The Performing Arts Department at the University of Massachusetts Boston will be performing the musical “Urinetown” later this fall. The production is in its beginning stages, and auditions were held Sept. 17 and 18.
The story, set in the not-so-distant future, is about a town suffering a 20-year drought, which has caused the government to ban private toilets. The citizens of Urinetown must pay to use public facilities operated by a single sinister owner.
The protagonist of the story decides to start a revolution to gain back freedom for everyone. The show’s director, Carrie Ann Quinn, and costume designer, Rafael Jaen, have begun to plan a fresh and new take on the award-winning musical.
Quinn selected “Urinetown” as this fall’s performance because she felt the Performing Arts Department could take on a larger musical with more cast members and dance numbers. There was a large turnout for auditions last week.
Quinn says she looks for good voice quality and tone in a performer. She also tries to seek out the energy that matches a characters of in play to each person that auditions.
As for the story itself, Quinn says this interpretation of Urinetown will be more futuristic, referring to the characters’ costumes and the overall look of the play.
The atmosphere of the show partly comes from the costumes of each character. Costume designer Rafael Jaen says the costumes will be post-apocalyptic themed and similar to the those in “The Hunger Games.”
The poor citizens will wear distressed fabrics, earthy tones, and camouflage textures to foreshadow their upcoming rebellion. The rich citizens will wear liquid texture fabrics such as sharkskin and silver colors to represent their access to water. All of the costumes made for the show connect with the characters’ individual personality and involvement in the story.
Quinn describes “Urinetown” as the “anti-musical,” because it is a satire of musical theater that mocks the sappy nature of most musicals. She also promises that unlike other musicals, “Urinetown” does not have a typical happy ending.
Along with being funny, exciting, and politically relevant, “Urinetown” promises to be a show that someone who isn’t a typical fan of musical theater can enjoy.