A “pee”-lightful preview of the musical world where water cannot afford to be wasted.
Written by Evan Peters
“Urinetown” is a satirical comedy about a world that has a water shortage, causing the government to outlaw private toilets. All citizens are forced to use public amenities – all owned by one company – that require people to pay-per-use.
"Borski said. “You are going to see a very diverse cast that has some power hitting voices, our leads are really strong, but this is the strongest cast I’ve ever had at CSU.”"
Greg Kotis, the writer of “Urinetown,” had the idea for the show when he was backpacking in Europe as a student. Kotis’ funds began to dwindle on his backpacking trip as public restrooms in Europe are pay-per-use.
While in Paris, Kotis had to plan when to pee so that he would not run out of money and could make it back to the U.S.. This meant that Kotis would sometimes have to wait until his next meal to use the restroom because they were free as long as you were spending money at a restaurant.
The musical satirizes a world of greedy capitalists, socialists and more, while also making references to some popular musicals such as “Les Misérables,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “West Side Story.”
The director of the Cleveland State University (CSU) production is theater professor Russ Borski. He has an extensive background and resume in theater, which includes 15 years of teaching at CSU.
Borski said he chose to do “Urinetown” this year due to its active political commentary.
“Politically, this show has a lot of resonance with what is going on in America today, sort of the eradication of the Middle class and the divisiveness that is going on these days.” Borski said. “All of that is poked fun of in the show, and I thought it was very appropriate for this election year.”
Borski said another reason he picked this musical was because of its large castability.
“There are 60 people working on this [musical], 23 people in the cast, a lot of first year students, but also mature students because we have a lot more mature students here.” Borski said. “You are going to see a very diverse cast that has some power hitting voices, our leads are really strong, but this is the strongest cast I’ve ever had at CSU.”
Borksi expressed his high hopes for this year’s performance based on the expectations he has set in past years directing musicals at CSU. Borski feels that he has to hit a certain benchmark because of the quality of his previous shows such as, “She Loves Me,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Avenue Q.”
“Urinetown” will take the stage at Playhouse Square’s Allen Theatre. Borksi said he makes the production quality of CSU shows high when competing on the same stages as professional touring theater companies. He hopes to fill the 500 seat house during this show’s run as he has done in years past.
Not only is the pressure to compete on professional stages high, but so is the preparation. Auditions start the second week of classes, then Borski has eight weeks to prepare an entire show with a full cast and crew.
Borski makes sure to have his days organized from the very beginning of rehearsal so that students know exactly what to expect.
“I know through a calendar of what I'm blocking, what I'm doing each day, what I have to accomplish by when, so I map out the entire show from first rehearsal to set strike,” Borski said. “Everyone got [the calendar] at the first read through and it's posted on the board downstairs for actors and crew to pace themselves for the show.”
Part of preparing for a show is getting to know the characters as a cast member and a director. When talking about characters in “Urinetown,” Borski said he enjoyed all of them.
“I love Little Sally, she talks about the structure of the musical and has sly comments that are pretty funny,” Borski said. “I’ll say there is not [a favorite] for me at this point, but maybe in the future.”
You can choose your own favorite character by attending one of the eight showtimes available. CSU students can use promo code “STUCSU” at checkout to get tickets for $5.
CSU will be performing “Urinetown” the weekends of Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 and Nov. 7-10.
