Connections can be anywhere!

     Today I'm going to take a break from blogging about my personal book. I figured you guys might want to hear about something different than the same old Greek mythology story. After finishing Fahrenheit 451 for class I realized how much it reminds me of a musical I am currently in. The musical I'm talking about is the school show; Urinetown. Yes, I know it's a weird name for a musical. I assure you the plot line is even stranger! This story is seriously messed up- it's a jumble of angry poor people and singing cops and evil businessmen and random outbursts into intense choreography and a not so happy ending- all adding up to pure chaos on a stage.

 

     Urinetown is about a city where a devastating drought has occured. It's so bad that people have to pay to pee. If you can't pay or if you go somewhere else, the cops take you to Urinetown. In truth Urinetown is really them just pushing you off of a building. I kid you not someone actually wrote this into a musical! What is wrong with people these days? The main character is a young man named Bobby Strong. He leads a rebelion to gain free access. Bobby reminds me of Montag. Bobby didn't question the society much in the beginning, just like Montag. Bobby's call for action was sparked when he met a young woman named Hope. Hope is one of those girls who just loves to love. I mean it gets to the point where you wanna yell, "Hope, not everything is rainbows and hearts! Wake up and smell the stench of Urinetown already!" Anyway, after meeting Booby she tells him to follow his heart. Bobby's heart told him that change needed to happen. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag's questioning began when he met Clarisse. Clarisse asked so many questions that Montag never thought. This caused him to begin to wonder about their society. Ray Bradbury writes, "How immense a figure she was on the stage before him; what a shadow she threw on the wall with her slender body!" (Bradbury 9). We can see how large of an impact she made on Montag. In both stories the main character's change was sparked by a young female. Once these characters get their idea of a new way of life, they go to extremes to fulfill their goal.

 

    The plots of these two stories also have some similarities. The main character tries to start a revolution against those they see doing wrong in their society. For Bobby that is Mr. Cladwell, head of the Urine Good Company which controls the public bathrooms. For Montag it is the government/ firemen and their burning. However Bobby gets an entire group of poor people to follow him, Montag only gets Faber's help. The endings of Fahrenheit 451 and Urinetown both are a bit disapointing, at least in my eyes. If there is one thing that bothers me, it's when a story either ends poorly or open ended. Lucky for me Urinetown and Fahrenheit 451 both end in one of these ways (why?!?!?!?!?). Montag fails in his attempt to overthrow the firemen. Also, he never brings back books the way we wanted him to. At least this story has an ending with potential and hope. In Urinetown Bobby gets pushed off a building, so Hope leads the revolution and pushes Mr. Cladwell of a building. Their revolution succeeds however the water becomes silty and unuseable from over consumption. The result? Everybody dies! Yeah no hope there...

   I find it intersting how two completely different texts can have hidden similarities. I mean who would have thought a book about a society that burns literature and a musical about paying to pee could be connected?

Watch the video below to see the Tony awards performance of Urinetown!
Although the title is befuddling, I promise you it has great music!