Hoof N Horn reimagines 1936 film with 'Reefer Madness'

Complete with campy musical numbers, a host of choral zombies, a suave, strutting Jesus and a mosh pit orgy, Reefer Madness is like a hit of the “leafy green assassin” itself. The show strings together songs at an unyielding pace, resulting in a fast-moving—though sometimes frazzled—parody of the dangers of marijuana.

Reefer Madness is a tongue-in-cheek reincarnation of the 1936 propaganda film designed to scare the American public away from growing drug trends. In the same manner as the film, the show begins with a narrator (senior Aidan Stallworth) warning wide-eyed parents about the drug menace that is quickly “turning our children into hooligans and whores.” He goes on to introduce Jimmy and Mary Lane, a pair of wholesome teens who venture over to the dark side after toking up. The subsequent events are exaggerated to an absurd degree, resulting in cannibalism, dismemberment and widespread promiscuity.

Even the sobering claims displayed on written boards (“Reefer gets you raped and you won’t care” or “Reefer makes you sell your baby for drug money”) are paraded blithely by a vixenish chorus girl. Add in a mass orgy scene and a guest appearance from the Messiah himself, and we are reminded again and again that the musical ought not be taken seriously.

As comical as the show is, the message does not lean towards a pro-marijuana stance either. Instead, Reefer Madness cautions viewers to be wary of propaganda messages and to think for themselves. The original film’s lecturing tone and scare tactics are played up and seamlessly incorporated into the musical, mainly through the narrator’s repeated interjections. Unfortunately, the narrator’s incessant tendency to yank the audience away from the immediate story offers little continuity, further exacerbating an already fragmented storyline.

The energy in the songs helps draw attention away from the singers’ weaker moments. The group numbers are the most enjoyable, especially “Murder!” and “Listen to Jesus, Jimmy.” The former culminates in a ridiculous act of cannibalism and murder, while the latter features a slick Jesus Christ strutting about the stage with his Charlie’s Angels-esque accompaniments. In many of the numbers, the actors admirably utilized the small theater, creating an intimate space that blurred the line between performers and spectators.

Reefer Madness fits well with the splashy culture surrounding recent phenomena like High School Musical and Glee sans the cloying cheeriness. Quirky, infectious and sometimes downright deranged, Reefer Madness promises a few hours of good entertainment without the fleeting hair-pulling thought of, “Might they be serious?”

Trust me, they aren’t.

Reefer Madness will play in Sheafer Lab Theater Jan. 21-24 and 27-31.