'It's a privilege to pee' at Wells-Metz Theatre

Move over, "Cats," watch out, "West Side Story." A different kind of musical is taking over. \nIU Department of Theatre and Drama's "Urinetown: The Musical" opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Wells-Metz Theatre. Based on the premise that "it's a privilege to pee," this production strays from the warmth and slight corniness found in traditional musicals.\n"Urinetown" is set during a severe water shortage in the future. To capitalize on the shortage, the most powerful man in town, Caldwell B. Cladwell, played by senior Jonathon Davidson, and his company, Urine Good Company, implement a fee to use the public toilets. Narrator and local law enforcement officer Lockstock, played by senior Kevin Anderson, is responsible for enforcing the laws. At the scummiest public toilet in town -- referred to as "Public Amenity No. 9" -- protagonist Bobby Strong, graduate student Eric Van Tielen, begins a revolution among the poor to protest, but he finds himself digging an even deeper hole.\n"(Urinetown) is a huge joke about this guy that follows his heart and the repercussions of it," Van Tielen said. \nThe play is a satirical comedy, and it pokes fun at itself and other musicals. But while the plot is outlandish, the key to "Urinetown" is that the drama remains real to the characters and the audience throughout the entire show, said senior Joanne Dubach, who plays Little Sally. \nSeveral members of the production said the show will appeal to any viewer, from the avid theater-goer to the newcomer. It chronicles many genres of music, from "Les Misérables" to gospel and country, Anderson said. It combines a mixture of the conventional hero-saves-the-day-and-falls-in-love sense but throws in random twists and turns with comical songs and splashy choreography.\n"It has a fantastic musical score, a very smart script and it is incredibly funny," director and graduate student Danielle Howard said. "The play is populated with familiar characters in a somewhat ridiculous world -- the poor, the rich, the rebel hero, the wise-cracking broad and the corrupt tyrant."\nVan Tielen said this production will appeal especially to college students because it contains a mix of silliness and intellectual humor. He also noted that it is a very fast-paced, energetic show, and the cast of 16 never rests for the entire two hours.\n"(Urinetown) plays with musical theater convention -- embracing it while exposing its often absurd oversimplification of life," Howard said. "The play is very self-aware. ... It sees itself as a very serious musical -- about pee."\n"Urinetown" will be running at 7:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday as well as Oct. 23-28 at the Wells-Metz Theatre. Tickets are $14 to $18 and are available from the IU Auditorium Box Office or Ticketmaster. Visit www.indiana.edu/~thtr for more information.