Another HS denied Urinetown; guess what the replacement is- Page 2

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 4:12pm

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH


ok so the woman cancels Bat Boy to put on GODSPELL?
and now, Urinetown to do CABARET?

Is it just me, or would the content of the two that were actually chosen be more likely to offend people than the two originally chosen?

not that godspell is offended, but i know many schools that won't do it due to the religion thing.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 4:18pm

Their replacement is Cabaret......I don't feel too sorry for them at all, as I've never been in this show and want to :)

[teh_pretty]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 4:24pm

“Urinetown” deals with a water shortage in a community where people have to start paying to use the communal bathrooms because there is not enough water to flush the toilets, Koczergo said. The town revolts against the higher fees, and a love story ensues between a revolutionary and the owner of the corporation.

versus

[Cabaret] follows a writer who falls in love with the cabaret’s leading lady. Many of the songs have sexual overtones, and the play deals with an unplanned pregnancy and an abortion.

....right. This is my favourite quote:

“I wasn’t going to try out for ‘Urinetown’ because I didn’t really agree with some of the things that it portrayed,” Warner said. “I think it’s a good story. I told (Koczergo) that I don’t really want to go up onstage and wait in line to go to the bathroom.”

[Horton]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 5:55pm

YOu are forgetting, this is a red state

[LightMyCandle]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 6:53pm

That's ridiculous. My university is holding auditions for Urinetown on Monday. Come on up!

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 7:04pm

Oy vey.

[Overthemoon6]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 7:13pm

Ok. You'd think that a school that didn't want to do Urinetown because of the subject matter and title would want to do something like Guys and Dolls. Which, in my opinion, is overdone.

[dotmarie]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 7:14pm

Urinetown is too "inappropriate" for them, so they decide on Cabaret instead???


now I feel lucky to go to a school that put on both A Chorus Line and Pippin....not that those are the raciest shows ever, but they aren't squeaky clean either...and nobody complained, as far as I know.

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 7:31pm

LOL, I cant wait to see the look on those parents faces when they see Caberet up on stage. Comical?? Yes I think so

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 7:44pm

OtherDaryl, a high school director in my region almost got run out of town for doing Dark of the Moon for their contest show.

And I recently saw a production of Cabaret that was based on an older revival, and I was pretty uncomfortable at times (meaning it is DEFINATELY risque). I also recently saw Urinetown and thought it was Hilarious! never offensive or inapropriate...

[billygoatgirl300]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 9:48pm

I brought in the article about the school in N.H. doing Urinetown yesterday the whole cats got a good laugh out of it. I think this story is better so I'm going to bring this one in.

What the hell are people think of doing Cabaret? I really want to go see this so I can see the parents reactions

[LaVieHilary]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 12:40am

Caberet or Urinetown.
I swear both shows are on the same level or raciness.
Schools need to break out and do something different. The current productions in our area for schools are Guys and Dolls and Wizard of Oz. How original can you get? lol

[Color and Light]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 2:28am

That's so hilarious ... I wish I could be there to watch the parents' reactions when they end up seeing something a lot more racy than "Urinetown".

But I envy the kids in the show. I would love, love, love to be in (or even better, direct) a production of "Cabaret". I went to a Catholic high school where shows like "Grease" and "West Side Story" were much too dirty for the musical director.

Updated On: 2/3/06 at 02:28 AM

[jimmirae]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 2:36am

I hope they put the emcee's ass shot in!

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 3:57am

I'm seriously angry and I think I'm going to email the school.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 4:16am

DOOOO it! And tell us how it goes. Seriously.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 4:38am

Here is my letter so far:

Dear Dianne L. Moake:

I am writing to you in response to an online article I read for the Journal Gazette regarding your choice to deny the student’s right to perform “Urinetown” merely because the title was offensive. First of all, I am an avid lover of theatre. Why do you think “Urinetown” is going to create such a controversy? Have you even read it? If you ever heard the cliché that “you cannot judge a book by its cover” then you most definitely cannot judge something you haven’t read. And even if you have read it, let me tell you that it is by far less offensive than “Cabaret.”

