Musical opens new season at playhouse

When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go -- unless you can’t afford it.

In which case, you’re more than likely in “Urinetown.”

This is the improbably titled musical satire that opens the new

season at the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse this weekend. And, while it

will be a Southern California nonprofessional premiere, it won’t be a

Costa Mesa premiere -- the show headlined at the Orange County

Performing Arts Center last season.

In another Costa Mesa connection, an Estancia High School alum,

Spencer Kayden, performed in the original New York production and

received a Tony nomination.

The irreverent show -- inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and

Kurt Weill -- was the rather outrageous concept of Mark Hollman and

Greg Kotis, and they picked up three Tony awards for the Broadway

production in 2002.

In the show, a city has banned private toilets, forcing citizens

to pay.

Costa Mesa’s production is under the direction of former Broadway

performer Greg Zerkle, with musical direction by Lisa LeMay and

choreography by Nicki Putnam.

Featured in the Costa Mesa production of “Urinetown” are David R.

Gordon, Ed McBride, Marc Montminy, Elizabeth Bouton, Heather White

and Heather Zavala. Rounding out the cast are Ryan Holihan, John

Blaylock, Stephen Hulsey, Cathy Petz, A.J. Gutierrez, Derek Houck,

Jessica Morrow, John Schwendinger, Melissa B. Scott and Stephanie

Thomas.

Performances of “Urinetown” will run tonight through Sept. 25. at

the playhouse, 661 Hamilton St., Costa Mesa, with curtain at 8 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets may be obtained by calling (949) 650-5269.

“Urinetown” launches the playhouse’s 2005-06 season, which will

include “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” “An Ideal Husband” and

the ubiquitous musical fantasy “Seussical.”

“The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” enjoyed a lengthy run on and

off-Broadway. More comedy than musical, the John Bishop-penned work

sends up the more ridiculous aspects of Hollywood’s heyday.

The silliness starts Oct. 28 and continues through Nov. 20.

From the ridiculous to the sublime, the playhouse’s first offering

of 2006 will be Oscar Wilde’s morality tale “An Ideal Husband,” which

explores the human frailty and social hypocrisy of Victorian times in

England.

Look for “An Ideal Husband” from Feb. 24 to March 26.

Closing the Civic Playhouse’s season will be one of the most

popular -- and most G-rated -- musicals around. “Seussical, the

Musical,” recently was staged at UC Irvine and was the spring musical

at both Estancia and Corona del Mar high schools.

The fantasy-filled tale by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens brings

most of the memorable creations of Dr. Seuss -- the Cat in the Hat,

Horton the elephant, Gertrude McFuzz and Lazie Mazie -- together to

share the stage with other Seuss favorites. Billed as the ideal

introduction to musical theater for children, it will be on stage

from May 12 through June 11.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.