Response To Urinetown

Urinetown Response

Coming into this show I knew exactly who I wanted to observe/analyze, John Watkins. He played the character of Cladwell and I was really excited to analyze him since last semester I wasn’t allowed to. I believe his work on stage definitely helped the given circumstances of the show. He seemed to understand what it meant to be a powerful business man who was exploiting the resources of the poor during the water shortage. I could feel his presence as an audience member whenever he was on stage. I felt he did an excellent job with keeping his energy strong throughout his performance. It was impressive to see him keep his energy high even during the text that didn’t involve much voice volume. He showed how energy lies within the core and as long as you feel it there and match it to your intentions it will come through.
I could see his desire for power in his physical stature. I believe he did a lot of work developing ways to move around the stage. All while keeping in mind that a powerful man like Cladwell would not likely waste any movements. He gave the perception that he is a man who knows what he wants and exactly how to get it, considering he had already been exploiting the poor for several years. I felt his movements appeared quick and efficient which felt right considering a powerful man like him would not wander. Every movement he made felt necessary for his character and current objective. I never felt like his movement was due to the actor feeling uncomfortable or bored with a certain position. The movements he made seemed to be very natural for the character he created. One thing that stuck out to me was the action of always opening his suit jacket when he would stand and buttoning it when he sat. I know this is very simple but these little details are the things that seemed to separate his performance from