With Halloween just around the corner, the IU Department of Theater, Drama and Contemporary Dance will present the musical “Reefer Madness,” a musical comedy based on the B-movie that came out in 1936. The musical is a satirical take on 20th-century propaganda against marijuana by depicting an extremely exaggerated effect it has on teenagers.
“Reefer Madness” will be performed at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre from Oct. 25-Nov. 2, and tickets can be bought on the Ticketmaster website. It has a run-time of 90 minutes and an additional 15-minute intermission.
According to Stanford University, the original “Reefer Madness” film was an American propaganda film that aimed to caution parents against the ill and dangerous effects of allowing children to smoke marijuana. However, it was later turned into satire by both its critics and supporters.
“Reefer Madness” is a play within a play, narrated by The Lecturer, the director of a play-within-the-play who guides the audience through the exaggerated version of events that occur when two naive teenagers in town fall victim to the “detrimental” effects of marijuana.
The two teenagers, Jimmy Harper and Mary Lane, fall under the archetype of innocent lovers and their descent into chaos and ruin is highly exaggerated. Throughout the story, The Lecturer connects all the scenes together by stepping in and out of the action while taking on various roles throughout the musical.
The acting style is over the top as the play makes fun of the overly dramatic and serious nature of the original movie. The set and lighting are also based in the style of 1930s Hollywood melodramas with dark and moody film noir lighting and forced perspective sets that come together to create a dramatic and exaggerated effect.
Despite being set in 1936, the songs in the musical fall under several different styles including metal guitar rock,1950s sock-hop, gospel, 70s disco, 80s pop ballads, Neil- Diamond-inspired rock and mega-musical inspired songs.
According to director Richard Roland, the lyrics are “tongue-in-cheek humorous,” but the actors contrastingly commit to the seriousness of their situations which adds to the comedic effect of the songs.
“The absurdity of the story is accentuated by the use of songs not in the style of 1930s popular music,” Roland said. “It’s also a nod to the timelessness of the story.”
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According to Roland, while the production is a dark comedy, there are depictions of drug use, abuse, addiction, domestic and physical abuse, violence, gunfire, and gore. Viewer discretion is advised.
