Strawhenge

Your appraisal of the music is uninformed and dull-witted. You ARE aware that Urinetown is a parody, are you not? The show takes the very shows you referenced (Les Miserables, West Side Story), along with purposefully stereotypical Broadway showtunes, and puts it in a satirical light. It is for this reason that the songs about the bad guy are bright and chipper, and that the music sounds instantly familiar. "Why do Broadway composers persist in resisting rock â ~nâ ™ roll sonorities?" Same reason that Jazz composers persist in resisting Death Metal sonorities: THEY'RE TWO DIFFERENT GENRES. You might as well have asked why dogs don't meow, and crap in sandboxes. Next time, X out your Wikipedia window and actually go watch the damn show you're supposed to review. Or if you want, I can do it, and you can sit at home and dick around on the internet all you want.