It helps that this is a Tony award winning musical, but really it has more to do with the cast and this production. I saw this show on Broadway about ten years ago, and I walked out at intermission because I was so bored. This time around, I could not get enough, and I will not stop until I make all my friends go and see it.
Seeing Andrew Wheeler dancing around in the Mr. Cladwell number is worth the cost of admission alone. And I didn't know who was playing the role of Bobby Strong, and after reading the program I found out it was Vancouver's very own Anton Lipovetsky who is a city-wide favourite and who could easily keep up with the likes of Neil Patrick Harris. Narrator Officer Lockstock (played by David Adams) does a great job in keeping the show moving along, while busting out some smooth stylings of his own during one of the numbers.
This is also the hardest working ensemble cast currently on stage in Vancouver. Their costume changes and their dance numbers - choreographed to a tee by Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg (seriously, she should have choreographed Flashdance) - all executed brilliantly under the strong direction of Donna Spencer (who does double duty and shows up in the show as Ma Strong). Each scene was so distinct from each other, whether it was a brigade of dancing police officers behaving like bunnies or a gospel-inspired sermon, the entire show was memorable from start to finish.
The show is hilarious and satirical and I am begging you to go see it! And bring all your friends with you, I promise you won't regret it! The Firehall is a small intimate venue, but the show it is currently housing is so much larger than life.
Urinetown is on now at the Firehall Arts Centre until November 29th.
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