James Mayogoitia, Sadat Hossain, Gabrielle Goodman, and Amy Meyers Photo by Tiffany Davis

Urinetown tells the story of a world in which a 20-year drought has made the need for water conservation so severe that private toilets are abolished, forcing everyone to use paid "amenities": public toilets run by the Urine Good Company. Public Amenity #9 is one of the "poorest, filthiest urinals in town," where the downtrodden go to do their business. This is all established in the biting first scene where Officer Lockstock (Sidney Matthew Román) talks about the water shortage and how "nothing can kill a show like too much exposition," to which local waif Little Sally (Angela Busgano) replies, "How about bad subject matter? Or a bad title, even? That could kill a show pretty good."

Officer Lockstock functions both as a strict enforcer against the rules of peeing anywhere but in a public amenity, and as a narrator for the show, speaking directly to the audience to help us understand the difference between Urinetown the musical and Urinetown the place. "It's kind of a mythical place, you understand? A bad place. A place you won't see until act two. And then? Well, let's just say it's filled with symbolism and things like that."

But when Bobby Strong (Sadat Hossain) sees his father carted off when he can't hold it any longer and voids his bladder outside a public amenity, he is motivated to lead his fellow paupers in a revolution against the Urine Good Company, their CEO, Caldwell B. Cladwell (Will Giammona), who is in cahoots with Senator Fipp (Jay Thulien) to take the profits and run off to Rio. Of course, what would a musical be without a love story, especially one with the odds stacked against it? Enter Hope Cladwell (Gabrielle Goodman), daughter of the UGC CEO, recent graduate of "the most expensive university in the world" and newest employee of UGC. The duet Bobby and Hope sing at their first meeting, "Follow Your Heart," is at once charming and satirical, rather like Urinetown itself.

The show, with music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann and book and lyrics by Greg Kotis, is delightfully self-referential. It also pokes a wee bit of fun at the idea of musical theatre itself, riffing on Les Misérables, The Threepenny Opera, West Side Story, and others. Officer Lockstock and Little Sally also mock the conventions of musicals throughout the show.

Urinetown is a story about a ragtag group of rebels who manage to overcome the strictures of big business–not unlike the show itself, which began at the New York International Fringe Festival before fighting its way to the Great White Way.

Ray of Light is fast becoming one of the best places to see theatre in the Bay Area, if not the country, and Urinetown is a perfect exemplar of this. Director/choregrapher Isaiah Tyrelle Boyd has fashioned a production that is flawlessly executed. The band, led by Ben Prince, is tight and achieves a sound that echoes the work of Brecht, with its horn-heavy, cabaret-style arrangements. The set, designed by Matt Owens, makes terrific use of the Barbary Stage's limited size, with a rundown aesthetic befitting a town in crisis, yet big enough to accommodate a cast of nearly two dozen performers.

And what performers! There's not a bad voice or an inauthentic performance in the cast. Hossain exudes passion (and confusion) as Bobby Strong, and Román is appropriately menacing (and hilarious) as Officer Lockstock. Kudos also to Milo Mea as Lockstock's sidekick, Officer Barrel: he uses his eyebrows almost as weapons, and his pointed, slightly-cleft chin seems to guide the way as he follows Lockstock's violent tendencies in a manner that is too funny to be truly frightening. Gabrielle Goodman portrays Hope Cladwell with a delightfully ditzy sincerity. Ensemble member James Mayagoitia delivers just one of many fine turns by chorus members, but stood out for me with his flexible face and wide-eyed takes at the insane action taking place around him.

Two other cast members also stand out. Will Giammona, who was a terrific villain in Ray of Light's production of 9 to 5 the Musical, is an even more menacing presence here, and the score gives him more chances to show off his wondrously-strong baritone. Likewise, Anne Warren makes Penelope Pennywise–the gatekeeper at Public Amenity #9–a delicious dominatrix of sorts. When she sings "It's a Privilege to Pee," she does it with such commitment and fury that I'm surprised there wasn't a mass rush for the toilets.

Finally, Boyd's choreography is some of the best I've seen on a Bay Area stage. It is almost aerobic in its energy, and manages to echo the self-referential, satirical tone of the show perfectly.

If you've never seen Urinetown, don't wait any longer. I can't imagine you will ever see a better version, and given the current tenor of the country, I can't imagine it being any more relevant than it is today.

Urinetown, produced by Ray of Light Theatre, runs through August 29, 2026, at the Barbary Stage, 215 Jackson Street, San Francisco CA. Performances are Thursday - Saturdays at 8:00p.m., with 2:00p.m. matinees Saturdays and Sundays. There is also a Monday show August 10 at 8:00p.m. Tickets are $41-$71. For tickets and information, please visit www.rayoflighttheatre.com.