| |
Continuing its run at San Pedro’s Warner Grand Theatre, is the multiple Tony Award winning show, Urinetown The Musical by Greg Kotis, and Mark Hollmann through August 10, 2008. Tickets may be purchase at the door by cash, or in advance at a number of San Pedro businesses or online.
The production’s director, Ray Buffer, projects Urinetown into a timeless – somewhat futuristic setting combining the inspired costume designs of Kara McLeod, the set design by Brooke Corpus which hearkens back to the heyday of Broadway, and the mesmerizing palette of illumination supplied by lighting designer, Christopher Werner.
Not as absurd as when it was originally written, Urinetown tackles the premise of a world toppled by government corruption, an ecological crisis, and the elimination of the middle class.
Sam Cavanaugh’s voice soars as Bobby Strong, the hero of the show. The role also showcases Cavanaugh’s remarkable comic timing. Carie Millard is a perfectly regal ingénue as Hope Cladwell and Daniel Thomas is powerfully ruthless as the commanding corporate tyrant, Caldwell B. Cladwell.
Natalie Kollar embodies “Rosie the Riveter” as the gatekeeper siren of Amenity #9. Daniel Grodh is perfectly arrogant as Officer Lockstock, and Emily Melton captures the romantic innocence of youth in Little Sally.
The rest of the ensemble cast (Felix Sotelo, John Downey III, Dayna Price, Alpha Takahashi, Brian Chapman, Kenny Taylor, Tristan Nieto, Rhiannon Franck-Thompson, Kaitlyn Tice, Elena Muslar, and Mercie Maes each have their moments in the spotlight and create a tight and energetic song and dance unit.
Music direction by Chip Colvin is sharp and crisp. His orchestra includes the talents of Nathan York on String Bass, Lee Allan on Brass, Joaquin Hernandez on Percussion, and Don Curtis on Reed, with Colvin taking the Piano chores to their highest pinnacle.
Certainly not the same Urinetown one may have seen in small shoebox theatres - Buffer has successfully managed to move Urinetown into a large theatre, filling the stage and emphasizing the melodramatic qualities of the satire.
The Warner Grand Theatre is an historic movie palace which was opened on January 20, 1931. It is located in San Pedro, California, at 478 West 6th Street.
The design of the Warner Grand Theatre was a collaboration by architect B. Marcus Priteca and interior designer Anthony Heinsbergen. It was one of three similarly lavish Los Angeles area art-deco movie palaces on which Priteca and Heinsbergen collaborated for the Warner Bros. company in the early 1930s. The others were located in Beverly Hills, and Huntington Park. Priteca later designed Hollywood's famous Pantages Theatre.
The Warner Beverly Hills Theatre has been demolished, and the Huntington Park Warner, closed for many years, has been extensively altered, leaving the Grand as the last of the three original theaters remaining intact. By the mid 1990's it had suffered a lengthy period of neglect, despite having been declared a historical and cultural monument of the city in 1982.
The theater was facing possible demolition or re-development when, in 1995, a local group of activists formed the Grand Vision Foundation to work for the preservation of the historic building. Their efforts were successful when the theater was purchased by the Cultural Affairs Department (later renamed the Department of Cultural affairs) of the City of Los Angeles in 1996. In 1999, the Warner was added to the National Register of Historic Places as building #98001633. In 2007 The Relevant Stage Theatre Company formed and became the theatre company in residence at the Warner Grand. In January, 2008, TRS, stage its first production Acts of Desperation, followed by Over There/Over here in May. Urinetown the Musical marks the company’s first musical production, and its longest single production run (8 performances) at Warner Grand Theatre.
The Relevant Stage’s mission is to produce plays, musicals, operas, and mixed media productions that challenge hearts, engage minds and expose truths – bringing focus to stories with contemporary, social relevance.
Urinetown, the Musical is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, 421 West 54th St, New York, NY 10019
|
pr[.]therelevantstage.com 
