Urinetown Review
Reviewed by Amanda Jackson - Hawkes Bay Today
Flushed with success and it's clever too
Napier Operatic Society
Directed by Chris Davidson
November 20 - December 6 2008, Tabard Theatre
If this were a movie, I'd give it four stars, and if the first act had done what the second act did, I would have given it five.
The show won't be everyone's cup of tea but that may be because audiences often feel an entitlement to ease, comfort and happiness as they are entertained and don't want to be thinking too hard, reading between lines or working at understanding what lies behind what meets the eye.
I would encourage audiences to be prepared to embrace the challenge the content presents on the one hand and the spectacle on the other.
What didn't quite fire in Act One simply blazed in Act Two and the cast brought much more meaning to the double entendres as they parodied so much of what we have been trained to hold dear in other shows.
True to the predictions, things aren't what we expect.
But, as theatre is a legitimate tool to promote discussion and to present an interpretation for that discussion, the content reflected that, and the concerns it raised will linger.
Add vitality and assuredness, grit and flair, creative dance and a fantastic band and you have a show that can be enjoyed on many levels.
The sets were austere and cunning, well balanced areas of moody light and dark, and large movable sections changed scenes with a minimum of fuss and were very effective, the sewer scene particularly creative.
The choreography was inspired, not simply because it was so good to watch but because it commented on other dances in other shows and was a comedic voice in itself.
There is some blatantly political dialogue and Colin Crook's character as an amiable narrator with a darker side, engaged another conversation, our own, to the script through explanations to sweet-faced, guileless Little Sally, played by Sophie Barr, whose voice was particularly lovely.
Kim Davey was an acutely charming Hope in a dreadful wig and Karen Green stamped the voice of authority in a powerful song early on and an arresting solo in I See A River.
Generally the women had the better roles and the men moved the narrative but they were equally strong and confident.
Chris Davidson has picked a demanding show that will ruffle feathers but his passion for, and interpretation of, the script has manifested itself infectiously into his cast who shone with energy, moved accurately, and acted without pausing.
For a one-time view, there aren't the melody lines to carry away easily but the show is more about disturbing revelations on social behaviour versus our environment and it uses theatre to present these.
Dances with strains of Fiddler, crowd scenes reminiscent of Les Mis, orphan Annie telling us how to live, ridiculous little speeches of meaningless codswallop delivered with religious fervour that paid irreverent homage to so many past shows, were delivered by this cast at full throttle and the more reflection I give it, the cleverer it becomes.
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