When theater director Matt Boresi announced that the annual spring musical would be a rendition of the satirical comedy “Urinetown: The Musical,” reactions were mixed. While the show, to be held from May 15-18, has an off-putting name, its plot drives beneath the surface of what one might expect about a musical that has numbers like “It’s a Privilege to Pee.”
Written by UChicago alumni Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, “Urinetown” serves as an absurdist comedic commentary on capitalism, populism, environmental collapse, exploitation of natural resources and even musical theater itself. The show made its Broadway debut in 2001, when musicals were filled with jokes mocking the fact that they were musicals. Mr. Boresi says that makes it even more relevant today.
“It’s still a comedy. It’s still irreverent. It’s still silly. It’s still fun. But it deals with authoritarianism and authoritarianism flourishing when there is scarcity and global and social unrest,” Mr. Boresi said. “To do this show in 2025 at a time when climate change is causing human migration, when we are beginning to feel the sting of ecological pressures, and when there is a massive global rise in authoritarianism, it does make the show pop.”
As the first musical that Mr. Boresi and new technical director Ryan Wantland will stage at U-High, they wanted to choose a show that not only encouraged engagement from the audience but also involved the cast members in all aspects of the show, a gesture that’s been greatly appreciated.
“The current directors allow us to make our own acting choices and develop our own characters,” said sophomore Peter O’Donnell, who plays Senator Fipp, a corrupt politician. “I think it’s very beneficial for everyone to be able to experiment with our characters and think about how we want to do it and how we wanna interact with the environment and the other characters instead of being controlled.”
According to Peter, on the first day of rehearsals, Mr. Boresi gave a lecture to the cast on the history of the musical and the topics it deals with. He prompted students to consider the meaning of each stylistic choice in the musical’s plot and to explore their interpretations of how they portray their characters.
Senior Taylor Landry, who is cast as Hope Cladwell, the daughter of the musical’s villain, was inspired by the musical’s political relevance.
“It’s a satire on water consumption, and there’s an evil CEO, so it’s pretty relevant to our current time,” she said. “It’s also a really good ensemble piece because every single person in the show does at least one thing. Like, there’s not a single character who doesn’t have a line.”
In fact, Taylor is not the only student cast as Hope. She and junior Sofia Ybarra are double-cast, meaning that of the four performances, they will each perform in two. Many other students have been double-cast in main roles, adding to the show’s inclusivity, and to accommodate the large number of students who auditioned.
On any given weekday evening, the cast and crew are hard at work, whether practicing songs, building sets or sewing costumes. But the most noticeable thing is the excitement in the air, shared by every cast member.
“I’m excited to explore it,” Sofia said, “and I think that it’s really gonna make people think. That’s really what theater should be about, anyway. I don’t think we should shy away from things that are gonna be a little controversial.”
As for the musical’s name, “Urinetown,” the directors and the cast all hope their respective audiences will keep an open mind.
“It’s a really weird name for a musical,” Peter said, “but it’s intriguing — a play about such an interesting concept. It’s very bold, and so, come see the show. We put a lot of work into it, and I think you’ll enjoy it. It gives you stuff to think about.”
