REVIEW BY AKSHITA BENNY
EDITED BY OLIVIA DI GRAZIA
Go Piss Girl! Or maybe not… ICAC’s Urinetown delivers spectacular performances of a musical theatre favourite.
When wandering into the Union Theatre with my musical-loving friend, all we knew about this show, to phrase it crudely, was that it was about pissing. The first thing I said to my friend that night was “go piss girl” just before the lights dimmed and the follow spot landed on the sign grimly stating “Urinetown”. Little did we know, however, that this show was going to provide social commentary on issues still relevant today, even though the show originally premiered on Broadway back in 2001.
To keep it simple, Urinetown is a satire set in a climate disaster, dystopia where because of water shortages, residents of the town need to pay a fee to use public toilets managed by the UGC (Urine Good Company). A young boy named Bobby Strong (Grace Dwyer) inspired by his love for Hope Cladwell (Lucy Sonneman) finally listens to his heart, making him start a revolution against UGC to demand free access to lavatories. Both Dwyer and Sonneman captured the ambition and naivety of their characters perfectly.
When the light illuminated the corner of the stage, we knew that something was different. Introducing and narrating the performance was Officer Lockstock, whose straight-to-the-point nature was revealed in Kenneth Jiamin’s performance, alongside the comedic Officer Barrel (played by the hilarious Moyia Vidler). Then came the truth-seeking but daring Little Sally, charmingly encapsulated by Hannah Campbell. From the get-go, we knew we were in for a treat with these amazing introductory performances.
Once the curtains opened, the dilapidated world of Urinetown was revealed thanks to the lovely set design work by Janae Chau and Ellie Xu, presenting the strife and inequality the residents using “Public Amenity 9” faced. The stage never felt cluttered, and the set gave the cast plenty of space to move around and give levels to the performance, enabling the audience to be transported from the sewers to the UGC office. The cast for this show was massive, and even still there was double casting, which I must give kudos to the actors for. They were impressively involved throughout the entire show, even after their characters met their demise (as this is not a “happy” musical). Their excellence was maintained throughout the whole show from the complex group numbers (such as “It’s a Privilege to Pee” and “Run, Freedom, Run!”) to the intricately clean choreography that even featured cartwheels and breaker moves. I tip my hat to Zara Sadhai, the show’s choreographer.
My favourite performances in the show were Hugo Douglas who played Caldwell B. Cladwell, in “Mr. Cladwell”, as well as Claire Steel, who played Penelope Pennywise, in “I’m Not Sorry”. Douglas was enigmatic in the role and had such great comedic timing, perfectly conveying the evilness hidden beneath Mr Cladwell’s corporate smile (and relating to the commentary on late-stage capitalism the show delves into). Steel was a force of a performer; I was blown away by the sheer capacity of her voice.
Tara Scott and Hannah Crompton’s work on the costuming and makeup design respectively was extravagant, ensuring each character looked unique, especially the ensemble cast who switched seamlessly between poverty-stricken town residents and the put-together white-collar workers at UGC. Scott and Crompton’s work made every character look so well put together, enabling every cast member to have their special moments.
The lighting design (Sam Stumbles) and sound design (Oliver Sexton) were great, assisting with contrasting the different locations and moments within the show. I especially loved the splat sound effect used when (spoilers) Bobby falls to his death. Contrasting the grim nature of his death with the “cheeriness” associated with musical theatre, which this shows parodies the tropes of, this choice really added to the comedy of the show. There may have been opportunity for more variation in lighting during dance numbers, and there were microphone balancing issues on the night that I attended, but the latter might have just been caused by technical limitations of the equipment as they were consistent throughout the show.
It was a wonderful experience to watch ICAC’s Urinetown, which was very well done. This could have not been done without the guidance of Anna Ryley, who I must commend for her work as the director of this show. Personally, I did find the plot fell a bit short and I think it could have delved into its themes regarding late-stage capitalism and environmentalism a little more, but this is not a review of the storyline, but rather on ICAC’s production of the show itself. Every person involved in this show deserved a run longer than the three days they were given. Their dedication to the show was evident from the performances, to the music, to the direction. Hopefully other musicals performed next semester will reach the same standard as ICAC’s Urinetown, but it seems to me that they have blown the standards out of the water!
ICAC’s Urinetown played May 1st to 3rd at the Union Theatre.
AKSHITA BENNY is someone who likes to go to nice cafes and, not to forget, also enjoys watching theatre!
OLIVIA DI GRAZIA is a University of Melbourne student and sub-editor for The Dialog.
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