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Reefer Madness (musical)
Encyclopedia
Reefer Madness is a musical satire
of the 1936 cult classic Reefer Madness that opened in Los Angeles in 1998. The book and lyrics were written by Kevin Murphy
and the music by Dan Studney. Directed by Andy Fickman
, it was initially shown at the Hudson Theater on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles and then moved to the New York
"Off-Broadway" scene. The show opened Off Broadway on September 15, 2001, and closed shortly thereafter. A film version
was made for TV in 2005. Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals now administers the stock/amateur rights, and the show has been produced by local theater groups in several cities, including Toronto, Seattle, Philadelphia, Charleston, Sacramento and London. The 2008 production at Washington DC's Studio Theater won 2 Helen Hayes Awards (directing and outstanding Resident Production).
The Canadian Premiere was produced by Hart House Theatre in September 2006 with both Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney in attendance.
The show returns to Canada during The Lower Ossington Theatre's Toronto production, June 9-18, 2011.
The show made its Australian debut in Sydney on July 24, 2008 and UK premiere in London on March 24, 2009.
The Lecturer then shows us the seamier side of life at the Reefer Den, populated by drug-addled Denizens of the Night. We meet Mae, the Reefer Den hostess, who is abused by her slick, pusher boyfriend Jack. She'd leave him, but Jack keeps her supplied with the marijuana she craves ("The Stuff"), despite his physical abuse.
The Lecturer brings us now to the five and dime
, a local teen hangout where wholesome kids indulge in the risqué rhythms of "swing-jazz" music, as performed by Duke Ellington
, Dizzy Gillespie
, and other "ginger-colored agents of evil" ("Down at the Ol' Five and Dime"). The Lecturer assumes the guise of kindly Mr. Poppy, the singing and dancing proprietor.
Jack, trolling for youthful victims, arrives at the five and dime, where he meets Jimmy and lures him back to the Reefer Den to experience "a real party". There, Jimmy encounters Ralph, a psychotic ex-college student who communicates primarily with cackling, maniacal laughter. He also meets Sally, a reefer slut who both supports her love child
and pays for her habit with the only currency she possesses - her generously proportioned body. Jimmy is pressured into taking his first hit of marihuana ("Jimmy Takes a Hit") and tastes the forbidden fruits of sensual abandon in a wild hallucinatory dance sequence featuring weird sex, belly dancers, fire eaters, and Goat-Man, a frightening satyr
played by the Lecturer ("The Orgy").
Over the next few weeks, we watch Jimmy make a terrifying transition from "good egg" to "bad apple". He mouths off to his parents, brutalizes a puppy, and even attempts to tongue-kiss a shocked Mary, sending her running off in tears. Alone in church, Mary prays that her sweetheart will regain his senses and return to her ("Lonely Pew").
Later, Jimmy and Ralph break into the church to steal from the poor box. While Ralph goes off to smoke some frankincense
, Jimmy suddenly receives a heavenly vision...Jesus Christ himself! Flanked by a chorus of singing cherubim, Jesus (played by Jack) warns Jimmy (in a Tom Jones
-style production number) to kick his reefer habit or suffer eternal damnation ("Listen to Jesus, Jimmy"). Jimmy scoffs at the Son of God's message. Angels weep.
Back at the Reefer Den, Jimmy is completely out of control. A desperate Mae warns Jimmy to avoid her own mistakes - he must escape the Reefer Den while he is still able. The drug-addled Jimmy, however, won't listen. Even the revelation that Sally has sold her baby for drug money fails to snap him out of it. Sally's baby (played by Ralph) appears and sings a plaintive solo ("Lullaby").
Jimmy's bad behavior culminates with his stealing Mary's Packard
and taking it for a reckless, reefer-induced joyride
with Sally. His joy, however, proves short-lived - Sally, who is driving, runs over a helpless old man crossing the street, killing him.
Finally shocked out of his reefer haze, Jimmy returns the stolen Packard to Mary's house and apologizes to her, pledging his love ("Mary Jane/Mary Lane".) They kiss. Before he can give her his school ring as a token of his undying love, a siren sounds in the distance. The fugitive Jimmy realizes that he must get far away from Mary lest he bring her down with him. He runs off into the night with no explanation. Mary doesn't know the exact nature of Jimmy's demons, but she vows he will not face them alone. She drives her Packard into the night in search of "her poor lost Romeo".
Meanwhile, back at the Reefer Den, Jack and Mae hear a radio broadcast announcing the hit-and-run accident. Police are looking for a young man in a late-model Packard. Jack, fearing Jimmy will get arrested and lead the cops back to him, grabs a pistol and ominously vows to bring Jimmy back to the Reefer Den - "one way or another" ("Act I Finale").
Before Jimmy can board the train, Jack appears and tries to convince Jimmy to return to the Reefer Den with him. Jimmy refuses; he promised himself he'd never smoke marijuana again. Jack tricks Jimmy by offering him a seemingly innocent brownie. Jimmy thinks this is the best brownie he's ever eaten in his life. The train station patrons join him in a song extolling the many virtues of said brownie ("The Brownie Song"). Jimmy is hooked once again.
