Recently we saw "Urinetown, The Musical" at the Wilshire Theater in Beverly Hills.
In "Urinetown," a severe drought eliminates free public restrooms, making it difficult for the poor to get relief. The play opens with poor characters lined up outside a restroom, desperately counting their pennies to be sure they have enough for admission.
The Wilshire Theater is a grand old art deco theater, built in the good old days when theater owners devoted 50% of the construction budget to awe-inspiring decorations and 1% to the restrooms.
During the 15 minute intermission, a long line of women snaked down the staircase and into the main lobby. Desperately trying to gain admission to the theater's one pathetically small women's restroom before the second act, they unwillingly (and perhaps unwittingly) relived the musical's storyline.
In an especially telling vignette, we witnessed a guard stationed outside an empty handicapped-accessible bathroom on the first floor turning able-bodied full-bladdered women away.
Making a bad situation worse, the women who gave up waiting when the second act began were treated to another solid hour of urine talk and urine singing and urine joking and urine dancing.
So, if you're going to see "Urinetown, The Musical," and you aren't interested in reliving the story during intermission, I suggest either (1) avoiding all liquids for several hours before showtime or (2) checking ahead to verify that the theater has adequate facilities.
Might I also suggest audience participation.
On stage ... all over the "boards".
Posted by: stephenb | May 26, 2004 at 06:11 AM