The four-show 2022-23 season of Moraine Valley Community College’s Academic Theater department in Palos Hills begins with a musical that won Tony Awards for its original Broadway production.
“Urinetown, The Musical,” which runs from Nov. 4 to 13 at the Fine & Performing Arts Center’s Dorothy Menker Theater, received three Tonys including best book of a musical for Greg Kotis and best original score for Mark Hollmann and Kotis in 2002.
“It’s satirical but we thought that the students would have a good time working on it. It’s also topical in our world too. Even though it’s tongue-in-cheek we thought that it would be fun,” said Craig Rosen, director of “Urinetown, The Musical.”
“There has been a drought for years and years so in order to conserve water one of the things that you have to do is pay to use the toilet and so a corporation is charging an exorbitant amount of money for people to be allowed to relieve themselves.”
The cast of “Urinetown, The Musical” includes students from Alsip, Chicago, Merrionette Park, Mokena, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Tinley Park, Willow Springs and Worth.
The actors also include community members from Crestwood, Hickory Hills, Midlothian, Orland Park, Palos Park and Wheaton.
“It’s this great mix of people. Some are alums, some are local people that have been involved in the program, and there’s as many students as possible that we could put in especially in leads, which is always important to us,” said Rosen of Naperville.
“It’s a really dark comedy so it is finding a line that reinforces the comedy but also the serious points to it. The script is written so well, it takes care of itself. The actors have been really good about understanding timing and rhythm.
“As long as they understand or have a feel for it, then it really works well. We are really fortunate that the actors really have that sense of timing.”
“Urinetown, The Musical” marks the first musical Moraine Valley Community College’s Academic Theater has staged since “Heathers: The Musical” in November 2019.
“It’s been so much fun getting a whole new batch of students involved in rebuilding the program,” said Rosen, who is also coordinator of Moraine Valley Community College’s Academic Theater department.
The 2022-23 season of Moraine Valley Community College’s Academic Theater also features “Glassheart” by Reina Hardy from Feb. 24 to March 5, 2023, in the John and Angeline Oremus Theater.
“The next show is a new show by a Chicago playwright. It’s been performed a couple of times but it’s really just getting its final publication now. It’s a modernized — a little bit satirical again — version of ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ The Beast lives above 7-Eleven because he’s running out of money,” he said.
Moraine Valley Community College’s Academic Theater season continues with “Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play” by Anne Washburn from April 28 to May 7, 2023, in the John and Angeline Oremus Theater.
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“That’s a play that we’ve wanted to do for a long time. That one is also topical and the premise is the electric grid had exploded and we ran out of power,” said Rosen about the play, which initially features characters talking about the “Cape Feare” episode from the TV show “The Simpsons.”
“The next act is seven years later. People are starting to perform ‘Simpsons’ episodes and they’re getting things all wrong. The last act is 75 years later. People are basically worshipping ‘The Simpsons’ with this ritualistic dance and song and chant.”
The 2022-23 slate for Moraine Valley Community College’s Academic Theater wraps with the 19th season of Shakespeare Under the Stars featuring the free production of “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare from July 20 to 23, 2023, outdoors at the Gateway.
“We had so much fun last (school) year doing a comedy like ‘Twelfth Night’ that we thought we would do another light summer show,” said Rosen, a professor who is teaching Acting I, Acting II, History of Theater, and Theater Appreciation this semester at Moraine Valley Community College.
‘Urinetown, The Musical’
When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4-5 and 11-12; 3 p.m. Nov. 6 and 13
Where: Moraine Valley Community College’s Fine & Performing Arts Center’s Dorothy Menker Theater, 9000 W. College Parkway, Building F, Palos Hills
Tickets: $12
Information: 708-974-5500; morainevalley.edu/fpac
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.