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The city’s water is so scarce that the government was forced to institute a reform in which private bathrooms were outlawed and people were required to use “Public Amenities” for a fee. A question lingers over their heads though: Even if Bobby and his ragtag bunch manage to succeed, what of tomorrow? “The purpose of this technique is to make the audience feel detached from the action of the play, so they do not become immersed in the fictional reality of the stage or become overly empathetic of the character.” (Brecht, 1964) Different methods for this effect have been used such as flooding the theater with bright light, having cast members help in the set change in full costume, having actors play multiple parts, etc. CALDWELL B. CLADWELL | Dan Saunders Urinetown (Original, Musical, Comedy, Broadway) opened in New York City Sep 20, 2001 and played through Jan 18, ... Music orchestrated by Bruce Coughlin. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR | Helena Bumpus

OFFICER BARREL | Stephen Kellett

Here is the flier you should start to see around the area very very soon: Urinetown manages to tackle a lot of subjects like I mentioned in my first post (which I will touch more on later), but I think my favorite piece of this masterpiece of a puzzle is the satire on musical theater itself.

PENELOPE PENNYWISE | Tal Hewitt Eventually, he decides to follow his heart and lead a revolution that will free the people and save the day. 0000004496 00000 n As Broadway’s Daniel Marcus once said, “[Urinetown is] a love letter to the American Musical in the form of a grenade.”, As a matter of fact, the biggest comedic moments in Urinetown are what can be referred to as “Lampshade hanging.” What that means is that when a metaphor is used, it is used well, but eventually ruined by a character taking the metaphor literally. In the opening moments of the show he doesn’t have enough money to come into the public amenity, which is what invokes Penny’s song “It’s a Privilege to Pee” (we’ll talk more about Penny later).
BOBBY STRONG | Joe McWilliam And for a little taste of what Urinetown has to offer, check out this trailer that was created for the UK production that began last year: “In the name of God, Penny, what difference could it make?”, Look at the Sky – Do You Hear the People Sing from, Follow Your Heart – I’d Be Surprisingly Good For You from, It’s a Privilege to Pee – Peachums Hymn from, Run, Freedom, Run! Epic Theatre isn’t realism, it is considered “Meta Theatre,” or a representation of reality, and in this we see that reality is more what we make it to be than anything. All Yeah, snuff the girl! 0000069648 00000 n music and lyrics by mark hollmann book and lyrics by greg kotis ... Mark Hollmann on the Music of Urinetown by Kenneth Jones . The cast was advised to treat each scene as an episode of Law and Order.

I’m not so sure I am going to advise my cast to go out and watch a bunch of Law and Order, but I will do my best to stay true to the script. How can he say I'm not innocent? I remember the first time I watched Urinetown was the first time I actually questioned what really made a good musical.

I will post that as well, but don’t scroll too far and cheat! He is a parody of Charles Dickens’ classic character Tiny Tim. Urinetown: The Musical is a satirical comedy musical that premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. I have found a nifty little diagram for what makes this different from a normal show for those of you who are curious: Brecht felt that instead of Stanislavski’s Realism in which the audience was to identify and connect with the emotion and experience a catharsis, the audience should want to reflect on the action on stage and critically analyze the social issues that plagued the characters of this play. 0000003704 00000 n Hot Blades Harry and Little Beck Two Shoes Oh yeah, now go! I believe that his breakdown in the opening moment of the show and subsequent arrest are what really get Bobby to question the world around him. Audition Preparation Suggestions for Urinetown. STAGE MANAGER | Shiri Stern Urinetown: The Musical is an award-winning satirical comedy musical that pokes fun at capitalism, socialism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and petty small town politics. %PDF-1.3 %���� Finally, I know Brecht passed well before this musical came into being, but I would like to share a quote from him that I feel captures the essence of Urinetown quite nicely: “Don’t be afraid of death so much as an inadequate life. 0000012834 00000 n He is a parody of Charles Dickens’ classic character Tiny Tim.

Sorry about my hiatus from blogging for a few days, my girlfriend and I decided to take a vacation for a few days. The direction by Yojiro Ichikawa was fantastic, getting the most out of his cast and theatre, using every possible entrance to make sure the audience is pulled into the show… The Musical Direction by Ryan Macaulay was equally as impressive, with a great sound being produced by the band alongside flawless harmonies from the cast. Urinetown rejects musical theatre convention, parodying successful Broadway shows such as Les Misérables, Evita, Annie and West Side Story, and even satirizes its own significance. 21 November-1 December 2018 Evenings at 7.30pm, Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Unless you have been asked to, do not choose any of the below songs for your audition! Sedos have created a fantastic production, very cleverly staged in the round and with minimal set which allows for a very fluid production that keeps incredible pace throughout. LITTLE SALLY | Ellie Jones 0000020033 00000 n Thanks! Urinetown is a hilarious send-up of greed, love, revolution (and musicals! Robbie the Stockfish Snuff the girl!

