is over 40 with you, that is allowed. Either way, you get your ticket at will call before the show after presenting your ID. I learned about this while looking at Urinetown tickets, but as someone who vacillates wildly between planning ahead and flying by the seat of my pants, I didn’t get my ticket in time to take advantage of this fabulous deal. I still got a good seat and learned my lesson for next time.
The Philharmonic also has good deals and I have seen cheap tickets available at The Shed although, alas, you have to be under 30 as does your guest. Today Tix often has deals on Broadway shows and same-day rush pricing. All of this is to say, if you know where to look and are willing to plan ahead, amazing productions are more accessible than you might think.