URINETOWN, THE MUSICAL at RITZ THEATRE COMPANY

"I really do love this show!" says Ritz Theatre Company’s Craig Hutchings, the director of the upcoming Urinetown, The Musical. Craig is also The Ritz's Associate Artistic Director, who has directed several other Ritz Main Stage productions, and always thrills the kids who attend The Ritz's highly interactive Ritz Kidz shows.

Craig adds: "Within the show itself is the line 'Who would go see a show entitled 'Urinetown?' The answer is anyone who enjoys a satire involving the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics.

Who wouldn't like a show with characters with names like Officer Lockstock, and Barrel, Penelope Pennywise, and Caldwell B. Cladwell?"

Urinetown, The Musical is a hilarious, satirical, political comedy, and The Ritz Theatre Co. production is featuring over twenty High School and College age performers.

Set in the near future, human activity has led to water shortages, making private toilets unthinkable. People are forced to visit only the public toilets to relieve themselves. A megacorporation Urine Good Company (UGC) holds control over such institutions and controls the people through intimidation. To control water consumption, people have to pay to use the amenities. There are harsh laws ensuring that people pay to urinate, and if those laws are broken, the offender is sent to a penal colony called Urinetown, never to return.

The show also parodies musicals such as The Threepenny Opera, The Cradle Will Rock and Les Misérables, and the Broadway musical itself as a form.

Urinetown, The Musical premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. The Broadway production earned several Drama Desk Award nominations in 2001, and in 2002 it earned three Tony Awards, a Theatre World Award, six more Tony nominations, and an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination.

The Ritz Theatre Co. Participates in The Urinetown Project
During Performances of Urinetown, The Musical

Alyssa Sileo is a senior at The School of Performing Arts at Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT) in Sewell, NJ.

Alyssa is an arts advocate who creates projects for her school's theatrical season which take the theme of the production and use it for charity.

Last year, she performed in GCIT's production of Urinetown (as Old Ma Strong) and created The Urinetown Project to benefit the citizens of Flint, Michigan undergoing a water crisis.

Since the characters of Urinetown have to pay to pee, audience members donated to use the bathrooms throughout the performances.

They collected $275 for The United Way of Gennesee County, who provides water bottles and filtering systems for the people of Flint.

The Ritz Theatre will have containers for donations in the bathrooms during the performances of Urinetown, The Musical for The Urinetown Project.

You can follow the journey of The Urinetown Project as it partners with more productions on their social media accounts:

The Urinetown Project on Facebook

The Urinetown Project on Twitter

The Urinetown Project on Instagram