Meanwhile, Mary makes inquiries at the five and dime. Kindly Mr. Poppy provides Mary with the address of the Reefer Den. The naive Mary leaves, grateful for Mr. Poppy's assistance. As soon as Mary is out of earshot, Mr. Poppy telephones the Reefer Den and tells Ralph to inform Jack that an unsuspecting new "client" is on her way over. We learn that Mr. Poppy is secretly on Jack's payroll. He helps Jack "trundle little children off to pay the wages of sin" ("Five and Dime" reprise).
Back at the Reefer Den, Sally drags Jimmy upstairs for a weed-whacked sexual liaison. When Mary arrives looking for Jimmy, the lecherous Ralph is lying in wait. He tries to seduce Mary by tricking her into smoking marijuana herself ("Little Mary Sunshine"). The plan backfires - the power of the weed is so great, it immediately transforms the virginal Mary into a whip-cracking sadomasochist who enslaves the frightened Ralph. Upon discovering Mary and Ralph in a compromising position, a smoke-addled Jimmy attacks Ralph. A scuffle ensues. Jimmy is knocked unconscious and Jack accidentally shoots Mary through the heart. The villainous Jack places the gun in the unconscious Jimmy's hand. Jimmy, who remembers nothing, is convinced that he has murdered his beloved "Juliet". Mary regains consciousness long enough for Jimmy to finally give her his school ring. She dies in his arms ("Mary's Death").
As the police pull up in front of the house, Mae tells Jimmy that he's innocent of the crime and that Jack is planning to frame him. A police inspector (played by the Lecturer) bursts in. Jack accuses Jimmy of murdering Mary while "hopped up" on reefer. Jimmy begs Mae to tell the truth and exonerate him. Mae, however, is too weak and too dependent on the "stuff" Jack gives her. She remains silent and Jimmy is dragged away to stand trial.
A few weeks later. Ralph, Mae, and Sally are racked with guilt as they listen to Winchell
announce Jimmy Harper's conviction and death sentence. Ralph, who has been smoking non-stop, is becoming seriously unhinged. He sees hallucinatory visions: the ghost of doomed Jimmy, dead Mary in Hell being sodomized by the Devil, and the zombie remnants of all the kids destroyed by reefer. Imaginary reefer vines drop from the ceiling, ensnaring him. All the while, Ralph, stricken with a severe case of the munchies
, moans about starving to death. Fearing that Ralph's insane caterwauling will prompt a neighbor to call the cops, Jack and Mae leave to get Ralph something to eat. Sally is instructed to remain behind and keep Ralph quiet. When Jack and Mae return with Chinese food, they discover that Ralph gnawing on Sally's severed arm - he has eaten Sally alive! Ralph, now a cackling reefer-fueled cannibal, turns on Mae and Jack. Jack shoots Ralph repeatedly. He dies laughing. The shock of all this causes Mae's mind to snap - she's surrounded by the angry visions of Ralph, Sally, Mary, Goat-Man, Jimmy, and the Zombies ("Murder!"). Jack warns the unhinged Mae that the world is kill or be killed; "the winner is the last one left alive."
Mae decides the only way to find inner peace is to turn herself in and save Jimmy from the electric chair. Jack tries to bring Mae back to her senses in his usual fashion - by giving her a smoke. Mae stubs it out. An angry Jack slaps her for wasting "half a jay of good mooter". Mae reacts with cold fury and picks up a hoe
from the victory garden
. Frightened by Mae's intensity, Jack tries to shoot her - alas, he expended all his bullets on Ralph! Mae sings as she slashes Jack with the garden hoe, avenging the deaths of Sally, Ralph, Mary, and every other poor kid Jack has ever hooked on marijuana ("The Stuff" reprise). Fountains of blood spray over the stage. Finally, Mae runs off to save Jimmy.
Meanwhile, in an execution chamber, Jimmy walks the last mile and is strapped into the electric chair
. Just as the Switch-Puller (played by Ralph) prepares to fry Jimmy, he is interrupted by a second visit from Jesus and his backup angels! They sing and dance ("Listen to Jesus, Jimmy" reprise). Jimmy's immense relief is short-lived. It turns out Jesus has only come to gloat and watch the execution. Jimmy prepares to meet his fate - when a second interruption occurs.
This time it is Mae, who has obtained a Presidential pardon from none other than President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(played by the Lecturer). President Roosevelt charges Jimmy with a sacred trust: to go forth into the land and warn other children to beware the dangers of reefer. The President promises Jimmy plenty of help getting the message out. The government will use the power of radio, the papers of William Randolph Hearst
, and powerful iconography: Uncle Sam
, George Washington
, and Lady Liberty
(played by Ralph, Jack and Sally respectively). This Patriotic Trio joins the group in a rousing production number, chock-full of American iconography ("Tell 'Em the Truth"). During the song, Jimmy leads the townspeople back to the Reefer Den and builds a gigantic bonfire to immolate bales of marijuana and other "dangerous items". Mary appears dressed as an angel, freed from Hell by Jimmy's heroic destruction of property, and ascends to heaven while vowing to wait in Heaven for Jimmy until he gets cancer or hit by a train. The crowd sings:
The triumphant Lecturer comments:
("The Truth" Reprise)
and Dan Studney, who had met while studying at Drew University
in Madison, New Jersey
, were driving from Oakland
to Los Angeles
and listening to Frank Zappa
's "Joe's Garage
", when they began discussing how one might stage the piece. "So I started picturing it in my head," Studney recalls. "Frank Zappa's concept of a musical and then it just hit me. I turned to Kevin and said 'What about doing Reefer Madness as a musical?'" By the time duo reached Los Angeles, they had already written the first song.
Upon completion of the script, they approached award-winning director Andy Fickman
, who accepted the project with great enthusiasm. "I was a big fan of the original movie, it always made me laugh," Fickman explains. "Then I listened to Dan and Kevin warbling away on the demo track, which didn't made me laugh, it made me cry. But the music was great and I thought, 'God, if real singers were singing that.' And then when I read the script, I fell in love with it."
The play opened in a small equity waiver theater in Los Angeles for what the producers thought might be a two-week run. Instead it played to packed houses for over a year and a half, captivating audiences and critics alike, winning 20 theater awards and breaking records. Many devoted fans came back time and again, dressed in costumes and shouting out the lines.
Near the end of the original Los Angeles run, a number of major changes to the show were made:
Soon afterward, the Los Angeles production shuttered in preparation for the move to Off-Broadway. At this point, Murphy and Studney made some additional changes to the text. Here are the major ones:
Kevin and Dan then adapted “Reefer” for the screen
. Their screenplay made many changes to the plot and the score. Adjustments to the score included:
After the movie was released, Dan and Kevin proved unable to resist the temptation to fiddle with the show one more time. Here are the major changes from the NYC stage version:
During the run, Jolie Jenkins was replaced by Stacy Sibley, and alternates were added for a majority of the cast members, including Michael Cunio for Jimmy; Erik Liberman, J. P. Manoux and Paul Nygro for Ralph, and Larry Pointdexter for Jack/Jesus.
of the show, following the same plot and songs, and starring Kristen Bell
as Mary, Christian Campbell
as Jimmy, Ana Gasteyer
as Mae, Steven Weber
as Jack, Amy Spanger
as Sally, John Kassir
as Ralph, with Alan Cumming
as The Lecturer and Neve Campbell
as Miss Poppy.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of the 1936 cult classic Reefer Madness that opened in Los Angeles in 1998. The book and lyrics were written by Kevin Murphy
Kevin Murphy (screenwriter)
Kevin Murphy is an American screenwriter, television producer, lyricist and composer. He wrote the book and lyrics of the musical Reefer Madness, as well as its television adaptation...
and the music by Dan Studney. Directed by Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman is a film and stage director and screenwriter. His credits as a theater director include the premiere of the Reefer Madness! musical and the first Los Angeles production of the play Jewtopia....
, it was initially shown at the Hudson Theater on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles and then moved to the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
"Off-Broadway" scene. The show opened Off Broadway on September 15, 2001, and closed shortly thereafter. A film version
Reefer Madness (2005 film)
Reefer Madness premiered on April 16, 2005 on the Showtime cable network. It is a television movie version of the 1998 musical, and stars Alan Cumming as the Lecturer, Ana Gasteyer as Mae, and Kristen Bell as Mary. The movie also stars siblings Christian and Neve Campbell as Jimmy Harper and Miss...
was made for TV in 2005. Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals now administers the stock/amateur rights, and the show has been produced by local theater groups in several cities, including Toronto, Seattle, Philadelphia, Charleston, Sacramento and London. The 2008 production at Washington DC's Studio Theater won 2 Helen Hayes Awards (directing and outstanding Resident Production).
The Canadian Premiere was produced by Hart House Theatre in September 2006 with both Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney in attendance.
The show returns to Canada during The Lower Ossington Theatre's Toronto production, June 9-18, 2011.
The show made its Australian debut in Sydney on July 24, 2008 and UK premiere in London on March 24, 2009.
Synopsis
This synopsis reflects the current version of the show as licensed. For information about other versions of the show and cut songs, see below.Act I
The year is 1938. As the play opens, the Lecturer, a stern authority figure, informs the audience of the new drug menace, "marihuana", which threatens the American way of life. (His warnings are reinforced by the Placard Girl, who throughout the play holds up large signs that clearly state scenes' moral lessons.) From his podium, the Lecturer warns the audience that action must be taken immediately, before the Good Ol' U.S.A. succumbs to the Demon Weed ("Reefer Madness"). The Lecturer illustrates his point, introducing us to Jimmy Harper and Mary Lane, a lovable pair of wholesome teens who hold hands, sip hot cocoa, and think pure thoughts while studying Shakespeare for English class ("Romeo and Juliet").The Lecturer then shows us the seamier side of life at the Reefer Den, populated by drug-addled Denizens of the Night. We meet Mae, the Reefer Den hostess, who is abused by her slick, pusher boyfriend Jack. She'd leave him, but Jack keeps her supplied with the marijuana she craves ("The Stuff"), despite his physical abuse.
