Note from the director:
"Farce is tragedy played at a thousand revolutions per minute."
-John Mortimer
Never has that quote rung more true for me than in Urinetown, which has always been one of my favorite musicals. Amidst the absurdity, there is a story filled with great tragedies lined up side by side, piling on top of itself over and over again until all you can do is laugh at the sheer absurdity.
In the day and age in which we live, anyone can walk into Urinetown and come out with a completely different, albeit still relevant, revelation about life and our world. Whether it's the pitfalls of corporate greed, the absurdity of pure dichotomies in our political climate, the blindness of love, or even the ridiculousness of musicals, we can all take away something completely different.
But there is one theme within the pages of this script that jumps out at me the most: sacrifice.
As a Christian, I cannot help but see Bobby Strong as a pseudo-Christ figure in the story. He walks into a world full of corruption and sin and decides to start a revolution, during which he is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice for the people he cares most deeply about. And then, much like the final words of Jesus on the cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do," Bobby utters what I feel is the most poignant line in the script.
"No one is innocent."
It acts as a catalyst of anger and confusion in those Bobby was trying to lead, and they immediately lash out in anger. It is this anger that Hope chooses to fuel in her desire to seek revenge for her father's crimes instead of heeding Bobby's advice. The world he was fighting for was one of peace, where the rich and poor could live side by side in happiness. The world Hope fought for was one of vengeance, of crime and punishment with no regard for the humanity of those she didn't agree with.
This is where I find another poignant parallel to Christianity, in which so many times, those who claim to have followed Christ have done the opposite of what He did. Instead of love, they offer hate. Instead of forgiveness, they offer condemnation. Too often, I have seen the church pervert the beauty of the revolution that Jesus started and turn it into something that is only used for selfishness and gain.
I truly pray that the church rises up and truly becomes like Jesus in every way, because as Officer Lockstock says in the final moments of the show.
That way of life is unsustainable.
