THIS year's Kendal College spectacular is a laugh out loud musical that once again promises to be a cracking show from the gifted student performers.

Urinetown - the Musical, is a tale of greed, love, revolution and pay toilets with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis.

Assistant head of school (creative arts) at Kendal College, Hilary Pezet, directs the show, which runs at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre from Wednesday-Saturday, June 14-17.

She says Urinetown has won many Tony awards and other accolades on Broadway and is performed constantly in America but it is little known in the the UK.

"The title does a lot to put people off," adds Hilary. "However, the title of Urinetown is deliberate and explained within the first few lines of the play in a hilarious way.

"The musical has been described as a 'sharp-witted rampant riot' of a show and tells the tale of a town about to burst where ‘spending a penny’ can prove problematic in a place where the privilege to pee has a price tag.

"The clever idea of the show is that it uses moments you will recognise from other musicals such as West Side Story, Chicago and Les Misérables but woven into its own unique story.

"It has a wonderful musical score which is very demanding for young singers and also requires quick fire comedy and imaginative characterisation to pull it off.

"Again it is a massive challenge in acting singing and dancing - it has it all."

As those who've seen a Kendal College show will testify, standards of its student productions are consistently high showcasing some amazing young talents; in the spotlight this year is local girl Georgie Buckland - who'll be training next year at Royal Scottish Conservatoire - and Calum McElroy, playing the lead love interest. They'll be joined on the Brewery stage by 45 talented performers, supported by a dedicated production team of lighting, sound and stage tech students.

"We're having great fun creating this production as it changes so quickly from powerful moments of ensemble singing to slapstick comedy and clever writing," continues Hilary.

"Don’t be put off by its title as its a hilarious show suitable for all the family."

Performances start at 7.30pm with a 2.30pm Saturday matinee.

Box office 01539-725133.