There are a few shows in the theater world that just don’t get the respect they deserve. West Side Story is the grandfather of them for being staged as a ‘50s rock throwback as if it doesn’t have anything modern to say, for example. That show is just as modern and fresh today as it was when it was first staged a generation ago.



Another of those shows is Cabaret, since it too is modern in its tone, considering it is set pre World War II. We are living a cabaret old friends ... we are living a cabaret. Cue the jazz hands.



I would argue that Urinetown is also on this list, because it is a really good show that happens to suffer from one of the worst names in Broadway history. It is such a bad name that it has become a cliche of how bad the name is. But the show doesn’t match the distasteful title it was given. Urinetown is a fun, futuristic show that is a mix between Soylent Green and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The mix of music and over-the-top characters has made the show a winner of three Tony Awards, three Outer Critic’s Circle Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards and two Obie Awards.



The storyline follows life of a New York-style city that has been plagued with a 20-year drought that has forced its residents to conserve water anyway they can, including the banning of private toilets. That means people have to use the public toilets, courtesy of a contract held by a major company with a monopoly on all the crappers in the city.



The residents become oppressed under the tyrannical toilet tax and call for a hero. Out of the huddled masses yearning to pee free, comes a hero. Bobby Strong (played by Ryan Demerick) fits the bill. Drawing from West Side Story, Chicago, and Les Misérables among others, the show irreverently pays witty homage to the great American musical theatre tradition.



I think what makes this show so fun is not only the clever music and the characters, but the clever storyline and eco-friendly message. While it in no way comes across as preachy, it provides food for thought about the human impact on the environment and the role of capitalism in creating false shortages of commodities.



The cast includes: Katin Jacobs-Lake as Hope Cladwell, Carrie Nelson as Pennywise, Ian Lamberton as Officer Lockstock, Krista Curry as Little Sally and Howard Knickerbocker as the money bagged Caldwell B. Cladwell. Direction comes by way of Jeff Richards, with musical direction by Marianne McColley and choreography by Vicki Richards.

 

[Paradise Theatre, through Aug. 24 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday, 253.851.PLAY, www.paradisetheatre.org]