Mainstage show headed for town

By Amanda Thorogood

Starting next week, audiences can begin to experience what the Urinetown cast promises to be a musical joining of a hilarious plot with a little “pee humor” under the direction of Dr. Patrick Chmel.

Created by Greg Kotis, Urinetown is a story woven from Kotis’ real-life experience of backpacking through Europe where he encountered towns where one was forced to pay to use the bathroom. From there, the idea of a money-hungry corporation taking over the rights of water usage launched the premise of the Tony award-winning musical that opens in the Yvonne Theater next week.

“When I was first exposed to Urinetown I just thought that it was so absolutely fresh and so absolutely outrageously wonderful that I thought that our students here would totally take off on it,” said Chmel. “It is totally unconventional in terms of its subject matter and what it attempts to do.”

The story centers upon Bobby Strong, played by junior Judah Frank, who is so outraged at the price to use the bathroom that he decides to lead a revolt. His actions propel threats from the corporation that he, and any like him who refuse to pay, will be sent to Urinetown as an eternal punishment. Only the audience — not the play’s cast of quirky characters — knows whether or not Urinetown exists. As an added twist, Bobby falls in love with the daughter of the president of the corporation that controls the water usage.

Essentially, the play calls for Urinetown to be set anywhere within the country, but with his production of the musical, Dr. Chmel has decided to add a unique setting that has had an impact on the characters and how they are perceived.

“When I originally saw the play on Broadway three years ago I remember [what] the poor rebels looked like,” said Chmel. “They were wanderers who looked very dark and drab, and so we decided to see what would happen if we specified the location and made the setting a place that is really interesting right now.”

Therefore, the play will be set in Greenwich Village with street signs and set designs full of color alluding to the unconventional atmosphere of lower Manhattan. And with Greenwich Village comes a band of people far from the normal suburban neighborhood.

“Greenwich Village is an amazing multicultural display of different types of people, and then we projected another 20 years after the ecological holocaust to see what these people are now like and how they are struggling with their lives,” said Chmel. “This allowed all of them to hang on to semblances of their past, what they had always carried with them.”

By giving the play this specific location Chmel feels that an ensemble of interesting characters has since emerged, including a Roman Catholic priest who is often seen carrying a flask and a one-time actor who can no longer find work.

According to freshman Joanne Nosuchinsky, who plays Little Sally, the setting has also helped the cast’s ability to create life stories for each of their characters, making them more fun to portray.

“We have experimented with different voices and body languages that are both comical and truthful, and we have all found a happy medium,” Nosuchinsky said. “For example, my character Little Sally enjoys mac and cheese. When she grows up, she wants to be a cop.”

The actors have been practicing for seven weeks, often every day of the week. Rehearsals cover acting, dancing and vocal aspects of the show. Fellow cast member and freshman Rose Lynn, who has never been part of a Rider production prior to Urinetown, added that such rehearsals are needed for a production of this caliber.

“Urinetown is [about] teamwork, because the cast as a whole can really make this show extraordinary,” she said.

Nosuchinsky urges everyone to come out and see the play, noting that the actors’ job is to entertain their audience.

“We love our job,” she said. “So let us work for you.”

Urinetown can be seen in a preview performance on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m., followed by shows on Friday, Nov. 10 and 17, and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 18, at 8 p.m., in the Yvonne Theater. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults.