NORMAL - When you gotta go, you gotta go. To see "Urinetown," that it is. There are at least two sound reasons folks will feel that pressing urge this weekend.

The first is historic in nature.

When "Urinetown, The Musical" premieres its two-weekend run at 7:30 p.m. Friday, it will become the first-ever theater production for the brand new Connie J. Link Amphitheatre off Constitution Trail in Normal.

The second is perhaps one born of simple curiosity.

As in, what in the heck is a high school troupe doing staging a musical called "Urinetown"?

First, to the historical part.

"Urinetown" marks a homecoming of sorts for the annual Normal Parks and Recreation Summer Music Theatre series, which has led an unstable orphan existence for the past six summers.

The series - a long-running summer showcase for area high school theater talent - was left homeless by the May 2002 fire that destroyed its original space, the Maxwell Park Amphitheatre in Normal.

For the 2002 to 2007 seasons, the shows went on, but under drastically different circumstances: trading spaces within Normal Community and Normal Community West high schools.

Not really a summery experience, in other words. And, more worrisome, participation by area youth dropped over the six summers of homelessness.

The return to a permanent space this weekend is bittersweet at best: "Urinetown" will be the first Normal Parks and Recreation Summer Music Theatre show to be staged since the Jan. 23 death of theater architect Connie Link.

Link started as business manager for the series in 1976, then went on to a decades-long tenure as its manager and executive producer.

Hence, the recent christening of the venue in her honor.

Link's successor is Susan Morse Cortesi, a longtime friend who had been running the program since Link became ill with brain cancer several years ago. She's also directing the first show, just to keep the transition running smoothly.

Though the series has tended toward traditional musicals like "The Music Man" and "Godspell" over the past 30-odd years, "Urinetown, the Musical" marks a move in a more progressive direction, Cortesi admits.

"We're not trying to be controversial or anything," she says. "It's a PG-13-rated show that we felt was appropriate for high school kids."

In the beginning, "I did have some trouble selling that title, which is definitely one people look at and go, 'oh my goodness,' " Cortesi adds.

But she also believes it stays true to the family-friendly tradition of the theater series, even if its premise is a long, long way from Rodgers & Hammerstein.

The story deals with a severe water shortage that cripples a Gotham-style city. In an attempt to regulate water consumption, the government outlaws use of private toilets, forcing citizens to use public, pay-per-use amenities owned by the malevolent Urine Good Company.

Fed up, the story's hero, Bobby Strong, leads a revolution to lead the people back to aquatic freedom.

One of the show's attractions, says Cortesi, is the fact that it's designed to be staged in a minimalist, bare-bones sort of way.

When the show was selected, the new venue's technical details were still not fully in place, from sound to lighting equipment.

"The show speaks to the whole idea of being performance-driven, not spectacle-driven, so that afforded us a simple set if we didn't get everything done with the lighting and sound, and we'd still be able to do it," says Cortesi.

For the record, the lighting and sound are expected to be fully functional come Friday night's opening.

Elsewhere, "Urinetown" addresses themes of conservation that students are taught in school, and, more importantly, has captured the imagination of the performers in ways that an older, more traditional show might not have.

"The title might not seem family-friendly to parents, but the students were thrilled about getting a chance to do the show," she says.

As for the new space, the differences between the old Maxwell Park space and the new one "are like night and day," Cortesi says, noting such previously unheard of amenities as running water and bathroom facilities.

The theater's proximity to Constitution Trail has created an interesting phenomenon of people wandering over to the theater and watching rehearsals, something that never happened at the more isolated location at Maxwell Park.

Cortesi looks at it as good PR, not an annoyance.

"I don't care," she says. "I think it's great for the community to see the kids at work and the process they go through. It's like a preview of coming attractions."

There is a downside to all the anticipation and excitement, however.

"One of my real sadnesses is that Connie won't be there to see the first performance," Cortesi says.

"But," she adds, "come to think of it, I believe she'll be there, looking down on us. And I think she'll be quite pleased."

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At a glance

What: Normal Parks & Recreation Summer Music Theatre production of "Urinetown, The Musical"

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday and June 25 through 29

Where: Connie J. Link Amphitheatre, Linden Street, Normal

Tickets: Adults, $4; students, $2; under 5, free

Information: (309) 454-9540