The Lecturer brings us now to the five and dime
Five and Dime
Five and Dime is a cartoon short by Walter Lantz which features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. It is the 74th Oswald short produced by Lantz and the 125th overall. It also is among the number of shorts that feature Oswald in his fully clothed appearance....
, a local teen hangout where wholesome kids indulge in the risqué rhythms of "swing-jazz" music, as performed by Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, and other "ginger-colored agents of evil" ("Down at the Ol' Five and Dime"). The Lecturer assumes the guise of kindly Mr. Poppy, the singing and dancing proprietor.
Jack, trolling for youthful victims, arrives at the five and dime, where he meets Jimmy and lures him back to the Reefer Den to experience "a real party". There, Jimmy encounters Ralph, a psychotic ex-college student who communicates primarily with cackling, maniacal laughter. He also meets Sally, a reefer slut who both supports her love child
Love child
"Love child" is a euphemism for a child born out of wedlock. See Legitimacy .Love child may also refer to:In music:* Lovechild , an indie rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland...
and pays for her habit with the only currency she possesses - her generously proportioned body. Jimmy is pressured into taking his first hit of marihuana ("Jimmy Takes a Hit") and tastes the forbidden fruits of sensual abandon in a wild hallucinatory dance sequence featuring weird sex, belly dancers, fire eaters, and Goat-Man, a frightening satyr
Satyr
In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....
played by the Lecturer ("The Orgy").
Over the next few weeks, we watch Jimmy make a terrifying transition from "good egg" to "bad apple". He mouths off to his parents, brutalizes a puppy, and even attempts to tongue-kiss a shocked Mary, sending her running off in tears. Alone in church, Mary prays that her sweetheart will regain his senses and return to her ("Lonely Pew").
Later, Jimmy and Ralph break into the church to steal from the poor box. While Ralph goes off to smoke some frankincense
Frankincense
Frankincense, also called olibanum , is an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia, particularly Boswellia sacra, B. carteri, B. thurifera, B. frereana, and B. bhaw-dajiana...
, Jimmy suddenly receives a heavenly vision...Jesus Christ himself! Flanked by a chorus of singing cherubim, Jesus (played by Jack) warns Jimmy (in a Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
-style production number) to kick his reefer habit or suffer eternal damnation ("Listen to Jesus, Jimmy"). Jimmy scoffs at the Son of God's message. Angels weep.
Back at the Reefer Den, Jimmy is completely out of control. A desperate Mae warns Jimmy to avoid her own mistakes - he must escape the Reefer Den while he is still able. The drug-addled Jimmy, however, won't listen. Even the revelation that Sally has sold her baby for drug money fails to snap him out of it. Sally's baby (played by Ralph) appears and sings a plaintive solo ("Lullaby").
Jimmy's bad behavior culminates with his stealing Mary's Packard
Packard
Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...
and taking it for a reckless, reefer-induced joyride
Joyride (crime)
To joyride is to drive around in a stolen car, boat, or other vehicle with no particular goal, a ride taken solely for pleasure.In English law, joyriding is not considered to be theft, because the intention to "permanently deprive" the owner of the vehicle cannot be proven...
with Sally. His joy, however, proves short-lived - Sally, who is driving, runs over a helpless old man crossing the street, killing him.
Finally shocked out of his reefer haze, Jimmy returns the stolen Packard to Mary's house and apologizes to her, pledging his love ("Mary Jane/Mary Lane".) They kiss. Before he can give her his school ring as a token of his undying love, a siren sounds in the distance. The fugitive Jimmy realizes that he must get far away from Mary lest he bring her down with him. He runs off into the night with no explanation. Mary doesn't know the exact nature of Jimmy's demons, but she vows he will not face them alone. She drives her Packard into the night in search of "her poor lost Romeo".
Meanwhile, back at the Reefer Den, Jack and Mae hear a radio broadcast announcing the hit-and-run accident. Police are looking for a young man in a late-model Packard. Jack, fearing Jimmy will get arrested and lead the cops back to him, grabs a pistol and ominously vows to bring Jimmy back to the Reefer Den - "one way or another" ("Act I Finale").
Act II
As the act begins, hallucinatory visions of Ralph, Sally and Mae appear as Jazz Trio Backup Girls ("Jimmy on the Lam"). The Lecturer brings us up to date - Jimmy's on the lam and Mary's "combing the rain-spattered streets in search of her wayward young man." Jimmy arrives at the local train station and attempts to purchase a one-way ticket for "Parts Unknown".Before Jimmy can board the train, Jack appears and tries to convince Jimmy to return to the Reefer Den with him. Jimmy refuses; he promised himself he'd never smoke marijuana again. Jack tricks Jimmy by offering him a seemingly innocent brownie. Jimmy thinks this is the best brownie he's ever eaten in his life. The train station patrons join him in a song extolling the many virtues of said brownie ("The Brownie Song"). Jimmy is hooked once again.
