Foothill's 'Urinetown' so good, it's worth going twice

Now playing at the Nevada Theatre in Nevada City, and not to be missed before it closes April 6, is "Urinetown: the Musical," an offbeat tale about a revolt over pay-to-go toilets.

The potential for possible pee-pee puns in this Foothill Theatre Company comedy is virtually limitless, and its 16 witty songs offer nearly as many opportunities for dry humor.

The original production opened on Broadway Sept. 20, 2001, after a short postponement due to the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack. It won three Tony awards and ran for 965 performances at the Henry Miller Theater before closing Jan. 18, 2004, to go on the road.

The book is by Greg Kotis, who got the idea from pay toilets in Europe. Mark Hollmann composed the music. The two collaborated on the lyrics.

The story is set in the not-so-distant future in a not-so-mythical society where a long drought has led the "gummint" to ban home toilets.

People must use the previously free public pissoirs that the politicians have "privatized" and deeded over to the Urine Good Company in exchange for a slice of the profits, otherwise known as graft.

Citizens must now alleviate themselves of coins in order to eliminate themselves of their contents — sort of a tinkle tax.

And that's where the show opens, with narrator Officer Lockstock (marvelously portrayed by Ted Barton) explaining all this to the audience while the pitiful poor queue up in front of Public Amenity No. 9.

The play proceeds in a parody of the boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl-back plotline, only to reach a far darker ending than any Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movie did.

In "Urinetown," handsome boy toilet attendant Bobby Strong (played by Michael Thatcher), meets Hope Cladwell (Alice Grindling), the beautiful and innocent daughter of UGC toilet tycoon, Caldwell B. Cladwell (David Silberman).

Bobby and Hope fall in love, only to part when Hope's father and his politician pals hike the already onerous fee-to-pee and the oppressed masses revolt against the tinkle tax, with Bobby as their leader.

Bobby gets Hope back by taking her hostage in a bid to force her father to lift the loo levy.

"Urinetown" directors Lynne Collins and Carolyn Howarth have balanced the cast exquisitely, with the supporting actor-singers shining in their roles as brightly as the stars of the show do in theirs.

Star Barton, a resident FTC actor, stands out in the numbers "Too Much Exposition," "Privilege to Pee" and "Cop Song."

Silberman's Caldwell Gladwell, who looks suspiciously like Mr. Monopoly in top hat and morning coat, gets some of the show's best songs, including "Don't be a Bunny."

Katie Rubin is outstanding in her role as the hard case urinal cash collector Penelope Pennywise — and has grown quite adept with a plumber's plunger, it seems.

Jenni Stephenson probably has the surprise sleeper role of the show as the highly intelligent Teddy-bear toter, Little Sally.

Everyone is good in multiple roles, including Scott Raneri, Johnny Pomatto as Officer Barrel (Sidekick to Officer Lockstock, get it?)

The music is recorded, not live, which I usually criticize. But musical director Ken Hardin and sound designer Chris Christensen have so artfully arranged and controlled it in support of the singers I have no complaints this time.

Pamela Hodges' set for this "Urinetown" is one of the best I've seen in Northern California, either local theater company or traveling troupe. It is artistically creative and cleverly constructed so as to minimize set changes.

I may have left out a couple of names, but I'll catch them next time around. This musical about "Number 1" is so good it's worth going twice.

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Elsewhere, Noel Coward's comedy, "Blythe Spirit," opens Friday at the Yuba College Theatre and runs through March 22, with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

The plot is simple enough. In a séance held at the home of socialite writer Charles Condomine, zany medium Madame Arcati conjures up the ghost of the writer's dead wife, Elvira, much to the chagrin of his second wife.

Yet more proof writers ought never to marry even once, much less twice.

As often happens in comedies, it's the supporting actors who deliver the memorable characters and lines. Madame Arcati is the case here.

Director Dave Wheeler and his actors always stage a good show, so this one is not to be missed.

Coward was noted on two continents for his urbane style. So you too, dear reader, can appear to be worldly and witty, here are a few interesting chat facts you can drolly drop:

The title of this three-act play comes from the first stanza of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem, "To a Skylark," which famously begins, "Hail to thee, blythe spirit!/ Bird thou never wert —/ That from heaven or near it/ Pourest thy full heart/ In profuse strains of unpremeditated art."

My own favorite stanza, however, comes later: "We look before and after/ And pine for what is not:/ Our sincerest laughter/ With some pain is fraught;/ Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought."

Coward claimed to have written "Blythe Spirit" in one five-day sitting while vacationing in Wales with actress Joyce Carey. Only two lines of the first draft were cut in rehearsals.

It premiered in London in 1941 at the height of the World War II blitz. Some complained it caricatured death, a sensitive topic at the time. But the flap quickly faded and the play ran for 1,997 performances, a West End record that stood for three decades.

Tickets at Yuba College are $8. Students and seniors can get in for just five simoleons. Such a deal!

Tom Nadeau has written for and acted on stage, screen, radio and television. Write to him at theaterland@gmail.com.