PRINCE FREDERICK — A town in a years-long drought, a corporation that charges people to use the bathroom and a young hero who decides he has had enough. That is the setup of Urinetown: The Musical, which the Children’s Theatre of Southern Maryland brings to Prince Frederick for six performances Nov. 6-15.
The production puts 26 performers ages 8 to 18 on stage, according to the company’s press release, with six teenage crew captains running the technical side. Performances are at the St. John Vianney Family Life Center, 225 Holy Family Lane, the same hall where the group staged The Wizard of Oz in April.
For Calvert families, the run offers a rare chance to see a show better known for adult and college stages performed by a cast of local kids. The opening night is also an accessible performance, with American Sign Language interpretation and sensory accommodations.
Performance schedule
The company’s show page lists these dates:
- Friday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. (accessible performance with ASL interpretation and sensory accommodations)
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 8, 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 15, 1 p.m.
Tickets are $24 for adults and teens 13 and older and $18 for children 12 and under. They are sold through the Children’s Theatre of Southern Maryland website.
A satire with a sense of humor about itself
Urinetown has music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and a book by Kotis. It began at the New York International Fringe Festival in 1999, moved to Broadway in 2001 and won three Tony Awards in 2002, for best book, best original score and best direction of a musical.
The story is set in a city where a long drought has made private toilets illegal. Residents must pay a single company for the privilege of using public restrooms, and those caught going elsewhere are sent away to a mysterious place called Urinetown. When the fees climb again, a young man named Bobby Strong leads the poor of the town in revolt, while falling for the daughter of the company’s owner.
The show is known for poking fun at musicals themselves. A police officer narrates the story directly to the audience and regularly reminds the crowd that it is watching a musical. Its jokes run alongside heavier ideas about corporate power, scarce resources and who pays when a community runs short.
Kids on stage, teens behind it
The company’s release says Kim Musser directs the production. The crew captain model gives older students responsibility for the backstage work that makes a show run, from scene changes to lighting and sound, alongside the performers.
The Children’s Theatre of Southern Maryland is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. On its website, the group says its productions and classes aim to showcase and train local young talent and to build participants’ confidence, communication skills and sense of self-worth. It also runs an improv series for students ages 11 to 18 and offers a technical theatre program.
The company has been expanding its programming in Prince Frederick. In August, the Chronicle reported that it began offering Music Together classes for young children. Last holiday season, the group kicked off the season with a Herdman-family comedy.
The rehearsal photo provided with this story is courtesy of Raelyn Toth. Families with questions about accessibility accommodations for the Nov. 6 performance can contact the theater through its website.
