“Welcome to Urinetown, not the place of course. The musical.” The greeting Officer Lockstock offers is friendly enough, but his specific delineation is very telling.
Urinetown is written with comic-book type characters and a story set in modern times that seems absurd: a world-wide disaster resulting in necessary restrictions to preserve resources and sustain life. It’s complete with corrupt leaders and a governing entity abusing their authority and oppressing the masses, who then riot in opposition. It’s such a far-fetched storyline that it’s a wonder that contemporary audiences can even relate...or does it rather sound TOO FAMILIAR?
Thomas Malthus, an English economist and demographer, asserted that the “population will always tend to outrun the growth of production...only vice, misery, and moral restraint could check excessive growth.” We’ve seen that population growth does exceed available resources, so is he correct in what our response should be? Are restrictions, restraint, and even suffering, necessary? As perhaps the most astute member of this story, Little Sally tells Officer Lockstock that “Urinetown is here. It’s the town wherever people live in fear.” If Urinetown is our town, should we join in the final cheer of “Hail Malthus” and accept that survival will not include happiness and abundance?
This is the exact show for this time. Our entire lives have been turned upside down under imposed restrictions for community health, deaths at the hands of police and ensuing riots, cries for equality, and humane conditions. As artists we are hungry for a creative outlet, but ongoing “guidelines” are still hindering the work of performance companies and venues. Our theatre has been closed for over a year and our financial resources virtually depleted. Regardless, The Gatesinger Company Board of Directors and Artistic Design Committee made a commitment to keeping theatre alive in our town and have embraced the far-reaching opportunities technology offers us. They knew that this production process and the content would be a challenge, but they also knew that this story mirrors the current events that plaster the headlines everyday and can’t be overlooked.
This insanely talented group has toiled to discover and embrace the nuances of Urinetown. These aren’t just characters and a story, they are reflections of personal journeys in a struggling world. We ask you to watch with open eyes and hearts. Enjoy our jokes, our performances, our production, but please don’t miss the message. Art should make you think, it should make you question, it should encourage you to converse, and even be a call to action.
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