Preview: Urinetown The Musical and the politics of pee

Poster provided by Playhouse Square and CSU Department of Theater and Dance

This November, the musical, “Urinetown” brings its bright yellow lights to Cleveland.

The Cleveland State University Theater and Dance department, in conjunction with Playhouse Square, will be performing “Urinetown.” The musical will be premiering on Thursday, Oct. 31, and will run through Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Allen Theater in Playhouse Square. 

Urinetown, a dystopian society where citizens must pay to pee, is the centerpiece of this contemporary satire. The musical comments on a variety of political issues such as the environment, the divide between the classes, and poverty in a unique way. The musical takes place in a dystopian world that suffers from two decades of global drought, where one corporation controls when and where citizens use the bathroom.

Tyler Milicic is a senior theater Major who plays Clawell B, the main antagonist of the show. Urinetown will be his final show as a CSU student, making this performance a highly emotional one.

“This past Saturday we had what we call a cry rehearsal,” said Milicic. “For four hours we delved into the emotions of the characters and I will not lie, I cried.”

Jade Lopez, a sophomore Theater Major, plays the part of Hope Cladwll, the main love interest and the daughter of Milicic’s character. Lopez feels that while she plays a part of a family on stage, behind the curtain the cast feels like a family as well.

This is Lopez’s second year performing at Playhouse, and the role of Hope Cladwell is different from the roles Lopez is used to playing.

“In highschool I played a lot of comedy relief characters, [that are] very strong and have big emotions,” said Lopez. “I am not used to playing roles with more dimensions than just a slutty puppet.”

Urinetown will present audiences with a refreshing take on contemporary musicals, much like it has given cast members the opportunity to step outside of their performing comfort zones.

Tickets are available online for $20 but with the promo code FBCSU tickets are $10 per person.