has a monopoly over the public amenities and charges towering taxes and fines to the citizens in order for them to cover their most basic needs,” Miller said. “A hero rises to combat this tyrannical regime and leads his fellow citizens to revolt. This satirical show makes fun of many of society’s downfalls, as well as American musical theatre in general.”

After RFHS Theatre performed “Les Mis” last year, the group needed to do a show with some silliness and looseness to it, Miller said.

“Our students have been getting used to acting serious all the time and we needed something to get them to go in another direction,” Miller said. “Especially after this year with the pandemic, we really needed a good laugh.”

The book “Urinetown” is by Greg Kotis. The musical’s lyrics are by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis. The musical, produced on Bradway in September 2001 by the Araca Group and Dodger Theatricals, won three Tony Awards. The show was inspired by Kotis’ poorly planned trip to Europe in which he had to choose between eating and going to the bathroom.

RFHS Theatre usually holds its shows in the fall, but postponed it this year due to the pandemic, which was a huge change.

“We waited patiently until we received the green light from the district to move ahead with the show and once that happened, it was like we could finally breathe again,” Miller said. “Returning to the stage after a full year break was rejuvenating. You don’t realize how much you miss something until it’s gone and having theatre back in our lives was an instant shot of adrenaline.”

Even though the audience size will be limited, it will still be exhilarating, Miller said.

“The audience is an integral part of theatre; without it, there wouldn’t be that joint relationship of give and take,” Miller said. “Sharing the journey and emotions of the character as a cast and audience is one of my favorite parts of doing live theatre.”

Miller and her cast hope the audience will enjoy the show, but especially the fact that it’s live theatre again – sharing laughs and moments with the actors and each other.

“This show is full of parody and satire, so hopefully, they also get a chance to think of the statements the show is making about environmentalism, collective action and systemic changes to our society,” Miller said.

The students had a shortened rehearsal schedule this year – just seven weeks. Miller said the cast took it in stride and worked hard to deliver a polished show. The most challenging part was the uncertainty surrounding its plausibility due to the pandemic.

“We didn’t know when we could start, how many students would be pulled for quarantine or if they got COVID, and then about halfway through our rehearsals we needed to change our opening dates due to the shifting of the high school calendar for graduation dates,” Miller said. “It’s been a journey, but one that has been worth it.”

They are just glad to be doing a show, Miller added. The cast is fairly young and new, but has proven they are ready for any challenge.

“There is a lot of subtle and not-so-subtle humor throughout the show,” Miller said. “It’s best to watch it multiple times in order to get and process all of the jokes.”

People can purchase tickets at rfpa.ludus.com ; show dates are May 27-29, all at 7 p.m. A video on-demand performance will be available after the performances. Follow RFHS Theatre on Facebook for the video’s release date.

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