You’re in Urinetown

Last night Thom and I saw Urinetown at Signature Theatre, and it was so much fun! I had bought the off-Broadway cast recording on iTunes a while ago so I was familiar with the music, and it was exciting to finally see it on stage. The leads gave great performances: the hunky can’t-keep-his-shirt-on hero Will Gartshore (swoon!) and cute-as-can-be ingenue Erin Driscoll. Signature veteran Donna Migliaccio is also a standout as Mrs. Pennywise. The show is about a town undergoing a drought, where a greedy corporation has monopolized public toilets, and citizens rise up against the oppression. It’s a bizarre conceit, and yet it’s so campy (with winks and nods to musical-theater conventions) that you can’t help but get carried along in the craziness. This production of Urinetown, originally scheduled to close Oct. 9, was extended through this Sunday, Oct. 16.

I am continually amazed at the innovations at Signature. We’ve seen a number of productions there, and each time they’ve transformed their black-box space into something completely different and perfect for each show. For the grungy look of Urinetown, the set design took advantage of the theater’s origins as an auto shop by keeping much of the concrete space exposed. Their new theater complex, scheduled to open next year, will have two black-box theaters giving them more space while maintaining their spirit of flexibility and innovation.

» Related: Post and Potomac Stages reviews.