Delta College stages funny, fast-paced trip to 'Urinetown'

Glenn Pillsbury
Special to The Record
Published Tuesday, May 9, 2006

What is the state of the musical when one of its most triumphant recent examples succeeds largely by skewering its predecessors?

Far from reinventing the genre, "Urinetown" depicts the death of the musical as a progressive and relevant art form. Along the way, though, San Joaquin Delta College's current production invites audiences to a clever, funny and wickedly virtuosic funeral.

In creating "Urinetown," Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann borrowed Bertolt Brecht's distancing effect to rupture the separation between stage and audience. For instance, an explanatory placard labeled "Secret Hideout" hangs above the stage in Act Two, and two crew members not only change scenery but also participate in the onstage action.

The supposed plot of "Urinetown," a mash-up of pay-to-pee corruption, urban revolution and boy-meets-girl, isn't to be taken seriously. Its elements are all cardboard signposts to previous musicals. And although Jason Kell's capitalist villain Caldwell B. Cladwell was enjoyable, "Urinetown" says nothing worth remembering on the subject of greed.

It is the relationship between Officer Lockstock (Martin Lehman), who speaks to the audience as the narrator while also playing a central character in the drama, and Little Sally (Brittany Monroe), the poor street urchin with a rich heart, that drives the neo-Brechtian absurdity of "Urinetown."

Lehman's measured pacing merged Lockstock's two identities into a warm but authoritative father figure who explains to Little Sally (and the audience) that "this is not going to be a happy musical." Monroe's performance was likewise captivating, bringing just the right amount of over-the-top spunkiness and purposeful overacting to the role.

Leads Caleb Draper as Bobby Strong and Catherine Frye as the perky but naïve Hope Cladwell also gave enjoyable performances. Draper's vocals were particularly noteworthy.

The Delta show benefits from a true sense of ensemble virtuosity. Most of the 38-member cast play more than one role, and the production has them constantly in action, whether fighting a slow-motion brawl or singing in three-part harmony.

The technical details of "Urinetown" are especially complex and fast-paced, and under John White's direction, the ensemble largely succeeded at keeping things quick and sharp. The small orchestra, under Scott Bowen's baton, performed smoothly and did its best to stay below the singers' volume. Still, there were several times when singers wearing mics could have been mixed louder.

• When: Thursday through Sunday
• Where: Tillie Lewis Theatre, San Joaquin Delta College
• Admission: $12-$14
• Info: (209) 954-5110