Catholic High School Forced to Perform Musical Without its Name

[catbert836]

ERIE, Pa. - One might call it the play that dare not speak its name.

A Roman Catholic high school must try to sell tickets to its upcoming school play without referring to its title - "Urinetown: The Musical" - because the local bishop objects to it.

Erie Catholic Bishop Donald W. Trautman does not object to the play itself - an absurd send-up of Broadway musicals - and received no complaints about it. Instead, the bishop was concerned about the play's title being linked with Cathedral Prep, a high school in the city, said Monsignor Tom McSweeney, spokesman for the diocese.

"His only objection was to the title, not to the show itself," McSweeney told the Erie Times-News.

But altering the name of the show would violate its copyright. So the play's producer and director, the Rev. Michael DeMartinis, said he must try to sell tickets to the show - which runs Dec. 7-10 - without using the play's title on tickets, posters and programs.

DeMartinis said the title of the show will become immediately clear to the audience.

"They'll know what the play is without a doubt within the first 10 seconds," DeMartinis said. That's because the lyrics, "This is Urinetown," "You're at Urinetown," and "Here we are in Urinetown" are featured in the show's opening number.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/entertainment/music/16127610.htm

Wow, some fundie absurdity finally coming from my hometown...

[Dr.Phool]

1. Maybe if they called it "Condomville".

[evilgenius602]

9. how about collostomybagberg?

[Freedom_from_Chains]

2. Well, right off the jump the title doesn't really impress me as

a musical I would want to see. What could possible be exciting about living in Urinetown?

[bryant69]

3. Well you have to be careful where you walk I suppose

That's a kind of excitement. You never know what you might step in.

Bryant

[Book Lover]

4. It's a pretty fun play, actually

Nice slam at the corporitization of our civil lives *and* the ridiculousness of what B'way musicals are evolving into. But this bishop has got to get over himself! A) No one is going to think, "Ewww! Pee and Cathedral Prep. I won't go there! and B) The kids already have nasty nicknames for the high school; I know we all did in my diocese.

[catbert836]

8. No, Prep doesn't have a very good reputation around here...

There are certain problems some people have with it as the only all-male high school in the region. Although I probably have a rather nuanced view, since I go to its main competitor.

[hedgehog]

5. It's good to know that we have bishops with time for important

things like censoring the names of high school musicals and determining which songs are sung at mass!

[catbert836]

7. Trautman has a history of sticking his foot in his mouth

Our local paper has a "Faith" section on Thursdays, in which there are columns from spiritual leaders in the Erie area. Except there aren't any columns written by Catholic clergy, because he forbade them to. Doesn't look good, especially when Erie is 70% Catholic...

[nealmhughes]

6. Rather reminds me of my favorite Driveby Truckers' song title, besides, of course,

Panties in Your Purse, and that is "Buttholeville."

[quiet.american]

10. When I read article title, I knew it had to be "Urinetown."

Saw it on Broadway and enjoyed it.

[hvn_nbr_2]

11. It'll be good for ticket sales if they play it right

Come to the play whose name we can't disclose.
See the play with the banned title.
The play the bishop doesn't want you to know the name of.

[Berry Cool]

12. And next year, they'll be presenting

The Vagina Monologues!

[catbert836]

13. At an all-boys school?

Hmmm.