A musical satire of the 1936 propaganda–turned–cult-classic film of the same name, Reefer Madness is playing through June 2 at NextStop Theatre Company in Herndon, Virginia. The slapsticky campfest originated as a stark warning to parents about the harms to their kids of “marihuana.” A prudish lecturer guides the audience through a retelling of the tragic tale of Jimmy and Mary Lane, high school sweethearts whose lives were forever changed by the evils of the drug.
The book and lyrics were written by Kevin Murphy and the book and music by Dan Studney, with all the classic stereotypes. There’s the straight-laced professor figure, the seedy drug den, the five-and-dime local hangout, the smooth-talking hustler, and the madame-esque mother hen type who loves her junkie children but loves her drugs more.
The story is set in a simple schoolroom, designed by Jack Golden, with multiple hidden panels allowing for quick transitions of scenes for seamless storytelling.
Paige Rammelkamp served as musical director for the hilarious score and plays the keys in the live band. The cast’s beautiful voices and the jazz-centered style of the music launch the action with full-throttled energy right off the bat. The title song, “Reefer Madness,” reeks of cautionary generalizations and drives home the message of drugs “turning all our children into hooligans and whores!” The song echoes throughout the performance moments after melodramatic developments as a reminder of the lesson the audience is witnessing.
Director and Choreographer Robert Mintz emulates the motormouth classic pace of the ’40s (think His Girl Friday), which complements the exaggerated and sappy dialogue of the original the musical is mocking. And his choreography is spicy and surprisingly complex for the small space, but sharply executed by the whole ensemble.
The 12-member cast consists of four ensemble members whose mountain of tight turn-around changes of costumes (designed by Jessica Utz), makeup, and scenes are insanely impressive. Kendall Huheey, Tony Lemus, Alexandra Lopez, and Walker Vlahos play zombie students, drug addicts, angels, teen jivers, sex fiends, and more, each pulling their own and shining in various moments throughout the production.
The pasty-white and pure Mary Lane is played to perfection by Carolyn Tachoir. She takes the saccharine-sweet ingenue trope to a whole new level, with unwavering devotion to her goody-two-shoes, boy-wonder love interest Jimmy, portrayed by Drew Sharpe. The duo fantasize about their happily ever after in the comically misguided “Romeo & Juliet,” highlighting their keen intelligence as they sing, “We are just like Romeo and Juliet; We’re happy, young and bubbling with love!”
Kaylen Morgan is the villainous Jack, who entraps the naive youth with his charm and manipulation. He is the abusive lover of Mae (Melanie Kurstin), who plays host to the degenerates who come through her door. Kurstin and Morgan lean into their stock character types and the resulting scenes are comedy gold with aptly timed stage slaps, desperate exclamations, and passionate levels of lust and anger.
Kurstin’s Mae exemplifies this style as she laments over her need for “The Stuff” and the high she constantly craves, which forces her to tolerate the mistreatment of her dealer boyfriend Jack.
Rotting away in the Reefer Den is Cam Powell as ex-college student and drug-addled Ralph, laughing maniacally (because marihuana makes you giggle incessantly) and constantly darting around like a wild animal. Ralph and Sally (Simone Brown), the prostitute and single mom to an offstage wailing infant, are previous victims of Jack too far gone for redemption and waste away as shadows of their former selves.
Guiding the audience through this tragedy, with boomerang-like snaps back to the classroom setting where this enlightening tutorial is taking place, is the Lecturer Josh Simon. He is firm and direct, impassioned with the call to save young lives from the lascivious and evil nature of marihuana. His attitude is reminiscent of the stern and studious host of an after-school special. Simon is wonderfully engaging but also surprisingly devious when necessary to demonstrate the twisted motivations of pushers.
NextStop’s production of Reefer Madness is a ridiculously fun time, with poignant and not-so-subtle jabs at the American history of media manipulation and government scapegoating. The show is all farce and an over-the-top narrative that could easily become eye-rollingly kitschy but flows with such impeccable timing and stellar performances that instead creates a side-splittingly crazy ride.
There are a number of must-mention moments like the phenomenal dancing in “Down at the Ol’ Five-and-Dime.”
