A funny thing happened to "Urinetown" on its way to Carnegie Mellon -- the feisty little musical spoof grew in both size and seriousness.

		"Urinetown" Where: CMU Drama at Philip Chosky Theatre, Purnell Center, CMU campus, Oakland. When: Tonight 7:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m. Tickets: $12-$24; 412-268-2407.

Its silliness is still evident, the melodramatic appropriation of Brechtian agitprop, arch play with stage convention and abundant musical comedy parody. But promoted from its scruffy origins off-Broadway onto the Chosky stage, with a larger cast, better voices and a grim/grand set that would have added millions to the costs of its Broadway transfer, it now verges on mock-operatic.

The satire darkens. Played larger, the message about capitalist greed and abuse of natural resources gains an earnestness I didn't feel in New York or the national tour that two years ago rattled around in the Benedum.

Maybe you didn't catch that seriousness, either, on first encounter. If so, I recommend the Purnell Center bathrooms, where the mirrors are covered with daunting facts about the fragility of our water supply, in connection with CMU's current art show, "Groundworks: Environmental Collaboration" (Miller Gallery through Sunday).

But the message is perfectly clear on stage, especially given the recent lessons of Katrina, tax cuts for the rich and corporate windfalls that don't trickle down.

Or maybe you had a more basic problem with "Urinetown" and didn't appreciate its satiric fun. I heard people like that around me at Saturday's matinee. They're put off by the title, of course, and by the Kurt Weill-like whine of Mark Hollman's music.

That title is a joke. But it also makes sense, with its conclusive pun on "you're-in-[this]town." And how pretty can it be when basic needs are privatized?

Unfortunately, the sound was badly off Saturday. A computer program had crashed, I'm told, but that doesn't explain the late mic cues. As a result, many of Hollman's and Greg Kotis' cleverly self-conscious lyrics were lost.

It's rather a coup for CMU to get this unusual musical so soon after its Broadway run and tour, and it's definitely a coup to bring in as director John Carrafa, the original choreographer. He has reduced doubling, providing more roles, and found students who meet their roles with zest.

Where to begin? Johanna Brickey, the new Megan Hilty, is deliciously pert and ingenuous as Hope; Wilson Scott brings Hunter Foster gee-whiz good looks to Bobby Strong; and Dan Amboyer (in spite of a muddy mic) has a Patrick Wilson forthrightness as Officer Lockstock.

I know, it's wrong to limit these seniors with allusions to their precursors at CMU or in "Urinetown," but I want to make the point that they seem ready to take their place in the profession, as Carrafa told me he believes (though without reference to individuals).

Remarkable for specific density is the villain boss, Cladwell, of Andrew Kober. Patina Miller has diva presence as Pennywise and Marissa Lesch is properly subversive as Little Sally. Among supporting players, Antwayn Hopper, Susan Goodwillie, Jesmille Darbouze and Anderson Davis stood out to me, but there are good specific performances everywhere.

Really, the only thing you can hold against "Urinetown" is not caring for ironic, over-the-top satire -- unless you're the CEO of a company milking natural resources for its own greedy benefit, of course.