At the heart of the story are Bobby Strong and Hope Cladwell. Bobby’s an up-and-coming public urinal assistant who becomes the rebel leader of those who would pay no fee to pee. Hope Cladwell is the newly college-graduated, all-grown-up fax/copy girl at Urine Good Company – the unscrupulous corporation that is reaping huge profits off the backs, etc., of the city’s repressed urinators. A corporation that is owned by none other than Hope Cladwell’s father, Caldwell B. Cladwell. When Bobby leads the charge of revolution against the draconian laws, Hope is caught in the middle, and their budding love is put on yellow alert.

Donny Gersonde and Alene Lynch fill the roles and work together with great comic effect. Adding to that effect is Donny’s towering height in relation to Alene’s pixieish frame – a relative height difference played up as they try to follow each other’s hearts. Donny does what he can to make it easier for Hope, including his dramatic opening of his vest and puffing out his chest so she can listen more closely (and then turning her head so she is facing the audience), and eventually grabbing a box for her to stand on. Donny makes for a charismatic leader who inspires the people into a religious frenzy in Run, Freedom, Run, perhaps none more inspired than Little Sally (Erin Petersen) who dabs Bobby’s sweaty forehead with her handkerchief, and then gets a wee bit excited over it. Alene’s Hope bubbles with sweetness, goodness, and idealism as she both speaks and sings with a sugary, sing-songy voice – even when she’s pissed. At least, it’s a sugary, sing-songy voice until we get a glimpse of the power trip she gets on, during which Alene cuts loose with a few discreet triumphant rock vocalizations to match the newfound glory in which she’s basking.

Ben Silbert gives a great character portrayal of the narrator and chief enforcer of the urine laws, Officer Lockstock, with a nice mix of melodrama, neurosis (he can’t bear to even look at the urine on the ground), and waxing philosophic with a sort of fatalistic air. Ashley Masula is the butch, physically abusive public urinal supervisor Penelope Pennywise who has great stage presence and gives a strong, belting vocal performance. Erin Petersen is the aforementioned Little Sally, the little girl who asks Officer Lockstock a lot of tough questions, with Erin making good use of both body language and sign language (in her Tell Her I Love Her duet with Bobby), as well as some innocently naïve expressions (well, not so much when she gets handed Bobby’s sweaty hanky). Max Gidaley is a clean-cut Caldwell B. Cladwell who obviously likes being firmly in control of his surroundings (he acts as a puppeteer with his obedient executive assistant (Lacey Oleary) and staff, mouthing to them what to say and letting them know when to applaud). His buttoned-up exterior belies a quick temper that you sense is always ready to burst if he’s crossed. Jacob Sampson is humorous, a bit creepy, and a bit realistic with his performance as Caldwell’s puppet in the senate who speaks with a gentle Southern accent and looks a bit like Colonel Sanders.

Performed February 15 - 23, 2008.

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre