On Theater: OCC’s ‘Urinetown’ — you’ve gotta go
Costa Mesa theatergoers have enjoyed “Urinetown, the musical” in its professional and community theater incarnations. Now Orange Coast College has weighed in with a stellar production of this irreverent, satirical and sardonic show that compares favorably with previous versions.
Besides the adjectives above, this latest production boasts an unintended topicality. With Californians stuck in a drought for the past several years, audiences can easily identify with a post-apocalyptic culture in which residents are charged for the privilege of utilizing their bodily functions. As the opening number advises, “You have to pay to pee.”
Soon the peasants are revolting, figuratively and literally, and facing off with the brutal establishment, which treats miscreants mercilessly — they’re sent on a one-way journey to Urinetown, never to be heard from again. The rebels stage their own version of “Les Miserables,” waving their “free to pee” banners in the background.
Director Ann Marie Byrd is a newcomer to OCC theater, and her debut production sizzles with vitriol and camp, boosted immeasurably by some superb voices and Ellen Prince’s dynamic choreography. About the only fault to be found is with the show’s presentational style, in which, because of its thrust method of staging, soloists warble downstage, away from their ensemble.
As the leader of the latrine revolution, Michael Mayo projects strength and moral integrity, torn between his mission and his love for the daughter (Lauren Penna) of the villainous CEO (Jon Korbonski) of the controlling Urine Good Company. Penna balances Mayo’s quixotic energy with her beautifully fashioned naivete and repeated admonitions to “follow your heart.”
The show’s most memorable figures, however, are its narrator, Simon Hedrick, as the brutal yet benevolent cop, Officer Lockstock (who pairs with, you guessed it, Officer Barrel), and Devon Matthews as a grimy, streetwise urchin known as Little Sally, who helps him advance the plot. Hedrick, in what may or may not have been a planned setup, confiscated a cellphone from a startled playgoer just before the start of Saturday’s show.
Andrea Hardwick excels as the hard-hearted matron of the seedy Public Utility No. 9, a pay-to-pee station in the city’s slums, who reveals a startling secret at the show’s climax. Chase Slovak grabs attention as a diminutive senator who carries a footstool to bring him up to others’ eye level.
Triston Dyer is effective as Lockstock’s partner, the thuggish Officer Barrel. Joe Williams flits in and out as an assistant to the preening Korbonski, whose narcissistic manner suggests Mel Brooks musing, “It’s good to be the king.”
Prince’s peppy choreography is particularly impressive, notably during one number when what appears to be a tribute to “Cool” from “West Side Story” segues into a gospel-rock celebration. Musical director Jared Scott works wonders with a tiny orchestra, while Cynthia Corley’s mostly working-class costumes and Brock Cilley’s sound and lighting effects complete the overall picture.
Director Byrd has richly captured the satiric essence of this groundbreaking — in 2001 — musical, nudging the audience in the ribs through the characters of Lockstock and Little Sally. It’s an enormously impressive achievement at Orange Coast College.
TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the daily Pilot, Coastline Pilot and Huntington Beach Independent.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: “Urinetown, the Musical”
WHERE: Orange Coast College Drama Lab Theater, Costa Mesa
WHEN: Closing performances 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday
COST: $10 to $15
CALL: (714) 432-5880 or occtickets.com
