The narrator in "Urinetown: The Musical" makes it clear that this is not a happy play. Although it's easy to see how audiences could get a perky impression. The show is filled with upbeat song-and-dance numbers, a sugary romance, a plucky down-on-his-luck protagonist, and a variety of classic musical clichés. But "Urinetown" is one of those fancy post-modern musicals that, even as it employs all those tried-and-true stage tropes, winks at the audience, flips the script, and offers up some pretty rough observations about personal freedom vs. the sustainability of life on this planet. (Really!) It's also shamelessly entertaining, and Geva's production of it could fit believably among the neon lights of Broadway.

As the narrator also points out, a show by the name of "Urinetown" has an uphill battle getting butts in the seats. If there's any accounting for taste, that shouldn't be a problem. The title refers to a mythical locale in the indeterminate future of our planet, an awful place where people are sent for breaking the stringent anti-urination laws. See, water's tight in the future - so tight that private bathrooms are unheard of, and all the public bathrooms are overseen by a shady, greedy corporation. When said corporation decides to fund more "research trips" to Rio by hiking up urinal rates again, the scrappy underclass rebels, propelled by the belief that everyone is entitled to that ever-elusive commodity, freedom. To make things more complicated - and to make this a proper musical - two lovebirds get caught in the midst, poor free-pee rebel Bobby Strong and dewy-eyed dreamer Hope, the daughter of the corporation's owner.

A set-up like that could easily pave the way for another feel-good, let's-all-hug tour de force in which the little guy gets his wish and the girl. To the immense credit of writers Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann, that's not quite how things turn out. I won't ruin the ending, but it manages to pay respect to both sides of the argument while dismissing both in a way that doesn't insult the audience's intelligence. I'll tell you one thing: you won't look at spilled water the same way again.

The entire cast does an admirable job, right down to the most minor of players. Stand-outs include Carolann Sanita as Hope, who turns a simple-minded young woman into a possibly misguided revolutionary without missing a beat; commanding Karen Murphy as the surly Penelope Pennywise; and Erin Webley as Little Sally, who steals most of the scenes she's in, especially when she engages directly with the narrator.

Of course, as a musical, there's lots of singing and dancing. The troupe delivers, especially in the dancing - typically the Achilles' heel of any local stage production. No simple grapevines or step-ball changes here; choreographer Peggy Hickey has thrown in a variety of disparate styles ranging from jazz to ethnic folk dances, and the cast is up to the challenge. In fact, the players seem to be having fun with it, breaking into a dance party after the final bow on opening night.

Vocally it's the group numbers that shine, although lead actor Jim Poulos (Bobby) tends to get overpowered. When he's singing by himself or with one other person his sweet tenor cuts through, but gets buried among the rest of the cast's strong voices.

Geva Artistic Director Mark Cuddy has done a laudable job bringing the Tony-winning show to the local stage. The actors are talented, engaged, and seem be to having a hoot. The two-story set makes smart use of the fairly confined stage and gives the pit orchestra a prime spot above - and in some cases, in the middle of - the action. Kudos as well to lighting designer Robert Wierzel, whose evocative work made every scene distinctive.

"Urinetown: The Musical" | through June 24 | Geva Theatre Center, 75 Woodbury Boulevard | For more information call 232-GEVA or visit www.gevatheatre.org.