The current MusicalFare production of Urinetown is two hours and 25 minutes of sheer theatrical bliss. Superior material yields superior results in this, the unrivaled highlight of the MusicalFare season, directed by Randall Kramer.

In Urinetown, a corrupt government responds to a water shortage that makes private toilets impossible by yielding control of the city to the “Urine Good Company,” which controls all the city’s bathrooms. Those who disobey the rules, or who try to pee for free, are sent to dreaded “Urinetown.” The score, by Mark Hollman, is intentionally derivative of Kurt Weill and the show, with its heavy political allegory, is often called a Brecht-Weill spoof. But Urinetown is not really a spoof in the true sense. The show is, in many ways, a faithful recreation of the Brechtian aesthetic.

Brecht sought to create plays that provoked thought by providing political allegory, while using humor, music, presentational acting and other “alienating” techniques to discourage the audience from being lost in sentimentality. In this regard, the closest model for Urinetown would be Brecht and Weill’s The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, about a town created by three criminals where a murderer can buy his freedom, but a man who cannot pay his bills is condemned to death.

At MusicalFare, Urinetown benefits from the fact that Buffalo is bursting with an abundance of musical theater talent. From top to bottom, the cast is spectacular.

In the leads, Chris Critelli as heroic Bobby Strong and Bethany Moore as ingénue Hope Cladwell make an attractive couple with an impressive comic range. The Hope role, in particular, allows red-headed Miss Moore to dance like Gwen Verdon, clown like Lucille Ball and sing like—well, there’s not a comparable Broadway redhead, and Renée Fleming would be too operatic. Let’s just say her singing isn’t half bad either.

John Fredo is marvelous as the narrator, Officer Lockstock, and Michele Marie Roberts makes hay of the Little Sally role. Together, they infuse the show and its extensive exposition with precisely the right note of irreverently wry humor.

Lisa Ann Ludwig goes for broke with an unbridled and hilarious performance as Ms. Penneywise, the guardian of public amenity number 9. Loraine O’Donnell-Gray is similarly out of control, in similarly wonderful ways, as Bobby Strong’s mother and other vivid characters.

There are more riches here than can be described in the space allowed. Tom Owen is perfection as Caldwell B. Caldwell, the badest baddie in all of musical comedy. Norman Sham is unabashedly deranged as the sleazy tranny politician. The vocalizations of Kevin Kennedy are priceless. And on and on and on. Marc Sacco, Elizabeth Urbanczyk, Doug Weyand, Jeffrey Coyle—there is no weak link here. Everybody is wonderful.

Special mention to superb choreography by Lynne Kurdziel-Formato, whose specialty has long been making non-dancers look good. Here, she makes non-dancers (and good dancers too) look hilarious, in parodies of every dance style ever to hit Broadway. Seeing Lisa Ann Ludwig gallumph headlong into the iconic Chita Rivera leg-over-her-partner’s-shoulder move, like Olive Oyle come tango dancer, or dancing as “Dream Hope,” is just a sampling. Special mention as well to Chris Schenk’s handsome and versatile set, and Chris Cavanagh’s remarkable lighting. Under Michael Hake’s musical direction, joined by musicians Jason Bravo and Jeff Cooke, the show sounds terrific.

Urinetown is a treat on every level.