Urinetown The Musical - February 21 - March 09, 2025
Bastrop Opera House, Inc.
BASTROP OPERA HOUSE
Note From the Director
When Urinetown first premiered in 2001, I was a bright-eyed college theatre student. It was the hottest thing on Broadway, and I remember being introduced to it toward the end of the semester in a course on Modern Theatre. At the time, I understood it simply as an experimental, avant-garde, irreverent, and absurd new comedic musical—without giving much thought to its darker themes and very serious questions. Now, nearly 25 years later, I find myself revisiting it not just as an artistic endeavor, but as a story that feels startlingly relevant to the world we live in today.
Under the laughs, Urinetown asks pressing questions: What should be privatized, and what should remain public? Where do we draw the line on “rights” when resources are scarce? How are those lines drawn, and who gets to draw them? Is our way of life sustainable? How much authority do we give to law enforcement, and what tactics are we willing to accept in the name of order? These questions were thought-provoking when the show debuted, but today, they feel urgent. As we experience our environment changing around us, we see just how fragile access to basic necessities can be. At the same time, the show’s commentary on power, control, and justice continues to resonate as we navigate ongoing discussions about civil rights and law enforcement in our own communities.
To heighten these themes, we are embracing an "Epic Theatre" approach, borrowing devices from Bertoldt Brecht, Expressionism, and Neo-Futurism. You’ll see characters breaking the fourth wall, projected titles, stylized performances, and moments that intentionally break the illusion of theatre. These techniques are meant to remind us that Urinetown is not just a piece of entertainment—it’s an argument, a set of active questions, and an invitation to think critically about the systems we encounter in our world today. Urinetown provides a fantastic playground for that approach.
What’s remarkable about Urinetown is how well it has aged—not just in its themes, but in its ability to challenge and entertain at the same time. It doesn’t give us easy answers, but it invites us to think, to laugh, and to question the systems in which we find ourselves.
For, as you will come to see—Urinetown is your town.
Thank you for joining us, and enjoy the show!
Under the laughs, Urinetown asks pressing questions: What should be privatized, and what should remain public? Where do we draw the line on “rights” when resources are scarce? How are those lines drawn, and who gets to draw them? Is our way of life sustainable? How much authority do we give to law enforcement, and what tactics are we willing to accept in the name of order? These questions were thought-provoking when the show debuted, but today, they feel urgent. As we experience our environment changing around us, we see just how fragile access to basic necessities can be. At the same time, the show’s commentary on power, control, and justice continues to resonate as we navigate ongoing discussions about civil rights and law enforcement in our own communities.
To heighten these themes, we are embracing an "Epic Theatre" approach, borrowing devices from Bertoldt Brecht, Expressionism, and Neo-Futurism. You’ll see characters breaking the fourth wall, projected titles, stylized performances, and moments that intentionally break the illusion of theatre. These techniques are meant to remind us that Urinetown is not just a piece of entertainment—it’s an argument, a set of active questions, and an invitation to think critically about the systems we encounter in our world today. Urinetown provides a fantastic playground for that approach.
What’s remarkable about Urinetown is how well it has aged—not just in its themes, but in its ability to challenge and entertain at the same time. It doesn’t give us easy answers, but it invites us to think, to laugh, and to question the systems in which we find ourselves.
For, as you will come to see—Urinetown is your town.
Thank you for joining us, and enjoy the show!
--
Jonathan Young, MFA
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