It's 4:30 a.m. and you're suddenly awoken by a stabbing pain near your groin. You hightail it out of bed, throw yourself into your waiting winter jacket, fumble around for some change and dash out the front door.

You jog two blocks when you realize that if you had sprinted, you would have been there by now.

But finally, the building comes into sight and you reach the front, jam your change down the mandatory slot, and when the entrance finally creaks open, you hustle inside and immediately start to - relieve yourself.

This isn't your worst nightmare. This is life in "Urinetown: The Musical" - the show that has Broadway theater-goers clamoring for one last performance.

But luckily for us, the winner of three Tony Awards is not selfishly staying stationary in New York.

"Urinetown" will be dancing into the Wharton Center on Wednesday night for the first time since launching its national tour in June and is here to amuse until Saturday.

The show follows the story line of a water shortage that forces the government to outlaw private toilets and coerce community members to use public, pay-for-use privies.

It is here when Bobby Strong, played by Charlie Pollock, enters with his father.

Unfortunately for Bobby, his father refuses to pay and is hauled off to the mysterious Urinetown.

He is then left with only one option - to rebel against the authorities. But while doing so, he falls in love with the wrong girl - the daughter of the big boss who sent his father away.

But Bobby doesn't let his love-struck eyes take him away from his duties.

"I think (Bobby Strong) certainly has no idea what consequences his actions will cause," Charlie Pollock said of his character in a telephone interview. "There is an event that takes place that causes him to snap, so in that sense, he is rebelling, but I don't think he realizes."

Pollock, who is one of the original Broadway members of "Urinetown," has been touring with the traveling cast for weeks now and said it has its ups and downs just like anything else.

"There's just something about playing to 3,000 screaming people that's really amazing," Pollock said. "But (touring) is really, really, really hard.

"('Urinetown') is harder to do on the road than on Broadway because we're in different climates all the time and we usually play eight shows a week, which is incredibly intense."

But despite the agonizing schedule, Pollock said the production is going great on the road.

"This cast is just as great (as the Broadway cast) and works just as well together," Pollock said. "It fosters incredible relationships between actors on stage."

And the charisma between characters is what makes "Urinetown" so lovable.

"It's a musical for people who love musicals and a musical for people who hate musicals," Pollock said. "If you know a lot about musicals, you'll enjoy all the quoting, and if you hate musicals, you'll just really enjoy all the singing and dancing.

"My brother-in-law, who had never been to a musical in his life, fell in love with the show. It really is (a show for everyone)."

Bob Hoffman, the public relations manager for the Wharton Center, said he saw the show in New York but originally didn't want to because of the title.

"I saw it, and I loved it," Hoffman said. "The music's really good and the plot is funny, but serious at the same time."

And although the title seems somewhat silly and some of the lyrics literally revolve around peeing, Hoffman assures that "Urinetown" is more than just a story about bodily functions.

"It's a musical satire starting with an absurd premise, but it makes us laugh and explores real social issues," Hoffman said. "It examines corporate control, corruption and the rich and the poor.

"I guarantee anyone who sees it is going to love it."

For some, it might be the music and singing that keep them entertained, but for others, it's going to be the dancing that keeps their attention.

Dixie Durr, an MSU professor of dance who has seen "Urinetown" before, said that the type of dance people usually find in musicals is generated by the music in terms of the context of the musical and what is required on stage.

"I don't think people should come (to 'Urinetown') thinking production numbers in terms of large groups of people, but what they do is very lively movement," Durr said. "It's a representation of the individual characters in the story line.

"They stay within their character the whole time and that's what makes the movement unique. It's a very cleverly written musical."

And even people who have never seen a live production of "Urinetown" say the show is one-of-a-kind.

"I have listened to the cast recording and it's deeply funny," said Marcus Olson, an MSU associate professor and head of acting for the MSU Department of Theatre.

Olson said the best aspect of "Urinetown: The Musical" coming to MSU within its first year of touring is that cast members and crew will still be on the top of their game, unlike what can happen when shows tour for too long, such as "Cats" or "Les Misérables."

"'Urinetown' is new and it's fresh, so I'm sure the show is terrific," Olson said. "I think we're lucky that we're getting it pretty soon out of the shoot."

For tickets to see "Urinetown: The Musical," call (517) 432-2000 or 1-800-WHARTON.