Meanwhile, Mary makes inquiries at the five and dime. Kindly Mr. Poppy provides Mary with the address of the Reefer Den. The naive Mary leaves, grateful for Mr. Poppy's assistance. As soon as Mary is out of earshot, Mr. Poppy telephones the Reefer Den and tells Ralph to inform Jack that an unsuspecting new "client" is on her way over. We learn that Mr. Poppy is secretly on Jack's payroll. He helps Jack "trundle little children off to pay the wages of sin" ("Five and Dime" reprise).
Back at the Reefer Den, Sally drags Jimmy upstairs for a weed-whacked sexual liaison. When Mary arrives looking for Jimmy, the lecherous Ralph is lying in wait. He tries to seduce Mary by tricking her into smoking marijuana herself ("Little Mary Sunshine"). The plan backfires - the power of the weed is so great, it immediately transforms the virginal Mary into a whip-cracking sadomasochist who enslaves the frightened Ralph. Upon discovering Mary and Ralph in a compromising position, a smoke-addled Jimmy attacks Ralph. A scuffle ensues. Jimmy is knocked unconscious and Jack accidentally shoots Mary through the heart. The villainous Jack places the gun in the unconscious Jimmy's hand. Jimmy, who remembers nothing, is convinced that he has murdered his beloved "Juliet". Mary regains consciousness long enough for Jimmy to finally give her his school ring. She dies in his arms ("Mary's Death").
As the police pull up in front of the house, Mae tells Jimmy that he's innocent of the crime and that Jack is planning to frame him. A police inspector (played by the Lecturer) bursts in. Jack accuses Jimmy of murdering Mary while "hopped up" on reefer. Jimmy begs Mae to tell the truth and exonerate him. Mae, however, is too weak and too dependent on the "stuff" Jack gives her. She remains silent and Jimmy is dragged away to stand trial.
A few weeks later. Ralph, Mae, and Sally are racked with guilt as they listen to Winchell
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell was an American newspaper and radio gossip commentator.-Professional career:Born Walter Weinschel in New York City, he left school in the sixth grade and started performing in a vaudeville troupe known as Gus Edwards' "Newsboys Sextet."His career in journalism was begun by posting...
announce Jimmy Harper's conviction and death sentence. Ralph, who has been smoking non-stop, is becoming seriously unhinged. He sees hallucinatory visions: the ghost of doomed Jimmy, dead Mary in Hell being sodomized by the Devil, and the zombie remnants of all the kids destroyed by reefer. Imaginary reefer vines drop from the ceiling, ensnaring him. All the while, Ralph, stricken with a severe case of the munchies
Munchies
Munchies may refer to:* Munchies , 1987 horror film* Munchies , sold by Frito-Lay* Munchies , sold by Nestlé* A sudden strong desire for food* "Munchies" , by Braintax...
, moans about starving to death. Fearing that Ralph's insane caterwauling will prompt a neighbor to call the cops, Jack and Mae leave to get Ralph something to eat. Sally is instructed to remain behind and keep Ralph quiet. When Jack and Mae return with Chinese food, they discover that Ralph gnawing on Sally's severed arm - he has eaten Sally alive! Ralph, now a cackling reefer-fueled cannibal, turns on Mae and Jack. Jack shoots Ralph repeatedly. He dies laughing. The shock of all this causes Mae's mind to snap - she's surrounded by the angry visions of Ralph, Sally, Mary, Goat-Man, Jimmy, and the Zombies ("Murder!"). Jack warns the unhinged Mae that the world is kill or be killed; "the winner is the last one left alive."
Mae decides the only way to find inner peace is to turn herself in and save Jimmy from the electric chair. Jack tries to bring Mae back to her senses in his usual fashion - by giving her a smoke. Mae stubs it out. An angry Jack slaps her for wasting "half a jay of good mooter". Mae reacts with cold fury and picks up a hoe
Hoe (tool)
A hoe is an ancient and versatile agricultural tool used to move small amounts of soil. Common goals include weed control by agitating the surface of the soil around plants, piling soil around the base of plants , creating narrow furrows and shallow trenches for planting seeds and bulbs, to chop...
from the victory garden
Victory garden
Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply...
. Frightened by Mae's intensity, Jack tries to shoot her - alas, he expended all his bullets on Ralph! Mae sings as she slashes Jack with the garden hoe, avenging the deaths of Sally, Ralph, Mary, and every other poor kid Jack has ever hooked on marijuana ("The Stuff" reprise). Fountains of blood spray over the stage. Finally, Mae runs off to save Jimmy.
Meanwhile, in an execution chamber, Jimmy walks the last mile and is strapped into the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
. Just as the Switch-Puller (played by Ralph) prepares to fry Jimmy, he is interrupted by a second visit from Jesus and his backup angels! They sing and dance ("Listen to Jesus, Jimmy" reprise). Jimmy's immense relief is short-lived. It turns out Jesus has only come to gloat and watch the execution. Jimmy prepares to meet his fate - when a second interruption occurs.
This time it is Mae, who has obtained a Presidential pardon from none other than President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
(played by the Lecturer). President Roosevelt charges Jimmy with a sacred trust: to go forth into the land and warn other children to beware the dangers of reefer. The President promises Jimmy plenty of help getting the message out. The government will use the power of radio, the papers of William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
, and powerful iconography: Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...
, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, and Lady Liberty
Lady Liberty
Lady Liberty may refer to:* Lady Liberty , La mortadella, 1972 French-Italian comedy* "Lady Liberty" , written by Al Jardine and Ron Altbach for the Beach Boys...
(played by Ralph, Jack and Sally respectively). This Patriotic Trio joins the group in a rousing production number, chock-full of American iconography ("Tell 'Em the Truth"). During the song, Jimmy leads the townspeople back to the Reefer Den and builds a gigantic bonfire to immolate bales of marijuana and other "dangerous items". Mary appears dressed as an angel, freed from Hell by Jimmy's heroic destruction of property, and ascends to heaven while vowing to wait in Heaven for Jimmy until he gets cancer or hit by a train. The crowd sings:
- And once the reefer has been destroyed
- We'll start on DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
and Sigmund FreudSigmund FreudSigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis... - And sex depicted on celluloid
- And communists and queens!
The triumphant Lecturer comments:
- When danger's near
- Exploit their fear -
- The end will justify the means!
("The Truth" Reprise)
Act I
- "Reefer Madness" - Lecturer and Company
- "Romeo and Juliet" - Jimmy and Mary
- "The Stuff" - Mae
- "Down at the Ol' Five and Dime" - Company
- "Jimmy Takes a Hit/The Orgy" - Jimmy, Sally, Goat-Man, Jack, Mae and Ralph
- "Lonely Pew" - Mary
- "Listen to Jesus, Jimmy" - Jesus and Company
- "Lullaby" - Sally's baby
- "Mary Jane/Mary Lane" - Jimmy and Mary
- "Act I Finale" - Mary, Lecturer, Jack, and Company
Act II
- "Jimmy on the Lam" - Jazz Trio Backup Girls
- "The Brownie Song" - Jimmy
- "Down at the Ol' Five and Dime (Reprise)" - Mr. Poppy
- "Little Mary Sunshine" - Ralph and Mary
- "Mary's Death" - Mary and Jimmy
- "Murder!" - Ralph, Mae, Sally, Mary, Goat-Man, Jimmy, and Zombies
- "The Stuff (Reprise)" - Mae
- "Listen to Jesus, Jimmy (Reprise)" - Jesus and Company
- "Tell 'Em the Truth" - FDR, Jimmy, Mae, Uncle Sam, George Washington, and Lady Liberty
- "The Truth (Reprise)" - Company
Cut songs
Several songs were cut out of the show during its varying incarnations. They include:- "We Know Best" - Jimmy's parents (played by the Lecturer and Mae) lecture him on the dangers of marijuana, using racially-tinged examples from papers owned by William Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
and praising the newspaperman. They then gather neighbors and other adults together to give Jimmy a dose of corporal punishmentCorporal punishmentCorporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
so he will remember not to think for himself. Cut two weeks into the original run in Los Angeles. - "The Monkey Song" - Jimmy, alone on the streets, suffering from withdrawal, has a hallucinationHallucinationA hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
where he boxes the literal Monkey on his Back (his addiction) in a match refereed by Sally. Cut towards the end of the LA Run when the show was substantially rewritten in preparation for its move to New York and replaced with "The Brownie Song." - "The Trial" - Jimmy's trial, where he is condemned by both the Prosecution (The Lecturer) and the Defense (Ralph) for his "Reefer Madness" and sentenced to death by the Judge (Jack). Cut towards the end of the LA Run when the show was substantially rewritten in preparation for its move to New York.
- "Dead Old Man" - Jimmy mourns the Old Man he has run down with Mary's Packard. Cut from the film version of the show, and replaced by "Mary Jane/Mary Lane" both there and in the licensing script.
- a finale reprise of "Reefer Madness" in which all the dead characters, (the entire cast, barring the Lecturer) rise from the grave and recite ridiculous morals about how Reefer has ruined them. Cut for the film Version.
Evolution
In 1998, writing partners Kevin MurphyKevin Murphy (screenwriter)
Kevin Murphy is an American screenwriter, television producer, lyricist and composer. He wrote the book and lyrics of the musical Reefer Madness, as well as its television adaptation...
and Dan Studney, who had met while studying at Drew University
Drew University
Drew University is a private university located in Madison, New Jersey.Originally established as the Drew Theological Seminary in 1867, the university later expanded to include an undergraduate liberal arts college in 1928 and commenced a program of graduate studies in 1955...
in Madison, New Jersey
Madison, New Jersey
Madison is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the population was 16,530. It also is known as "The Rose City".-Geography:Madison is located at ....
