Sometimes, we don’t remember how lucky we are to pee for free. But across three showtimes, tonight and Saturday, Cap & Bells will remind us, whisking audiences away to the dystopian world of Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann’s Urinetown, where it’s a privilege to pee. 

This musical satire takes place in a city plagued by a 20-year drought. Facing a water shortage, the government has banned private toilets. Public restrooms are controlled by a greedy company that charges for admission, and some members of the public lead a revolt against the authoritarian regulations in this satire of capitalism, social responsibility, and the impending climate crisis.

The satirical show, explained music director Sara Stebbins ’24, intentionally draws attention to theatrical elements of the production. “In a normal musical, the music draws you in, and you sort of forget that you’re an audience member,” they said. “The music in this show is meant to push you away from the story and make you more aware of the political content and your status as an audience member.” 

Teddy Palmore ’27, a member of the ensemble playing the role of Old Man Strong, added that Urinetown does not just work to satirize issues of the real world, but also to critique the very concept of a stage production. “Every single part of the musical is critiquing the whole genre of a musical,” he said. “It specifically critiques the sub-genre of resistance-rebellion musicals.”

At its core, the show is a comedy, but it was some of its critical elements that partially inspired director Petra Hinds ’24 to bring it to the College this year. “The show is about the after-effects of ecological devastation, the effects of capitalism on people, and the efficacy of revolutionary struggle,” she said, highlighting themes she found particularly relevant to the concerns of students at the College. “Even though it’s a very silly show, it’s about serious things.”

Stebbins and Hinds teamed up for this production after listening to Urinetown’s Broadway soundtrack together last year, Hinds said. The musical was the first one Stebbins music directed in high school, and the pair were eager to bring their own twist on the show to the College. 

Urinetown is also the first full-length show and musical Hinds has directed. Though she said it has been exciting to bring her vision of the show to life, it has also come with some challenges. 

“It’s very difficult to run a room full of your peers,” she said. “You have to find the right balance between separating yourself from the rest of the cast and earning their respect — creating enough distance that they see you as the director and not just one of their friends  — while also being kind enough that they see you as a friend when the show ends.” 

For Molly Arts ’24, who is playing Penelope Pennywise, one of the biggest challenges has been honing her acting skills to portray the development of her character. “She transforms from both an enforcer and follower of the law to realizing how corrupt the system truly is and fighting against it,” she said. “I have never had a musical lead before, and it’s been wonderful to get into the character and master her big arc.” 

Palmore, for whom Urinetown is his first Cap & Bells production, said that he has enjoyed the camaraderie among the cast. “There’s so little divide between class years… I feel so welcomed, even though it’s my first show here,” he said. “I have one of the smaller roles in the musical, but I don’t feel that I’m treated any different than any of the lead characters.” 

The cast hopes that audiences will come away from the performance with a balanced perspective on the show’s humor and deeper meanings. “I hope the audience listens to the lyrics, because it’s a very wordy show with a lot of fun puns and rhymes and jokes,” Arts said. “I hope people understand the depth of the characters and what they’re trying to convey as well as the surface-level comedy. The show is so funny and light-hearted, while also talking about something really important and serious.” 

Hinds also hopes that audience members leave thinking more about the value of the stage production. “My primary goal in life is to make people take away from productions that theatre is fun, but also that theatre is important,” she said. 

Cap and Bells’ production of Urinetown will be performed on Wednesday Nov. 15 at 7 p.m., Saturday Nov. 18 at 2 p.m., and Saturday Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Adams Memorial Theater at the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance.