SE River Campus to debut 'Urinetown: The Musical' on Thursday

Southeast Missouri State University students will answer nature's call by presenting "Urinetown: The Musical" Thursday through Sunday at the Southeast River Campus in Cape Girardeau.

The Tony-winning comedy, in which townsfolk must pay to use the restroom, takes a satirical look at capitalism, populism and municipal politics.

"Urinetown" music director Jenna Moore said the show is a parody of epic theatre style, made famous by German composers Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera" in the early 1900s.

And the musical wasn't necessarily chosen because of the current political climate, she said. But, Moore said she is "very happy" the River Campus is presenting it.

The show emphasizes the importance of moderation and how no political extreme is going to offer a successful society, Moore and Southeast instructor of musical theatre and "Urinetown" director Ryan Townsend agreed.

Since Weill and Brecht's works present "big critiques" on capitalism, Moore said, one might also think "Urinetown" is a critique on capitalism.

But, "you have to wait for it," Moore said. "It's not really."

The "Urinetown" title is a "play on words," with the show's featured megacorporation Urine Good Company, explained Moore, alluding to the show's toilet theme.

"The thing I like about the show musically is every single song is in a different style," Moore said, "because it is parodying a different musical style within musical theatre."

Townsend said, "Not everybody has all the answers, and if we try to find solutions as a team rather than being polarized, we can find solutions that best fit people in general."

The show is a second stage production, he added, meaning students are included within the cast and as designers. That combination is what makes this show really special, Townsend said.

With a cast of 19, four student designers, a student stage manager and a student choreographer, the show has been mainly student-led, according to Townsend and Moore.

Moore described the production as also being an ensemble show. Although there are lead characters, she said, the ensemble is on-stage almost the entire time.

"Jenna (Moore) and I are the only faculty on the production team and the students have all been doing excellent work to make this show very special," Townsend said. "This play deals with class issues, so there are the poor and rich. I like to say that the poor deserve their own reality TV show because they're all so interesting."

Moore said, "Because our society right now is so polarized politically, I think it's important for people to see that. Moderation and compromise is really important."

The show runs Thursday through Sunday at the Southeast River Campus. Tickets can be purchased online at rivercampus.org.

jhartwig@semisosurian.com

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