Director's Note
While Officer Lockstock tells us to "expect only the expected", this show and each production is usually nothing like what most people have come to expect from a typical musical. The original Broadway production had a planned opening of September 13th, 2001, which was postponed to later in the month after the September 11th Terror Attacks. It eventually went on to be nominated for 10 Tony Awards, winning 3 for Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Direction of a Musical. This literally pitted sibling against sibling - Hunter Foster versus Sutton Foster - in a Urinetown vs. Thoroughly Modern Millie showdown.
My first trip to Urinetown was back in the winter of 2011, when Belvidere High School first presented this musical. Under the direction of Mr. Jeff Romano and Mr. Bob Riday, it was the fifth musical I had choreographed at BHS. I mostly remember having so much fun with the students and production team; I definitely wished I had remembered more of what I choreographed back then! I also remember Mr. CF Coyle and his art students painstakingly painting the back theater wall into the brick facade that still remains to this day. This is also Mr. Conti's second trip to Urinetown after performing the role of Mr. Cladwell during his senior year.
Mr. Conti began the campaign for Urinetown last summer and I'm so glad he did! We both love this show so much and loved getting to share a lesserknown musical with this cast and crew. Revisiting this show a good decade after its first production here, and over twenty years after it appeared on Broadway, has made me realize how incredibly timeless this show is. For a more "modern" musical, it is still relevant as time marches on. It also has the ability to relate to the past, as it was fun to bring up the many other musical theater references made in this show.
Welcome and please enjoy the 2023 Belvidere High School edition of Urinetown, the Musical.
