Theater is bringing Urinetown to MHCC

This term, the MHCC Theatre program will produce the musical, “Urinetown,” a satirical comedy with a lot of singing and dancing.

Mace Archer, Mt. Hood’s theater director, says it is part of a group of musicals that began to take themselves less seriously than earlier musical theatre shows. Urinetown “is self-aware, yet makes fun of itself while landing satirical punches,” he said. The production was first performed at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2001, then later done on Broadway where it received a Tony Award.

Archer hopes to bring the “funniest and most topical show” since his arrival at MHCC, he said.

“The play is about a drought that is putting the squeeze on society, while corporations get rich on the agony of average folk,” he said. “When I look at the state of California, the play seems really pertinent.” The hope for the play is to create a comical and entertaining musical pointing out foibles of our capitalist system.

Students will be working, studying, and rehearsing from 6 to 9 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays, to get ready. Archer said his goal is “to get students to create a sense of urgency and fun onstage” along with turning them into “true revolutionaries!”

Among some of the students on set, Jared Marchant will play Officer Lockstock. Ashley Fray is playing Penelope Pennywise, Austin Peters plays Bobby Strong, Laurel Strobel plays Little Sally, Hannah Hensley plays Hope Caldwell, and Michael Tippery plays Caldwell B Cladwell when the group takes the stage in February.

Other students onstage include Breeana Grimes, Karsten Kitchen, and Benjamin Trombi, along with ensemble students Jennifer Kuenzi, Sable Van Meter, Trinity Card, Anita Bui, Ryan Townsley, Shannon Trantharn, Jade Rabell, Kayla Little, and Sawyer King.

Some of the play’s characters are still open for hopeful actors. Archer encourages and invites anyone who wants to get involved in any productions MHCC does to email him at [email protected]. “Students can sign up for as little as one credit (hour),” he said. “The great thing is that each student gets to work on the areas that they would most like to experience.”
Urinetown will be produced in the large College Theater. Archer described the play’s set as a “futuristic, Gotham-like place,” run-down and  where society is divided into the rich and poor. Even the background of the set will be stylized to look like a city “with the underbelly of the culture moved toward the audience,” Archer said.

MHCC’s production of Urinetown will open at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19.

Other dates for the show will be Feb. 20-21 and Feb. 26-28.

Tickets will be $10 if bought in advance; if purchased at the door, $12 for Mt. Hood students, staff, and senior citizens, and $15 for adults.