And inside the theatre is a great show. That’s where narrator Officer Lockstock (Kevin Cleary) introduces us into the future drought-stricken police state where you have to pay to pee. And Kevin clearly loves his job, literally drinking up his role as chief enforcer of the urine laws, doing so with terrific comic timing and melodrama. A little freaked out by his toughness, and even more freaked out when he invites her to sit on his lap, is Kim Moore as Little Sally who aids in the narration with pointed questions and amusing expressions, and seems to be suffering from the difficult, drought-stricken life as she moves around with stiff, jerky movements.

The story they narrate is that of Bobby Strong, the public urinal assistant who rises to revolutionary leader of the people, and his budding romance with Hope Cladwell, the big-hearted debutante daughter of the cold-hearted CEO of Urine Good Company – the greedy corporation that keeps jacking up the cost of urination so they can make outrageous profits while ostensibly searching for solutions to the environmental disaster. Bryce Nicastro has a strong voice and a wide-eyed, boyishly naïve personality who becomes a determined leader of the popular rebellion. Makenzie Daris is Hope, bringing to the role sensational singing and a sweet, Shirley Temple-like personality and expressions (until she gets turned on by Bobby Strong in their hilarious duet Follow Your Heart).

Elsewhere, Laurel Burns is a riot as a thoroughly intimidating public facility manager Penelope Pennywise with a mysterious, steamy past (she licks her plunger when she gets really excited). Jake Tidwell lends his good vocals and cocky personality to the ruthless CEO Caldwell B. Cladwell. Sean Porter is Lockstock’s sidekick Officer Barrel who just moodily does his job until he transforms into a silly, hopping, little bunny in the well-done Don’t Be The Bunny. And the ensemble does a fantastic job of creating their own individual quirky characters. A few notables include Morgan Byrne as Bobby’s mom, Nicole Newsom as a Soupy Sue who is always fidgeting, picking at her butt, rolling her tongue around her mouth, getting other to smell her armpit, etc., the hilarious Sarah Jun as an excitedly sadistic Little Becky Two Shoes, and Alec Hafner as Robbie the Stockfish who joins Becky in leading the ragtag group in Snuff That Girl.

Performed March 28 - April 6, 2008.

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre

~ Cast ~