By David Gordon
Next weekend, the Monroe Lecture Hall Theater will be transformed into a reefer den (okay, not a real one) when Hofstra’s Masquerade Musical Theater Company presents Reefer Madness: the Musical.
Written by Dan Studney and Kevin Murphy, Reefer Madness is a satire based on a 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film, originally titled “Tell Your Children.” It was a “serious” film used to warn parents against the horrors of drugs and how they can ruin their children’s life. However, it contained such exaggerated action and horrible acting that it has since become a cult comedy classic in the vein of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
After an acclaimed premiere in Los Angeles, Studney and Murphy’s musical adaptation of “Reefer” had the unfortunate luck of opening in New York four days after September 11. It closed shortly after, but caught the eye of the executives at Showtime who, a few years later, turned it into their first made-for-TV musical. That, too, has become a cult classic, despite being less than two years old.
Reefer Madness tells the story of “the Harper Affair,” in which small town high school student Jimmy Harper falls into a life of sex, lies and murder after taking a hit of marijuana at the local reefer den, despite having a promising future with his girlfriend, Mary Lane. Not even Jesus can save him.
Amongst the costume fittings and lighting preparations, I had the opportunity to speak with a few members of the cast and crew as well as watch part of their rehearsal. Every cast member I spoke to seemed to echo the same sentiment: Reefer is the most fun show they’ve worked on.
“How can you resist a show like Reefer Madness?” asks ensemble member Rob DiGiovanni. “The fun is in the title.” Lily Goodman, who plays ‘Mae,’ echoes that sentiment. “You can’t not have a good time,” she exclaims. “It’s so much fun and great satire!”
That element attracted Alex Dollin to the show. Pulling double duty, Dollin not only stars as Jimmy Harper but is also the lighting designer. “The show gets rid of the stereotypes of the original propaganda film. It pokes fun at everything.”
Director Jennifer Tardibuono originally caught onto the show after seeing the ‘making-of’ documentary about the TV movie. Her original show choice was “the nice, wholesome Wonderful Town.” Somehow, Wonderful Town turned into Reefer Madness. It wasn’t a tough sell for the members of Masquerade, who voted overwhelmingly to stage it. However, getting the rights for production proved to be tougher than anything else.
“We were casting pretty much not knowing whether or not we’d be able to do it,” said Tardibuono. Everything came through (once they got special permission from the rights holders, the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization) and they all breathed a collective sigh of relief. “There’s no better time to do Reefer Madness,” she stated happily.
To anyone who frequently sees the student-produced productions, the cast should look very familiar. Made up of Masquerade stalwarts, they’re all just plain “crazy drama kids,” according to Amanda Mac, who stars as ‘Mary Lane.’
What drew Megan Lanzarone (‘Sally’) to the production, besides being an active Masquerade member, was the fact that the performers have the ability to “be free to do whatever you want and it would still be okay. You can’t do that with a lot of other shows.” “Reefer” is “absolutely ridiculous” declares Andrew Huber, who plays the Lecturer.
The cast also has very high praise for their creative team. “(Choreographer) Whitney Stone is a genius and Jen is an awesome director,” says Rob DiGiovanni. From what I saw at the rehearsal, that fact is very evident.
The Monroe Lecture Hall Theater, Masquerade’s home for the past few years, is a perfect fit for the show. “It’s a really great space,” says Dollin. “We’re really able to pull the audience into the show.” Without spoilers, let’s just say that the intimate space allows for a lot of fourth-wall breaking.
Reefer Madness plays May 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. and May 5 at midnight at the Monroe Lecture Center Theater. Tickets, available at the door, cost $5 for students, senior citizens, and faculty members and $10 for everyone else.
