Urinetown: The Musical is a satirical comedy musical that premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics. The show also parodies musicals such as The Threepenny Opera, The Cradle Will Rock and Les Misérables, and the Broadway musical itself as a form.
In a futuristic world, people must pay for the privilege to urinate! It’s set in a sort of theatrical imaginary “everytown.” There’s been a 20-year drought, and water is such a precious resource that all private toilets are shut down, and people, even the poor, are forced to pay for the privilege of using public facilities. This set-up is masterminded by Caldwell B. Cladwell, the evil president and owner of the Urine Good Company, and resisted by the young hero Bobby Strong, assistant custodian at the poorest urinal in town, who falls in love with Cladwell’s daughter Hope and ultimately leads a rebellion against the system.