Morgan is sleek and sexy as Jack, but then appears to the strayed Jimmy as Jesus (complete with flowing hair and tunic), crooning “Just say no to the marijuana!; This comes straight from the Madonna!” in “Listen to Jesus, Jimmy.”
And Mary Lane has a shocking turn from chastity in “Little Mary Sunshine” as Tachoir turns up the heat and lets her freak flag fly with lyrics like “I’ll lather you up and give you a shave; A paddling while straddling my little slave!”
With themes of drugs, crime, murder, and rape, the overall comedic aspects of the piece sound tasteless and thoughtless. But it is the blatant irony of the original work’s intention to strike fear in the hearts of observers, yet resulting in a cult classic laugh fest, that sets the material up for a modern-day wake-up call for the repetition of history.
Reefer Madness serves a dose of reality by highlighting the exploitation of fear that has become an American pastime and dominates the now 24-hour news cycle. In the final scene of the show, as actors add “controversial” books to the bonfire and sing about “taking down the fingerprints of Jazz musicians and immigrants,” Director Munitz adds modern topics like Critical Race Theory and Drag Queen Storytime to the burning pile. It is a subtle but brilliant nod to the similarities between the propaganda of the 1940s and the sensationalizing of “wokeness” that prevails today.
But NextStop’s production doesn’t force-feed the moral. They dress it up in lively costumes, high kicks, and soapy songs and then gently lay the facts at the audience’s feet. If the crowd so chooses, they can simply cheer at the spectacle and go about their lives. Reefer Madness is a fantastic show with impressive performances by all involved and a biting commentary with a striking resemblance to today’s messaging for those who care to heed the warning.
Running Time: Approximately two hours, with one 15-minute intermission.
Reefer Madness plays through June 2, 2024, at NextStop Theatre Company, located at 269 Sunset Park Drive in Herndon, VA. Tickets cost $50 with a $2 convenience fee and are available for purchase online or by calling the box office at 703.481.5930 x2. For more information, email [email protected].
Click here for the digital program.
Audience Advisory
While this production contains depictions of smoking marajuana, there is no actual smoking of any kind.
Auditory and Visual Effects: Theatrical haze, gunshots, scented vapor, and open flame
Violence and Mature Content: Mentions of rape and sexual assault, physical and sexual abuse, and abortion
Theatrical depictions of drug use, physical violence, sexual activity, racism, homophobia, and sexism
Reefer Madness
Book by Kevin Murphy & Dan Studney
Music by Dan Studney
Lyrics by Kevin Murphy
Directed and Choreographed by Robert Mintz
Music Direction by Paige Rammelkamp
CAST
Simone Brown: Sally; Melanie Kurstin: Mae; Kaylen Morgan: Jack; Cam Powell: Ralph & U/S Jack; Drew Sharpe: Jimmy; Josh Simon: Lecturer; Carolyn Tachoir: Mary Lane; Kendall Huheey: Ensemble & U/S Mae; Tony Lemus: Ensemble & U/S Jimmy; Alexandra Lopez: Ensemble & U/S Mary; Walker Vlahos: Ensemble; Patrick Payne: Swing; Tiffani Stitz: Swing & U/S Sally
CREATIVE TEAM
Robert Mintz: Director / Choreographer; Paige Rammelkamp: Music Director; Jack Golden: Scenic Designer; Hailey LaRoe: Lighting Designer; Jessica Utz: Costume Designer; Karissa Martinez: Properties Designer; Brandon Cook: Sound Designer; Julie Pesak: Assistant Director; Tiffani Stitz: Dance Captain; Fe Miranda: Stage Manager; Julie Pesak: Assistant Stage Manager; Jack Wilson: Technical Director; Alex Parish: Carpenter; Suzy Alden: Scenic Artist; Sarah Usury: Scenic Artist; Ariel Kraje: Scenic Artist; EmmaSmith: Lead Electrician; Dennis Bowe, Natasha Moralez and Taylor Stewart: Carpentry Assistants
BAND
Paige Rammelkamp: Keys; Lindsay Williams, Mari Hill*: Reeds; Rick Peralta, Robbie Taylor*: Guitar; Teresa Arnold, Nick Graziano*: Bass; James (Jim) B. Hofmann: Drums
*At certain performances
