Returning to the fall rather than the spring like last year, the Hays High Musical, “Urinetown,” will be a big hit with both comedy and satire lovers.

“Urinetown” premiered in 2001 on Broadway with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis and a book by Kotis. It satirizes issues, such as the legal system, social irresponsibility, politics, capitalism, corporate mismanagement and many other things.

“It’s just a satire of musical theater itself,” director Alex Underwood said. “One of my favorite jokes, which happens pretty early on in the show, [is] where they talk about how bad the title of the show is. I think this is great because, when I first tell people the name of the musical, they are always like ‘What?’.”

Tryouts for the musical start on Wednesday, Sept. 8. Students who are auditioning will sing three minutes of a song they choose. On Thursday, Sept. 9, they may be called back for one of the principal roles, or they may even do a little bit of reading.

The dance call will be the next day on Friday, Sept. 10. Underwood will then post the cast list, and the following Monday, Sept. 13, rehearsals will start.

“Urinetown” will be presented during buffer week, which is the week between the end of fall sports and the beginning of winter sports. It will run from Nov. 11-14.

“I hope the musical goes successfully,” junior Tony Arial said. “I hope a lot of people come to watch it because usually we don’t get too many people. I think that the musical is a good time, they’re always entertaining to watch.”

23cbecker@usd489.com