Joy Water

IN A CITY of the future, catastrophic water shortages have forced the city's inhabitants to cut back on their water consumption habits - which includes the privilege of having their own toilets at home. They instead have to pay to use the public toilets controlled by the nefarious megacorporation Urine Good Company (UGC) headed by Caldwell B. Cladwell (Sean Ghazi).

Unfortunately, UGC has a habit of hiking up its toilet entry fees to fatten its coffers. And when the latest fee hike hits the poorest part of town, its inhabitants with their near-bursting bladders decide enough is enough. Led by the twit-turned-hero Bobby Strong (Benjamin Chow), they stage a revolt against UGC - aided by, of all people, Cladwell's own daughter Hope (Mina Kaye).

Pangdemonium's musical comedy satire Urinetown, written by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, has a lot to say about the real world, with its big themes such as climate change, corporate greed and social activism. The musical is a 2001 Broadway hit which won three Tony awards including Best Book and Best Original Score. And with parodic nods to The Threepenny Opera, Les Miserables and other famous musicals, it's no wonder Broadway audiences lapped it up.