Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette A chorus of The Poor sing the number "Run, Freedom, Run," led by Connor Mrozowski, as Bobby Strong, in front of Lindsay Machen, portraying the hostage Hope Cladwell in "Urinetown." Click photo for larger image

By Christopher Rawson
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

	Slideshow: Winchester Thurston School presents "Urinetown" in this multimedia presentation featuring photos by Bob Donaldson, commentary by Christopher Rawson and music from the school's cast recording. Click photo for larger image.

As somebody once said, "reputation goeth before a fall," or something like that.

So I went to Winchester Thurston School's "Urinetown" in a show-me mood. Not because of that unsavory title, since I've seen the musical enough to appreciate its clever way of having its musical protest cake and spoofing it, too, and I know the off-putting title really means we're all in this together (I'm in town, urinetown, they're in town).

No, the chip on my shoulder was because of Winchester Thurston, the Shadyside school that has won best musical in its Gene Kelly Awards category five straight years. But I'd never been to one of its shows, and I knew that "Urinetown" is no cupcake if you're trying to keep your streak alive.

To cut right to the chase, yes, last week's show was very good. I won't go as far as our photographer, Bob Donaldson, who e-mailed me to say "they belong Downtown," but this "Urinetown" takes its place among my better high school musical memories, along with shows at Woodland Hills, Schenley, CAPA and a few others.

If you're thinking a review doesn't do the avid theatrical consumer any good since the show is now closed, well, look for the PG's annual menu of more than 100 high school musicals when it comes out next February and make your plans in advance.

Mainly, a review now serves to recognize good work done. The congratulations start with director Barbara Holmes, who says in her program note she chose the show for many reasons, including that it would be fun to do a local high school premiere (CMU did the college honors) and its "potential for comic social commentary," puncturing greedy corporations, impractical idealists and musical comedy itself.

That last is interesting, because I think there really ought to be learning built into a school's musical theater project. I assume greedy corporations show up in the social studies curriculum (let alone the daily news), but I was impressed to hear that the cast and crew took a short "winterim" course in the various musical theater styles that "Urinetown" so affectionately mocks.

The result was a cast with a good sense of the balance Mark Hollman (music and lyrics) and Greg Kotis (book and lyrics) strike between silly and serious. The narrators, Officer Lockstock and Little Sally, make comic hay by commenting on the secrets of craftsmanship, and the show mimics the political musicals canon -- "Threepenny Opera," "Evita," "West Side Story" and "Les Mis," complete with red flag and a funny barricade.

Nonetheless, the show's spine is a serious reductio ad absurdum attack on unbridled capitalism, willing to make exorbitant profits even out of basic biological necessities. It has a strong environmentalist message, too.

Mainly it entertains through smart parody and caricature, emphasized by Holmes' direction and really sold by an alert and capable cast. G. Michael D'Emilio's Lockstock was the funniest, pumping the show up with his commanding presence, assisted with insistent irony by Jennifer Machen's Little Sally. Connor Mrozowski's Bobby Strong (the hero, duh) was sweet, if a trifle vague, and Lindsay Machen's Hope had a deliciously naive understatement.

Led by Phallon DePante's swaggering Pennywise, there was strong support from students who in many schools might have been playing leads.

A huge contribution was made by Jill Machen's witty choreography, which whipped up a mini-Busby Berkeley routine, draped showgirls in toilet seats, made wry references to current TV shows and, for Officers Lockstock and Barrel's comic song, provided flashlight choreography. The villainous Cladwell's Darwinian Jungle "Don't Be the Bunny" came, of course, with the bunny hop. Gospel choral number and Irish ballad -- everything had its appropriate mannerism.

The costumes came out of another winterim course, drawing on the resources of Goodwill and student ingenuity. The show had an appropriately homemade feel and the stage crew moved it briskly along, except for the second half of Act 2, which drags in the writing.

Winchester complains about its compact auditorium, but I loved the intimacy. So did the audience, which was as loud and adoring as I can ever recall.