How can Cabaret be any less offensive than Urinetown??? As the article stated, “many of the songs [in Cabaret] have sexual overtones, and the play deals with an unplanned pregnancy and an abortion.” Urinetown centers around poor people who cannot afford to go to the bathroom. If they go to the bathroom without paying, they are punished, according to strict policies set forth by “Urine Good Company.” The main character, Bobby Strong, starts a revolution to stop this legislation. Meanwhile, a love is brewing between Bobby and Hope Cladwell, the daughter of the owner of “Urine Good Company.” Urinetown is a satire. Exactly what content are you offended by? Is it the fact that they mention “piss” twice in the show? If anything, that is probably the most offensive thing in the show!

Are you only afraid that a show’s title is going to start a controversy? If you think someone is going to be offended by the word “urine” then what makes you think someone is not going to be offended by the sexual overtones in Cabaret? Do not get me wrong, I enjoy Cabaret, but I find it ironic that you want the school to perform something to avoid controversy, yet your choice for a musical is by far more controversial.

I am outraged that someone could be so ignorant, and I believe this is blatant censorship of a caring and well-educated drama teacher. I would think a drama teacher of 32 years knows what he’s doing. You do not present any good reasons as to why “Urinetown” should not be performed except that you are not comfortable with the title. Read it. Maybe then you will learn a little something about making judgments.

----------------------------------------------------


Should I attach a link to this thread? Or perhaps a link to the Urinetown libretto on Barnes and Noble? I might take out the part of calling her ignorant, wouldn't want anyone to be offended...

Updated On: 2/3/06 at 04:38 AM

[tthomas76]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 6:45am

Millie that sounds awesome! Way to go.. Make sure you let us know if you get a response...

[Jon]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 9:31am

There is absolutely no mention of heroin or any other drug (other than alcohol and tobacco)in the original script of CABARET. Were there new lines added for the revival? Or was it just a directorial decision to show drug use, or have the Kit Kat Girls look like they are on drugs?

[caitiesus1522]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 9:57am

Wow...this is really really sad. The fact that she said what could or couldn't be down without even reading the shows is teh worst part.

I remember the days of needing to get shows approved first, but most of the stuff our teacher chose was approved. MY school did Voices of the High School and The Wall...so the administration was lenient.

They also listened to why our drama teacher wanted to do the show, and she went through parts that she thought they may not apporve of and either got the ok to keep the words/line or took it out if they requested that.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 10:13am

I'm nervous about sending it, I might tone it down a bit...the only thing is that I don't want the "principal" to cancel Cabaret then and the school do no musical...

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 10:20am

If you write them, mention that the title is a play on words. "You're in town" meaning if these people lived in the country, they could pee behind a tree.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 10:36am

Millie, I agree, with your latter sentiments. Let the principal get hoisted by her own petard, having personally chosen the family values of Cabaret over Urinetown. I suspect the music teacher even set her up with the choice, knowing she would choose the show with a cuddly title over one that includes the name of an excretory function.

If you tip off the principal that she was tricked, she'll cancel the play and the music teacher will quit or get fired. But if she finds out about Cabaret anyhow, maybe by spending her $2.50 to make it a Blockbuster night, I'd suggest a great alternative would be for the school to do Arthur Miller's cuddly little show about witches, The Crucible. Maybe they could pitch it as Wicked without music...

[shiksa_goddess]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 10:44am

Some people just....baffle me with their stupidity. Replacing Urinetown...with Cabaret?! Well...whatever, I suppose sex, drugs, Anti-Semitism, and murder is a whole lot better than pee.

This reminds me of when my school musical director was fired for wanting to do "Applause" the school then did "The Wizard of Oz" instead. *Rolls eyes*

[wexy]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 11:12am

Piss off