It’s a quirky name and an even quirkier 2002 Tony Award winning musical. Dark and unrelenting, “Urinetown” tells the tale of a world where people have to line up at public toilets to do their business, since private ones no longer exist because there is no water to flush them.
The public toilets, called “amenities,” oppress the poorer of the community more than the rich who can afford the “pee” fee. And when the corporate CEO of Urine Good Company raises the fees to use the urinal a revolution breaks out.
This play won the Tony Award for a reason, and I clearly see that. It is not only a send-up of corporate greed, mega-legislation, and the plight of the poor, it is also a send-up of the musical comedy form in general. It is not happy; the songs are not particularly memorable; there is no catharsis in the end.
It is the perfect revival for our current political situation.
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