, were driving from Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and listening to Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
's "Joe's Garage
Joe's Garage
Joe's Garage is a 1979 rock opera by Frank Zappa. Zappa stated that along with Lumpy Gravy, this album was one of his finest achievements. It was originally released as two separate albums, the first comprising Act I, and the second part as a double-album which made up Acts II & III. All three...
", when they began discussing how one might stage the piece. "So I started picturing it in my head," Studney recalls. "Frank Zappa's concept of a musical and then it just hit me. I turned to Kevin and said 'What about doing Reefer Madness as a musical?'" By the time duo reached Los Angeles, they had already written the first song.
Upon completion of the script, they approached award-winning director Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman is a film and stage director and screenwriter. His credits as a theater director include the premiere of the Reefer Madness! musical and the first Los Angeles production of the play Jewtopia....
, who accepted the project with great enthusiasm. "I was a big fan of the original movie, it always made me laugh," Fickman explains. "Then I listened to Dan and Kevin warbling away on the demo track, which didn't made me laugh, it made me cry. But the music was great and I thought, 'God, if real singers were singing that.' And then when I read the script, I fell in love with it."
The play opened in a small equity waiver theater in Los Angeles for what the producers thought might be a two-week run. Instead it played to packed houses for over a year and a half, captivating audiences and critics alike, winning 20 theater awards and breaking records. Many devoted fans came back time and again, dressed in costumes and shouting out the lines.
Near the end of the original Los Angeles run, a number of major changes to the show were made:
- Mary's ballad, "Lonely Pew", was added to the first act.
- The Lecturer was given a bump-and-grind pole dance reprise of "Five and Dime".
- "The Trial" was deleted.
- Mary's dying moments triggered a sad reprise of "Romeo and Juliet" for the lovers.
- A long Act Two book scene in which Sally and Ralph are killed was musicalized into the up-tempo ensemble number "Murder!"
- The show's ending in which Jimmy is electrocuted and Mae jumps out a window when she is unable to save him, followed by a scene where all the dead characters recite ridiculous-but-real quotes was cut and replaced with the ending as described above.
- "The Orgy" was revamped with new choreography by Paula AbdulPaula AbdulPaula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
.
Soon afterward, the Los Angeles production shuttered in preparation for the move to Off-Broadway. At this point, Murphy and Studney made some additional changes to the text. Here are the major ones:
- "The Monkey Song", wherein a hallucinatory vision of Sally judges a boxing match between Jimmy and the literal monkey on his back, was replaced with "The Brownie Song".
- A solo counterpoint by Jack was added to the "Act One Finale" to heighten the tension at the first-act break.
- The Act Two opening "Jimmy on the Lam" was given a conceptual overhaul which added Ralph, Mae, and Sally as a jazz backup trio and set up "The Brownie Song".
- The muezzin duet in "The Orgy" was cut due to the lack of performers who could sing that high.
- The ending of the “Jesus (Reprise)” was changed to provide a better applause button.
- The Lecturer's pole dance number was cut in New York previews, due to the absence of a pole.
Kevin and Dan then adapted “Reefer” for the screen
Reefer Madness (2005 film)
Reefer Madness premiered on April 16, 2005 on the Showtime cable network. It is a television movie version of the 1998 musical, and stars Alan Cumming as the Lecturer, Ana Gasteyer as Mae, and Kristen Bell as Mary. The movie also stars siblings Christian and Neve Campbell as Jimmy Harper and Miss...
. Their screenplay made many changes to the plot and the score. Adjustments to the score included:
- Lyric revisions in existing songs “Five & Dime,” “Orgy,” “Murder” and “Tell ‘Em the Truth”.
- The Five & Dime’s Mr. Poppy was given a sex change and became Miss Poppy to create a role for Neve CampbellNeve CampbellNeve Adrianne Campbell is a Canadian actress. After beginning her career on stage, and on numerous commercials, she starred on the Canadian television series Catwalk. She then rose to international fame on the Golden Globe-winning 1990s television series Party of Five, playing the role of teenager...
. - The muezzin duet returned to “The Orgy.”
- “Dead Old Man” was replaced with “Mary Jane/Mary Lane.” This was done because Kevin & Dan felt the former was a visually static solo. That kind of number works better on stage than on film. They thought “MJ/ML” would be more visually interesting.
- “Act One Finale” and “Jimmy On the Lam” were deleted because there is no need to build to an act break and reset the action after intermission in the continuous medium of film.
- The reprise of “Listen to Jesus” was deleted (to keep things moving along).
- In the stage version, the reprise of “Reefer Madness” has different lyrics. In the movie, the end credit reprise of the title song has a different arrangement, but uses the same lyrics as the version that appears earlier in the film.
