* Disclaimer: On March 28th I suffered a rupture in my right bicep muscle, which has left me without the use of my right arm. I will endeavor to continue seeing and reviewing shows however the reality is that the reviews will need to be significantly shorter. For now I will attempt to provide you, faithful readers, with a few sentences that will make clear whether a show is worth your time and money. My apologies to all of the artists in front of the curtain as well as behind whose work I may not be able to comment on. Hopefully this will be a short-term accommodation, I will do everything in my power to get back to writing full reviews as soon as is humanly possible.
Lakeshore Players Theater has had a relatively strong season this year but they’ve saved the best for last. Urinetown: The Musical, for those unfamiliar is set in a world experiencing a drought that paved the way for corporate greed to develop a system by which they can make money off of everyone’s need to pee. Private bathrooms are illegal, going in the street is illegal, and the only legal way in which to remove waste from the body is to pay to use corporate facilities. This production directed by Greta Grosch is overflowing with wit and even a splash of wisdom. It’s a self-aware musical that constantly breaks the fourth wall featuring Christian Unser as Officer Lockstock the policeman who also narrates the musical. Grosch opens the show with Unser’s policeman escorting Music Director Michael Pearce Donley in handcuffs to his keyboard. This opening moment of silliness sets the tone for a show that light-heartedly questions everything from political corruption and corporate greed to the environment all while satirizing the musical form itself. Grosch feels the production with countless comic touches, one of my favorite moments is the duet “Follow Your Heart” between our romantic lead characters Hope and Bobby. It’s one of those soaring love ballads but staged on rolling staircases, it’s a moment that’s humorously beautiful. Choreographer Chris Adam does a fantastic job as well. I experienced the show from the first row but to the far right, as such I’m sure I missed a few things based on my angle but I could more than appreciate the cleverness of the dances in a cast of imperfect synchronization.
Unser, who’s been a favorite since proclaiming that when you love somebody you put your pants on for them, in Be More Chill is perfect as a narrator. Caitlin Sparks as Hope, the daughter of corporate villain Caldwell B. Cladwell and Hawken Paul as Bobby Strong, the restroom employee who leads a revolt, are well paired. Both give excellent performances as the idealistic young lovers bringing great humor and voices to the roles. Other favorites include Mary Palazzolo who plays Pennywise, the manager of a restroom in the bad part of town, Marty Swadden as Caldwell B. Cladwell, and Julia Scott Russell as Little Sally. Palazzolo in full-throated character work as the tough talking Pennywise, she steals every scene she appears in. Swaden is wonderfully villainous as the embodiment of corporate greed, and Russell plays Little Sally in a way that completely side steps the dangers inherent in a grown woman playing a young person. What’s really fantastic though is the work of the entire ensemble, everyone even if we don’t catch the character’s names, feel like individuals that then turn into members of a mob.
Lastly, I did want to note some of the technical crew. I thought Costume Designer Bronson Talcott and Props Designer Brant Roberts filled the wonderful set designed by Sarah Brandner with a look that unified the entire production. It’s dirty and gritty with a very lived in feel that I think really informed all of the performances as well. There’s one aspect of the production that is let down, not by the artistic staff but by the venue itself, the sound. Lakeshore Players Theater is a wonderful theater with the single exception of its sound system. I mentioned I saw the show from the front row that’s because I have learned from previous shows that if I want to hear the production I need to be close. People I came with we’re in the second to back row and had trouble hearing the lyrics. So when booking your tickets to this wonderful production if it all possible, get seats on the main floor and not in the risers. The show itself is wonderful from where I sat, I had little trouble with the sound other than a couple of instances where mics were turned up a little late. So it’s undoubtedly a show to see, if you’ve never seen Urinetown: The Musical, I highly recommend it particularly if you are a fan of musicals.
Urinetown: The Musical runs through May 19th at Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lakeshoreplayers.org/urinetown
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