Jill Anderson 9/26/16

Writing and Rhetoric Review (Rough draft)

Buffalo Theatre dates back to 1815 at the end of the War of 1812 (Bbuffalospree.com)

The first theatre wasnt built until 1821 on Main Street. And since then theatres have blossomed

in the Buffalo area and there is approximately 21 theatres around the area. On September 16 th,

2016 the annual Curtain Up festival was held on Main Street to honor the start of the Buffalo

theatre season. I was lucky enough to attend the party this year and bask in the festivities.

Curtain Up starts at 8 oclock when theatre goers pick one of the many local productions to

attend. Then the night ends around 2 in the morning after a rousing street part on Main Street

with live music, dancing, and street performers. I gathered a group of my friends to go and see

the production of Urinetown at the Subversive theatre. We got dressed in our fanciest attire and

headed for the theatre.

 The theater building was very easy to find. The show was at 255 Great Arrow Ave,

Buffalo NY. But after arriving at the building we were perplexed to find a building that looked

nothing like a theater. Walking inside it looked like an office building but luckily enough the

director arrived at the same time as we did and directed us up 2 flights of stairs. So if you plan on

attending this production, wear sensible shoes. But once the stress of finding the theater was

gone we were excited for the production to begin.

Urinetown is a dark satirical comedy written by Greg Kotis. It tells the story of a

futuristic society where a 20 year drought has caused a water shortage. This water shortage has

forced the Urine Good Company to charge individuals when they have to relieve themselves.

Unique characters like hero Bobby Strong, the love interest Hope Cladwell, the villain Mr.

Cladwell and the hysterical narrator Officer Lockstock keep the show funny, and moving. Even

though the leads drive the show, the most interesting part of the show is the many unique

ensemble characters who bring the story and the stage to life with their actions and their

characterization. The direction by award winning director Jeff Coyle, highlighted the ensemble

as a whole and made the production his own.

 Technically speaking, the show had very little lighting and sets. Urinetown was in a

small theatre that held around 50 people. It was in a black box style theatre. The set included one

flat on wheels that was double sided. Each side was a different set, one being an office for the

main villain Cladworth, the other a public amenity. This flat was moved by the performers

keeping the show constant moving. The lack of scenery for this show was really beneficial for

the performers. With the amazing performers and simplistic costumes a large fancy set was not

needed, it drew more attention to the performers who really deserved it. The lighting, like the set

was very minimal. It mainly used blue lights when good guys were performing and red lights

when the bad characters were singing. The one negative thing I have to say about the technical

aspect of the production is the unprofessionalism of the performers. We arrived about 45 mins

early, and the performers were entering the theatre the same time we were. We entered right with

the two main characters of the show. It was very strange and killed the magic of seeing them for

the first time when they walked onstage.

Like I mentioned before all the performers were strong but a few standouts included Jeff

Coyle as the funny Officer Lockstock. His delivery of lines and jokes were spot on, and when he

sang, his strong powerful voice caught everyones attentions. Another powerful voice was Miss

Pennyworth played by Jenn Stafford brought the house down with her rendition of Privilege to

Pee towards the beginning of the production. Lastly, Erin Coyle who played the love interest of

Hope Cladwell won the audience over with her loveable personality and her caring heart which

shined in Follow Your Heart. Sadly there was a weak link in the production as the hero Bobby

Strong, did not save the show. His acting was believable, but his voice, compared to the other

performers was weak and almost inaudible at times. A lot of the songs included many different
chorus parts singing at the same time and his parts, which are very important parts of the

exposition, were always to quiet.

Lastly, it cannot go without mentioning the innovative and clever choreography of Doug

Weyond. Highlights of the show included the numbers Cop Song which included the use of

flashlights in the dance and Dont Be the Bunny which allowed for the characters to turn into

bunnies and create comic relief through the dance. And playing along to the dances was a small 3

piece orchestra that could have been mistaken for a 10 piece, easily. Their accompaniment

pleasantly added to the show.

The nice thing about Curtain Up productions is their runs are fairly long so you have

countless opportunities to see the shows. The week prior to Urinetown, I went to the American

Repertory Theater to see another local production. This was a production of Green Days

American Idiot. Set in the early 2000s, it follows the friends of Johnny, Will and Tunny during a

very challenging part of their life. The story shows the different decisions the three boys make

that influence the many hardships that follow them in life. This story talks of topics such as

drugs, sex, terrorism and death. I would advise not to bring children under the age of 16 to this

dark production.

The show varies a lot from Urinetown. But similarly they were both in very small and

intricate theatres, making you feel a strong connection to the production unfolding in front of
you. The theatre only seated about 75 people. Due to the small space, only two rigging systems,

and 4 overhead lights were used to illuminate the show. Additionally there were few lighting

fixtures on the floor. The set was also very simplistic. With 2 scaffolding poles at center and 2

platforms that moved around, the set was easily altered. Even with a minimal set and lighting this

show was a prime example that sometimes less is more. The lighting, use of a live band, and

smoke machines allowed for the audience to feel the atmosphere making the production more

believable. My one complaint with this set up is that the band was very loud and sometimes it

was hard to hear and understand what the performers were saying, another issue was the use of

hand microphones. During one number the actor onstage forgot to turn the mic on until half way

through the number and the people in the sound booth could do nothing to fix it. But besides

those few issues, I thoroughly enjoyed the production, and with the lighting and sound design, I

believed I was at a concert for the night.

The strongest performer in the show was by far Christopher Teal. His portrayal of Johnny is

believable and intriguing. Plus his musical talent shines through during his acoustic guitar in

Wake Me Up When September Ends. Sara Kow-Falcone who portrayed Whatshername also

allows for great chemistry between Teal and Kow-Falcone characters.

These two shows are extremely different. My recommendation would be to see Urinetown. I

believe it was overall a great production. But if possible go and see as many buffalo theatre

productions as you can. My advice would be to make sure you arrive early to whatever show you

see. Both shows I went to it was general admission so the sooner you arrive, the better seats you

get. For tickets you can visit the theatres websites. Urinetowns website is

http://www.subversivetheatre.org/ and for American Idiot visit http://www.artofwny.org/