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REEFER MADNESS: THE MUSICAL

(Directed by Jeremiah Heitman)

The award-winning Reefer Madness musical was inspired by the notorious -- and deliciously awful -- 1936 anti-marijuana film originally titled Tell Your Children. A smarmy lecturer arrives in a typical small town of the late '30s to warn the populace of the dangers of the "evil weed," bringing along a lurid propaganda production to dramatize his message.

In broad, unsubtle, and hilarious strokes, the play-within-a-play shows how even a squeaky-clean pair of highschoolers named Mary Lane and Jimmy Harper can become hopeless dope addicts by succumbing to the lure of marijuana. Reefer Madness: The Musical is not only a savage skewering of the original black-and-white movie (some of the musical's campiest lines are taken directly from the earlier script!), but also a devastating attack on what playwrights Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney consider to be the real reason that the 1936 movie was made: to frighten the public out of their wits in order to keep them under the thumb of an oppressive government.

Some memorable songs include "Romeo and Juliet,” “The Stuff,” “Down at the Ol' Five and Dime,” “Listen to Jesus Jimmy,” “Mary Jane/Mary Lane,” “The Brownie Song,” “Tell 'Em the Truth,” and the title number.

The cast includes: Alyssa Bonanno, Brian Brown, Jared Cantrell, Caroline Clark, Alex Cullen, Jessica Delcid, Diego Flores, Samantha Gonzales, Jeremiah Heitman, Jay-Ar Ignacio, Austin Jallo, Kamala Kruszka, Taylor Lozano, Paul Sosa, and Veronica Surber.

Performances are June 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, and 28 at 8PM, with 2PM Sunday matinees on June 15 and 22. Call 327-PLAY to make reservations!

The Empty Space, 706 Oak St. Bakersfield, CA 93304

Printed in Bakotopia magazine, issue 29, 5-29-08