Leicester Hosts Urinetown’s UK Premiere???

We’re not taking the piss. The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Urinetown looks set to finally receive its UK premiere, albeit in Leicester rather than London.

Inspired by author Greg Kotis’ experiences as a budget-conscious student encountering pay-per-use toilets while travelling in Europe, Urinetown is set in a drought-stricken future when citizens must “pay to pee” in facilities owned by the Urine Good Company.

The musical comedy – which has a book by Kotis, and score and lyrics by Kotis and Mark Hollman – satirises the likes of Brecht and various musical theatre conventions, including the usual happy ending. Songs include “It’s a Privilege to Pee”, “Snuff That Girl”, “Don’t Be the Bunny” and “We’re Not Sorry”.

First seen at the New York Fringe Festival in 1999, Urinetown had an inauspicious start on Broadway – its original opening night, 13 September 2001, was postponed due to 9/l1, but whereas several other shows closed in the wake of the terrorist attacks, Urinetown proved a surprise hit with critics and audiences. It went on to win three Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score, and ran until January 2004.

The show’s expected West End transfer was mooted back in 2002 but failed to materialise (See The Goss, 21 Aug 2002). Leicester Curve now looks ready to pick up the reins, as it did this past May for another Tony Award winner whose West End transfer never happened, Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza.

We hear that Leicester’s production of Urinetown may reunite artistic director Paul Kerryson with his Light in the Piazza leading man Matt Rawle, who’s in the frame to play Bobby Strong. Rawle’s West End credits include Zorro, for which he was Whatsonstage.com and Olivier nominated this year, and Evita.