Greg Kotis had the idea for '' Urinetown '' while traveling in Europe . A traveling student on a budget , he encountered a pay toilet , and began writing shortly thereafter , joining with Mark Hollmann for the journey to Broadway . Initially , no production companies were interested in optioning the musical , but finally the Neo-Futurists , an experimental theatre group from Chicago , agreed to produce '' Urinetown '' for their 1999 – 2000 season . Kotis , his wife , and original cast member Spencer Kayden belonged to the group . Plans with the Neo-Futurists later fell through , so John Clancy of the New York Fringe Festival accepted the show into the festival . Playwright David Auburn , a friend of Kotis and Hollmann , came to see the show and immediately called production company The Araca Group . The company optioned the musical and it opened Off Broadway at the American Theatre for Actors , transferring to Broadway in September 2001 . Originally planned to open on September 13 , the show contained several references which , after the September 11 attacks , would prove offensive . Ultimately , only one line was removed from the script , and the show opened September 20 , 2001
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Urinetown