24 Dates in 2024

24 Dates in 2024 – Date #6

Laughter is the sugar in our relationship. I hope it’s in yours too. Date #6 of 24 dates in 2024 launched us into the comedic make-believe of a local college theatre performing Urinetown. Yes – that is Urinetown, not U’r in town.

Ken and I scheduled date #6 for a musical-comedy with dinner and a Q&A session with the director and actors at the Walter K. Gordon Theater in Camden. The Rugters-Camden Theatre Program Director Shamus best described the production, Urinetown, as “a biting satire of capitalism, systemic corruption, and the age of billionaires.” Considering the musical is slightly over 20 years old, its theme is poignantly positioned for 2024.

No lies, with a musical-comedy titled Urinetown, I was filled with preconceived notions or questions, like –

Is this gonna be filled with 6th grade-boy bathroom humor? Sprinkled enough to be humorous but not immature.

How funny can a musical be? Comedy is best in stand-up or plays, right? Unexpectedly, it’s laugh-out-loud funny.

And how good would the music be in a comedy?Good enough to catch an earworm and hum the chorus of “Run Freedom, Run.”

The talent required to create a complex piece of work that nails the intelligence of comedy and music is astounding, but the actors, singers, and dancers breathe beautiful life into Mark Hollmann’s creation.

The entourage of performances was again unexpectedly surprising. I sometimes pegged particular moments from these college students as Broadway-worthy, which is saying a lot, as I grew up on Broadway theatre.  

Just as enjoyable was the dinner and especially the Q & A that followed with the director and performers ( this was my favorite part). I mean – common on theatre folks are a breed to themselves and know how to engage! As Ken put it, ” Theatre people are weird.” He should know he is married to one!

We highly recommend taking advantage of opportunities that include a Q&A with actors and production to get insight into how they created a scene, where they drew inspiration, and what-in-the-world something gnawing at you during the show even meant. For us, that would be the recurring line of “going to Rio,” which seemed random, but we knew there was more to it.

Find out for yourself what “Going to Rio” means. Additional run dates are April 14 and April 18-21; tickets can be purchased online.   

This was our first visit to the Rutgers-Camden Theatre at Walter K. Gordon Theatre, but it won’t be our last.  

The ease to get in and out was a snap. Parking was FREE and directly located in front of the theatre. Tickets were incredibly inexpensive, like $15 apiece. The theatre was quite large yet comfortable and acoustically sound. And did I mention that the parking was FREE?

We had a blast and can’t wait to do our next one. Interested in learning more about Rutgers-Camden Theatre and Urinetown visit here for more details. If you make it to a showing of Urinetown, let us know what you think.

Until then, enjoy the sugar.