“It’s a privilege to pee.” Yes, you heard correctly. Scituate High School’s drama department is performing Urinetown, a musical about a dystopian society in which one must pay to pee.
Directors Ty and Amy Lemerande said, “This show is a metaphor of modern society in the sense that the rich get rich and the poor get poor.” This year’s leading cast includes seniors Roger Dawley, Aisling Sheehan, Scott Kamp, Ani Koziel, and Chris MacDonald.
Portraying Bobby Strong, the main character in the musical, Roger Dawley said, “I am interested to see how people will react to it because it’s funny, but it’s a different kind of humor.”
Urinetown follows the lives of citizens in a town in which people must pay to pee due to a need to restrict water usage. As a result of the poor economic status of many people in the town, the cost of paying to pee becomes difficult, leading to a revolution. Led by Bobby Strong, the townspeople attempt to go against their government in order to gain the right to pee without having to pay. The danger of refusing to pee involves being sent to the colony, “Urinetown,” from which no one returns.
The directors credited chorus teacher, Bill Richter, with building the students’ strength in music. The cast identified songs such as “Tell Her I Love Her,” “Act One Finale,” “Run Freedom Run,” and “The Cop Song” as their favorite songs from the musical.
The costumes also add excitement to the show by bringing the characters to life. Ani Koziel, who plays Little Sally, said, “My favorite part of the production is being dressed up in costume as a five year old.”
Aside from the music and participation of upperclassmen, another winning aspect of the production is the strong representation of underclassmen. Freshmen Abby Hilditch and Marley Schwarz said the support of the upperclassmen and the overall experience of being in such a production have made their experience in the musical even more worthwhile.
Additionally, sophomore George Malouf said the overall dynamic of the drama department is “very bodacious,” which helps them all interact with each other in a way that improves their overall performance.
A major part of the production is the tech department. Senior Teddy Ragge is the technical director, putting him in charge of light, sound, and set-building. Ragge identified the lighting as the most prominent aspect of the tech department during the production because it will add more to the overall stage presence.
As Aisling Sheehan said, “You’ll have to wait to see what happens.” Come support the SHS drama department as they perform Urinetown on November 21 and 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the SHS auditorium.