'Urine' Flows Into Hoboken: High School To Perform 'Urinetown' Musical This Weekend

HOBOKEN, NJ — There's trouble in River City. And this time, it starts with P.

The award-winning Hoboken High School Theatre Department will perform their production of the satirical Broadway musical "Urinetown" from Friday through Sunday.

You can get tickets by clicking the link below. Tickets start at only $5 for students and seniors and $10 for adults.

Eighteen students in grades 8-12 will perform in what theater program supervisor Danielle Miller called an "ensemble piece that allows for all students to have shining moments on stage."

Urinetown was nominated for 10 Tony Awards in 2022. It's described as "a contemporary morality play with an important message about conservation and political responsibility, told in a broad, musical comedy style. It is a sophisticated satirical comedy written and performed in the style of Epic theater and Bertolt Brecht. Despite the title, the show is not the least bit obscene."

Director Derek Kinnear said, "This production has been a joy to work on. I have been a fan of this show since I saw the first national tour. Of course we would love the community to come out and see the show because we want a full house."

The students are excited. Mara Reba said, “My favorite part about being in our school’s production of Urinetown is getting to deliver an important message which remains relevant today with a great group of actors and directors.” (See more student quotes below.)

The show will be performed in Hoboken High School's Auditorium at 800 Clinton St., south of Columbus Park.

Times are:

• Friday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 19, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.

Get tickets at hhsnj.booktix.com

Cast List:

Mable Blischke Villavicencio 11th grade
Daniel Weintraub 11th grade
Halie Benway 11th grade
Miguel Cabelin 11th grade
Naomi Cooke 11th grade
Kendall McDonough 11th grade
Riddhi Damani 11th grade
Chiara Gigante 11th grade
Alana Rivas 11th grade
Mara Reba 11th grade
Anthony Barahona 10th grade
Shai Warshawsky 10th grade
Arcadio Torres 10th grade
Gabriel Rivas 9th grade
Sihana Alaj 9th grade
Lucas Daly 9th grade
Kevin Melendez 8th grade
Gabriel Colon 8th grade
Emerson Blischke Villavicencio 8th grade
Tyler Mara 8th grade

Production Team:

Production Supervisor

Danielle Miller

Director

Derek Kinnear

Assistant Director

Gina Rotondi

Musical Director

Brian Walters

Choreographer

Britteny Schruefer

Lighting Designer

Cameron Filepas

Electrician

Aiden Mitchell

Scenic Design & Painter

Vincent Gunn

Technical Director

Malcolm Cummins

Stage Manager

Dante Bates

Playbill Design

Aishah Tapia

Sound Designer

David Stasiak

Band

Brian Walters, Colin Babcock, Indranath Chattopadhyay, Neil McNuly, Billy Smolen

Student Quotes:

Kendall McDonough: “My favorite part about being in this production is getting to work on such an important musical with such a great group of people. These past few months have allowed me to come to a place where I can learn about different aspects of society in such a fun and obscure way.”

Tyler Mara: “My favorite part about being in this production is being able to grow my aspect of theater and being able to show the audience a different type of theater. I also love getting to do things in this show that I usually don’t do. I am very excited to perform this production in front of a live audience.”

Gabriel J Colon : “ My favorite part about being in this production of Urinetown is getting to interact with people and learning about theater culture and shows that I may enjoy. I also get to learn new dances ,voice pitches and more.”

Halie Benway: ¨My favorite part about being in this production is learning about different types of theater. For this production in particular we decided to do Urinetown in a Brechtian theater style. Learning about the origins and applying it to my performance on stage was englightning. I would love for the community of Hoboken to come and see our show because not only will they get the chance to watch a fun and entertaining musical, but also learn about our society as a whole and reflect on our country's political state.¨

Riddhi Damani: I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this show and it became something I looked forward to every single day! My favorite part about being in this production was getting closer to my theater family. Everyone in this cast has individuality that makes our theater family what it truly is!

Mable Blischke-Villavicencio: This show is an amazing work of art. At first when we started, I was like “What is this show about pee” and now I am singing and dancing to my favorite songs ever! This experience was really great as I got to spend time with my theater family and work on something we all love and are excited for. Can’t wait for the show!