by Joe Buffaloe
Daily Lobo
Everybody has to pee.
So it's only natural that someday someone will make money off it.
The UNM Department of Theatre and Dance presents "Urinetown, The Musical," which revolves around this concept. It's set in a future where a 20-year drought has prompted a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The right to urinate has become a privilege, regulated by a single evil corporation that charges money for one of humankind's most basic needs.
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Those who break this golden law are carted off to Urinetown, never to be seen or heard from again. But not to worry - a hero soon arises to lead the people to freedom.
John Byrom, a UNM senior, plays Officer Lockstock, who serves as the narrator and one of the enforcers for the evil corporation.
"It's a strange subject," he said. "I've never done an entire musical about peeing."
The comedy revolves around politics more than toilet humor, though.
"It talks a lot about the loss of rights, things we're starting to see in day-to-day politics," Byrom said.
Sara Escobedo, who plays another worker for the corporation, agrees.
"My character has to choose between doing the right thing or making money," she said. "So it's very timely."
Byrom said the political nature of the play differs from that of others.
"In student theater, you see a lot of political plays," Byrom said. "But this piece sees things from both sides. On one hand, it gives this perspective of harsh, fascist law and how terrible that is, but it also shows the other side and their perspective. I respect that in a play."
Part of the humor also comes from the music.
"It takes aspects of a lot of big Broadway shows and parodies them," Escobedo said. "One song will sound like 'Chicago,' then the next will sound like a completely different show."
She said this has made it one of the most challenging plays she's ever performed in, but also one of the funniest.
"It's taught me not to take everything so seriously," she said.
In addition to students, the cast includes UNM faculty.
"It's been nice to cast age-appropriate," Byrom said. "Usually you just work with people in your own age range, so it's been great having a couple guys who are 40-plus."
The inclusion of faculty points to the excitement around the show. "Urinetown" won Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Book at the 2002 Tony Awards.
"It's rare that you get the rights to such a recent, successful play as this," Byrom said.
One of the challenges, he said, was to make the performance different from the Broadway version. "If you just imitate a CD, you take away the entire creative process."