For now though, the most exciting news of all has been finalized! If you want to audition but are concerned about conflicts, please let me know and I will try to work something out as best as I can. As he states himself, “Each scene, and each section within a scene, must be perfected and played as rigorously and with as much discipline as if it were a short play, complete in itself. Urinetown - the Musical . Without any smudges. If any of you find a connection for any of the songs I haven’t already answered, please feel free to comment below with the song you think it is parodying and any specific reasons why. Below is a rough sketch I created for Old Man Strong’s costume. And without there being the slightest suggestion that another scene, or section within a scene, is to follow those that have gone before.”, He also encouraged directors to use simple and non-realistic scenic designs that is offset against realistic props and costumes to further heighten the audience’s perception that we can change our world around us. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by Urine Good Company, a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. At first they were confused by this direction, and they thought perhaps playing a show titled Urinetown as a deadly serious show might rob the audience of the humor. Our hero, Bobby Strong is an employee for the filthiest and poorest amenity in the city, and every day he is forced to watch his friends and loved ones struggle to come up with the toll three times a day. Mr. Strong is an upstanding guy who has been downtrodden and trampled in this insane world. Examples of this are in songs like “Follow Your Heart” in which Bobby and Hope sing about what their hearts are trying to tell them, and eventually Bobby sings that Hope’s heart is saying that she will fall in love with someone and their “Aortas and arteries all intertwine.” Or during Cladwell’s solo in “Don’t Be the Bunny” he tries to explain to Hope that in his song the poor are like helpless little bunnies, but then she gets confused and asked if he is saying that people have “Huge incisors and big floppy feet.”, When it comes to the music of the show, dramaturg Scott Miller believes that “Urinetown is a double satire, laughing at the sappy, happy conventions of old-fashioned musical comedies, but also laughing at shows like Les Miz or Passion which reject those conventions and perhaps go too far the other way.”. As is the custom with Sedos productions the cast, whether in a small or large part, are all first rate and work so well together whether singing, dancing – choreography by Kim Barker – or moving Andrew Laidlaw’s wonderfully versatile set around. DR BILLEAUX | Kish Soni, Tasila Banda, Amy Carmichael, Jessie Davidson, Adrian Hau, Josh Yeardley, CREATIVE TEAM The most important rule of Epic Theater is the Verfremdungseffekt or the Alienation effect. Sedos’ new production of Urinetown is yet another example of why they should be considered one of the best amateur companies in London, if not the country… I feel as though this review is slightly too glowing but honestly, it’s a struggle to find fault. 0000002696 00000 n The pandering jokes will be funny no matter what, but it’s the subtle ones that will really bring out the laughter, you just have to give them a chance to find it.”.

JOSEPHINE STRONG | Annabel Watson Tiny Tom/Dr. 0000017533 00000 n Each song in Urinetown is a parody of different popular musicals. Urinetown’s writing already has this one in place, but he also stated that he felt that the production should be filled with fragmentation, contrast, contradictions, and interruptions in the narrative so that the audience does not become bored with the progression of the story. However, this is a fast-paced show. 209 0 obj <> endobj xref 209 35 0000000016 00000 n SENATOR FIPP | Sam Barnes CAST

Pennywise is unsympathetic, pointing out that if While he is not in the show after the first scene, it can be inferred through the lines other characters have about him that he was a very hardy and respectable man. Well, in college, I discovered that one of my all-time favorite writers is Bertolt Brecht- a very prolific playwright and director in the early 1900s. Urinetown was written in 2001 by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollman and has since enjoyed seven highly successful professional runs, has been nominated for over 20 awards, and has received Tony awards for best Book Musical and Best Original Score. Also, Starting tomorrow, I will be running a segment that I will call “Character Spotlight” where I will post about one character a day until we have explored the entire cast of characters! And here is a photo of that handsome guy in his early years: Hello everyone and thanks for checking out my blog about Barnstormer’s upcoming musical comedy Urinetown. LITTLE BECKY TWO SHOES | Kate Gledhill SOUPY SUE | Sarah Berryman Risk it and you will be sent off to a place of no return - the infamous Urinetown. My favorite Brecht play is called Mother Courage and her Children which is about a mother of three who makes a living selling things to soldiers in the Thirty Years’ War (which is considered the most destructive war in European history). Not innocent of what? 0000004562 00000 n The production tackles and satirizes several different topics deftly: Capitalism, Socioeconomic status, Populism, Beauracracy, Corporations, Political, and even satirizes musical theater itself!

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