Urinetown (2001 Original Off-Broadway Cast) [CAST RECORDING]

John Cullum (Artist), Mark Hollmann (Artist), Danny Marcus (Artist), Hunter Foster (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 7, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: RCA Victor Broadway
• ASIN: B00005LZR8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,078 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > Contemporary Musicals

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"How about a bad title?" wonders Spencer Kayden's Little Sally in "Too Much Exposition." "That could kill a show pretty good." It's a tribute to the skill deployed by the Urinetown creative team (Mark Hollman, music and lyrics; Greg Kotis, book and lyrics) that its title doesn't kill the show. Set in a near-future in which water depletion has led to a ban on private toilets, this may be the only musical in history in which one of the leads makes a fortune on pee. But the show (which originated Off-Broadway before graduating to the big league) limits its subversive intent to subject matter and is refreshingly classic in approach and structure--think Weill-meets-Lewis Carroll. Backed by a small ensemble, the cast (with John Cullum in a turn nothing short of brilliant as the evil urinal magnate) has a field day with Kotis and Hollman's frequently hilarious score. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Your CD should be Urinetown....", August 13, 2001

By	G. Minella "gm" (Whitestone, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's been a long time since a show has had as memorable a score as Urinetown. Having seen the off- Broadway show twice I can say that the recording has preserved the fun and sprit of the show and performances. The cast headed by John Cullum is steller, every member is perfect and gives a standout performance. Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis must be given standing ovations for their score. You really leave the the theatre humming the score! Don't let the title turn you off - nothing is that offensive or crude -neither is the musical a one joke show overdone to death, it's a clever mix of Threepenny Opera meets The Cradle Will Rock with a generous helping of Broadway self parody thrown in for good measure. You would die with laughter if you only saw the number "Snuff that Girl" let alone the whole show. Hats off also to the orchestrator and the 5 musicians who sound like a full pit orchestra. If you get to New York after the show opens on Broadway RUN and get a ticket- but for now get the CD and start to relish a truly original, funny, tuneful, well sung and performed rare gem of a show.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even if you're not fond of musicals..., August 31, 2001

By	Kick A. Hole Soup - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

...you'll have trouble not liking this recording. The music is, in author Greg Kotis' own words, "unassailable," and he may be right. Aside from being a well written score, it also locks into the subject matter and medium with an evocative presence too often missed in modern musicals.

Subject matter? For the uninitiated, the concept of the show revolves around a dystopian society in the not-too-distant future in which a water shortage has motivated the government to cooperate with an evil CEO (John Cullum) in regulating the cities toilets thereby making it "a priveledge to pee." In the traditional Brechtian spirit (of which this musical, all the way down to it's modestly sized orchestra, reeks wonderfully), the people rebel in order to restore freedom to their regularity.

Both the plot and the music are a kind of revisionist version of Marc Blitztein's "The Cradle Will Rock," a conroversial depression-era musical revolving around labor and union politics. The brilliance of "Urinetown" is its self-realization at being a musical about revolution in an age of consensus. The result is a kind of anti-musical that seems to rail against itself while at the same time succeeding in its message. As an added bonus, the show pulls all of this off with a shocking overall omission of bathroom humor which one would otherwise think such a conceit would take solace in.

I ultimately chose 5 stars as a final rating given what I think is the primary criteria for evaluation, but I might have easily have given it 4. The quality of the recording is somewhat lacking, and those particularly concerned with the like may find it difficult to get used to the rather hollow sound.

By the by, as of this writing the musical itself is just now opening on Broadway. I've not seen the Broadway mounting, but I have seen it and it's easily worth the price of admission.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be the bunny- GET THIS ALBUM!, June 26, 2002

By	Laura (Fostoria, Oh United States) - See all my reviews

I have to admit, I had to think long and hard about buying "Urinetown" because of the title. I mean, really. Urinetown? But after I heard 'Run, Freedom, Run' at the 2002 Tony Awards, I went ahead and got it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that although the subject matter is a bit...er, strange, the hilarious lyrics, outstanding performances, excellent score and fabulous array of song styles made up for it.

The songs all are influenced by different styles, such as 'Run, Freedom, Run' is gospel, 'It's a Privilege to Pee' is almost operatic, 'Follow Your Heart' is very much the Broadway ballad (if you cut out the snippets of dialogue), and 'Snuff That Girl' is jazzy and cool (I was immediately reminded of 'Too Darn Hot', from Kiss Me Kate, while listening to it).

The performers are nothing short of excellent. Spencer Kayden, as Little Sally, kills me every time by just talking, and her singing in 'Tell Her I Love Her' suggests that she really *is* little. Hunter Foster has the best range I've seen in a male lead since James Barbour in 'Jane Eyre'. His voice is so powerful and he puts so much emotion into what he sings...no wonder he and Sutton are related. Laura Thompson has a gorgeous soprano voice that she uses to her benefit in 'Follow Your Heart'. Nancy Opel's *really* high soprano sorta freaks me out but remains in tune in 'It's a Privilege to Pee'. John Cullum is PERFECT as Caldwell B. Cladwell, head of the UGC, bringing the right combination of eccentricity, self-centeredness, and cruelty to his character.

The lyrics in such songs as 'Don't Be the Bunny' and 'Cop Song' kept me laughing, while the lyrics of 'Follow Your Heart' and 'Tell Her I Love Her' almost brought tears to my eyes (the dialogue in them was too funny!). And the score is fabulous, especially in 'Snuff That Girl' and 'Look at the Sky'.

All in all, this album is totally worth it. I've had it for three weeks and I'm still listening to it daily! You won't be disappointed!