Young Actors Bring Laughs and a Message to ‘Urinetown’

At Mile Square Theatre, a teenager is about to sing about pee. The audience will laugh. They always do. But behind the bathroom jokes in ‘Urinetown’ is a story that hits closer to home than most people expect.

The musical, which won three Tony Awards in 2001, is a satirical comedy set in a world where water is so scarce that private toilets are banned. People have to pay to use public amenities controlled by a greedy corporation. If you can’t pay, you get sent to a place called Urinetown. It’s ridiculous. But it’s also a sharp critique of corporate greed and environmental neglect.

This production, running through the end of the month at the theatre on Newark Avenue, features a cast of local teens and young adults. For them, the show’s humor is just the door opener. What lies behind it is a conversation about resources, fairness, and who really controls the basics of life.

What’s happening

Mile Square Theatre’s youth ensemble is staging ‘Urinetown’ with a twist: the performers are aged 14 to 22. Director Sarah Ferrick says the cast has connected deeply with the material. “They get it immediately,” she told The Jersey City Times. “They live in a world where everything costs something and not everyone has equal access.”

The show’s plot follows a hero named Bobby Strong who leads a rebellion after his father is taken to Urinetown. There’s a love story, a villain with a booming voice, and a chorus of tap-dancing workers. But underneath the gags and elaborate choreography, the story asks blunt questions: What happens when we privatize a basic need? Who gets hurt first?

The background

First staged in 2001, ‘Urinetown’ was a breakout hit Off-Broadway before moving to Broadway. Critics praised its audacity and tight satire. It mocks everything from big business to moralizing politicians to the very musicals that tell these stories. But the heart of the show is a real issue: water access and affordability.

For Hudson County residents that issue isn’t just fiction. In 2022, Jersey City’s water utility faced scrutiny over lead service lines and billing errors. In many neighborhoods, water and sewer costs have climbed faster than inflation. The musical’s world—where you can’t afford to pee—feels less absurd than it did twenty years ago.

What it means for Hudson County

For families in Jersey City, this show isn’t just a night out. It is, in the most literal sense, a mirror. When a character sings about wanting clean water and affordable sanitation, it lands differently in a place where water quality debates have made local news. The cast, many from Hudson County schools, has heard these stories at dinner tables.

A parent packing a lunch might think of the water bill due next week. A commuter reading this on the PATH train might recall the last boil water advisory. The theatre becomes a space where laughter and worry sit next to each other. It reminds us that big problems sometimes need a little irreverence to be taken seriously.

What people are saying

Ferrick, the director, says the young actors bring a fresh urgency to the material. “They’re not cynical like adults can be,” she said. “They see injustice and they want to talk about it. This play gives them a voice.”

One cast member, a 17-year-old from Jersey City, told the Times that performing the show changed how she thinks about water. “I used to just turn on the tap and not think,” she said. “Now I think about who pays and who doesn’t. It’s scary, but we can laugh about it too.”

What comes next

Performances run Friday through Sunday for the next two weeks. Mile Square Theatre is also hosting talkbacks after select shows where community members can discuss water access issues in Hudson County. Anyone can attend—no ticket required for the discussion portions. It’s a chance to turn the evening’s laughter into a real conversation.

Sometimes the silliest story holds the most serious truth. And sometimes the best way to hear it is from a teenager on a stage, making you laugh until you think.