I just got back from opening night of Urinetown at Spectrum Theatre. It was really nice to finally be able to see the musical i've heard so many times. The show was a lot of fun. The actors really brought the humor to life. The cop's song/rap featured wonderfully amusing choreography. Ashli Roberts was adorable as Little Sally. Cici Grammer's voice sparkles as Hope Gladwell. They really pulled off some of the more touching parts like the Follow Your Heart number.
I dare to say that this show has my favorite overture of any musical i've heard. Most others are just teaser clips of the songs to come and they go on forever. I'm always thinking "just get on with the show already." Urinetown's overture is not just some overly orchestrated version of a song from the show -- at least if it is, i can't match it up. It features two simple, playful melodies that dance on top of each other. It's short, and then it's on with the show. I will say that it sounded much better on the CD than in person though. This production sounded like they were trying some fake echo-y effect, which, while it may make sense for the show, really distorted some of the beautiful music. I, like others, am guilty of just noticing the singing, dancing, and spectacle of a musical, overlooking the songs themselves. When i listen to Urinetown, i'm reminded of how much work goes into the orchestration of the music.
Posted by Matthew at May 18, 2006 11:53 PM