Urinetown The Musical at Hopebox Theatre

I went to the national tour of Urinetown The Musical when it came through SLC in 2004 but I haven't seen it since so I was very excited for a production at the Hopebox Theatre last night. I loved it and I think it is my new favorite show at this theatre. In a dystopian future in which a 20-year drought has caused a severe water shortage, consumption is controlled by a ban on private toilets. The Urine Good Company, under the control of the megalomaniac Caldwell B. Cladwell (Jim Dale), owns all public toilets and charges an exorbitant fee to use them. Anyone who breaks the law by peeing for free is sent by Officer Lockstock (Dylan Watson) and Officer Barrel (Kaltin Kirby) to the mysterious "Urinetown" from which no one ever returns. After Cladwell bribes Senator Fipp (Jen Morgan) to vote for an increase in fees, Bobby Strong (Sean Bishop), the assistant custodian of Amenity #9 in the poorest part of town, decides to take control from the custodian Penelope Pennywise (Elizabeth Rossander) and eventually stages a rebellion. Bobby takes Cladwell's daughter Hope (Allison Hogge) hostage and, when this leads to tragedy, she leads the people to victory and sends her father to "Urinetown" with unexpected consequences. This is a hilariously self-aware spoof of musical theatre and I especially loved it every time Officer Lockstock and Little Sally (Morgan Richards) break the fourth wall to describe all of the tropes that are being used in the show. My favorites are the stock characters (the omniscient narrator, the ingenue, the hero, the villain, etc.) as well as the amusing names (the use of lock, stock, and barrel made me laugh out loud). However, in addition to the humor, this show is also uncomfortably thought-provoking with themes of diminishing resources, corporate greed, late stage capitalism, corruption, and social inequality. These themes are particularly compelling in a state facing a severe drought with leaders who seem to be more concerned with their own greed. As uneasy as the message made me feel about the current state of the world, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this production. The cast is one of the best I have seen at this theatre and, while the leads Bishop and Hogge have beautiful voices and give lovely performances to balance the satire, I think Watson steals the show with his over-the-top facial expressions and campy delivery. The ensemble is also very strong and the standout for me was Jack Dwyer because of his physicality. The choreography is incredibly dynamic (my favorite numbers were "Too Much Exposition," "Cop Song," "Why Did I Listen to That Man?," and "We're Not Sorry" because they feature the entire cast and utilize the small space very well), the minimal sets evoke a bleak and dystopian world, and the costumes do a great job in differentiating the economic classes. As with every production at the Hopebox Theatre, the proceeds are going to help someone in the community battling cancer and the recipient for this show is Carla Avis (go here to learn about her). I highly recommend getting a ticket because, not only is this show outstanding, it is for a good cause (go here for tickets). Act quickly because there are only three performances left!