“Imaginative subject matter, fresh songs, risk-taking theatre: Ylaria Rogers brings us the kind of work that breaks new ground and inspires more eccentrism on stage.“
Gary Nunn
3 stars
Hayes Theatre
on until 5 February
Two stars are born in curious musical
This is an ambitious musical for such a seemingly flippant subject.
We’re transported to a dystopian future where it’s a privilege to pee. Literally. A chronic water shortage has led to usage of the lavatory being limited to those who can pay, and the government has outlawed publicly relieving oneself. As far as inventive subjects go, this one’s a clear five out of five – a refreshing and creative breather from yet another lazy jukebox musical.
The pee ban leads to a rationing of toilet usage by an exploitative capitalist company and, ultimately, a revolutionary proletariat uprising in response.
Like many good musicals, a tale of forbidden love plays out amidst the urine-themed chaos. Bobby (Joel Horwood) is a cleaner whose dad is imprisoned and never seen again in Urinetown after the government arrests and exiles him for relieving himself in public when he was desperate.
Meanwhile, the naively optimistic Hope (Petronella Van Tienen) is the daughter of the evil capitalist urine company (puns all intended) owner, but encourages Bobby to find – and use – his heart, before eventually recognising her dad to be a brute. She defects, removes the blinkers and joins the uprising.
Two stars are born in Horwood and Van Tienen, whose total commitment to their lead roles carry this production through its more verbose moments. When the ensemble join them to all sing and move together, the production comes alive – but it didn’t happen quite enough.
The revolution moments are a clear pastiche on Les Miserables. But this is way more than Les Mis with piss. Whilst it could’ve easily gone the puerile route, to its credit, it instead goes the Sondheim one, marrying darkness and the unlikely themes of ecological sustainability and capitalist greed with jaunty sing-songs. It pulls this off because the tone is satirical and self-referential throughout. It’s slapstick, but clever. Sometimes perhaps a little too clever for its own good, and needs some stripping back – but that’s forgivable.
Whilst not every joke lands, and it’s probably not as off-the-wall zany as it thinks it is, Monique Langford’s set – literally in a public toilet amenity – and Jasmin Borsovszky’s moodily atmospheric yet appropriately grim lighting design juxtapose perfectly with the meta self-deprecation and slapstick humour.
Imaginative subject matter, fresh songs, risk-taking theatre: Ylaria Rogers brings us the kind of work that breaks new ground and inspires more eccentrism on stage.
Gary Nunn, Theatre Now
