Politics and the potty take center stage for ‘Urinetown’

By Caitlin Fillmore

What happens when you must pay to pee? The Performing Otters explore the conflicts between corporations, city governments and citizens in their upcoming spring musical satire “Urinetown: The Musical,” which hits the stage Fridays and Saturdays from April 10 to April 18 in the Cal State Monterey Bay World Theater.

“It may be a musical about pee, but our wonderful cast is making it a production to remember,” said stage manager Bryce Minturn.

The Tony Award-winning musical debuted on Broadway in 2001. The story takes place in a dreary city experiencing a 20-year drought and severe water shortage. The government bans private toilets, forcing citizens to pay to use public toilets — all of which are owned by one greedy company. The plot follows Bobby Strong, who seeks to lead a pee-for-free movement against the forces working to keep admission-only toilets. 

“Bobby is so completely, endearingly earnest, to a comical degree,” said Florian VanSickle, who plays the lead role. “I think a lot of aspects of him are just more exaggerated, comedic versions of myself, which makes him really fun to play.”

VanSickle also loves the songs throughout the musical’s story.

“It is so, so fun, both to watch and to be in,” he said. “For the songs I’m not in, I’m always jamming out backstage, along with the other cast members.” 

Despite its head-turning name, “Urinetown” is more than a straightforward comedy, said director Adrianna Dart.

“Audiences can expect lots of laughs, unexpected turns and heartfelt moments,” Dart said. “The themes of wealth inequality and environmental crises being mismanaged by the people in charge is something that is relevant in our own society. I believe our production touches on the importance of these issues, even if it's through something as silly as kick lines and catchy songs.”

Weaving comedy and commentary into one song-and-dance performance wasn’t the only challenge facing the Performing Otters. The production involved a larger-than-normal group of cast and crew, including two freshmen leads in VanSickle and Adeline Voegels, who plays Hope Cladwell.

“Despite this being [VanSickle and Voegels’] first production with The Performing Otters, they have demonstrated their commitment and talent by taking on these roles,” Minturn said.

Nearly 40 roles needed to be filled, said Dart. 

“We have 20 cast members and 17 total production and tech crew,” Dart said. “With such a large ensemble of people working on this show, it can get overwhelming.”

To pull everything together, Dart said several cast members volunteered to pull double-duty, working as both cast and crew.

“I feel that our teamwork really shines in every aspect,” said Dart. “Everyone is so willing to step up and offer support, advice or assistance.”

Like all arts events on campus, performances of “Urinetown” are free and open to the public, based on the policies of CSUMB’s Inter-Club Council. The ICC oversees and supports recognized clubs on campus and reviews funding proposals for these organizations.

“Simply show up to the World Theater for a show and take a seat to witness all of the hard work our actors have put into this production over the course of the semester,” Minturn said. “While free access is required by the ICC, it is important that the theater and the creative arts are accessible to everyone, regardless of financial status.”

Dart shared her enthusiasm to finally debut “Urinetown” for the community.

“Live theatre is the core of entertainment, and it's an honor to bring that to CSUMB and to the Monterey area,” Dart said. “I am just so proud of everyone in the cast and crew of this production. So much heart and passion went into this, and we are so excited to share this with the public.”

Performance times are at 7 p.m. April 10, 11, 17 and 18, with 1 p.m. Saturday matinees on April 11 and 18.