After the movie was released, Dan and Kevin proved unable to resist the temptation to fiddle with the show one more time. Here are the major changes from the NYC stage version:
- Many plot and lyric revisions made for the movie were retroactively written into the stage show. These changes include Sally driving the car that kills the old man, a happy ending (of sorts) for Mae and Jimmy, Mary’s ascension to heaven, Ralph joining Jimmy for the church break-in scene, and the bonfire sequence.
- Mr. Poppy is once again all man, and played by the Lecturer.
- “Mary Jane/Mary Lane” now permanently replaces “Dead Old Man.”
- “Five and Dime (Reprise)” was reinstated.
- The final reprise of “Reefer Madness” was cut. “The Truth” now ends the show.
Original Los Angeles production
- The Lecturer: Harry S. Murphy
- Jimmy Harper: Christian CampbellChristian CampbellChristian Bethune Campbell is a Canadian stage and screen actor. He is married to actress America Olivo.-Personal life:Campbell was born in Toronto, Ontario. Campbell's mother, Marnie , is a yoga instructor and psychologist from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
- Mary Lane: Jolie JenkinsJolie JenkinsJolie Jenkins is an American actress who has had acting roles in movies and television. She played FBI Agent Leyla Harrison in The X-Files, Diana in Shasta McNasty and the character "Deirdre" in Desperate Housewives...
- Mae Coleman: Lori AlanLori AlanLori Alan , sometimes credited as Lori Allen, is an American voice actress who provides the voice of news anchor Diane Simmons on Family Guy, various voices on Hey Arnold!, and SpongeBob SquarePants as Pearl....
- Jack Stone/Jesus: Robert TortiRobert TortiRobert Felix Torti is an American actor.Torti was born in Van Nuys, California. He married DeLee Lively on June 24, 1999. Together, they have three children.-Filmography:*Quincy M.E....
- Ralph Wiley: John KassirJohn KassirJohn Kassir is an American actor, voice artist, and comedian who is best known as the voice of the Crypt Keeper in HBO's, Tales from the Crypt franchise...
- Sally DeBanis: Erin MatthewsErin MatthewsErin Matthews is an American actress, and voice actress. During 2001 to 2003 she was married to actor Christian Campbell, whom she appeared with in the hit musical Reefer Madness: The Musical.-Life and career:...
- Placard Girl: Samantha Harris
- Muezzin Duet: Michael Cunio, Rena Strober
- Monkey: Aukai Cain
- Ensemble: Aukai Cain, Michael Cunio, Kelly Thacker Fournier, Jeff Griggs, Erik Liberman, Lesli Margherita, Elijah Myles, Wendy Parker, Fidelia Rowe, Matt Shepard, Stacy Sibley, Rena Strober
During the run, Jolie Jenkins was replaced by Stacy Sibley, and alternates were added for a majority of the cast members, including Michael Cunio for Jimmy; Erik Liberman, J. P. Manoux and Paul Nygro for Ralph, and Larry Pointdexter for Jack/Jesus.
New York production
- The Lecturer: Gregg EdelmanGregg EdelmanGregg Edelman is an American movie, television and theatre actor.Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Lil' Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee Grahn, and was trained at Northwestern University...
- Jimmy: Christian CampbellChristian CampbellChristian Bethune Campbell is a Canadian stage and screen actor. He is married to actress America Olivo.-Personal life:Campbell was born in Toronto, Ontario. Campbell's mother, Marnie , is a yoga instructor and psychologist from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
- Mary: Kristen BellKristen BellKristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
- Mae: Michelle Pawk
- Jack/Jesus: Robert TortiRobert TortiRobert Felix Torti is an American actor.Torti was born in Van Nuys, California. He married DeLee Lively on June 24, 1999. Together, they have three children.-Filmography:*Quincy M.E....
- Ralph: John KassirJohn KassirJohn Kassir is an American actor, voice artist, and comedian who is best known as the voice of the Crypt Keeper in HBO's, Tales from the Crypt franchise...
- Sally: Erin MatthewsErin MatthewsErin Matthews is an American actress, and voice actress. During 2001 to 2003 she was married to actor Christian Campbell, whom she appeared with in the hit musical Reefer Madness: The Musical.-Life and career:...
- Placard Girl: Roxanne Barlow
- Ensemble: Andrea Chamberlain, Robert Gallagher, Jennifer Gambatese, Paul Nygro, Michael Seelbach, Molly Zimpfer
Soundtrack
In October 2008, Ghostlight Records released a soundtrack for both the original 1998 cast and the 2005 movie musical in a 2-disc CD set. The original cast recording has all the original songs (i.e. "The Monkey Song", "The Trial" and includes "We Know Best" and another musical's song "Weather Changes").Film adaptation
In 2005, Showtime released a movie musical adaptationFilm adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the show, following the same plot and songs, and starring Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
as Mary, Christian Campbell
Christian Campbell
Christian Bethune Campbell is a Canadian stage and screen actor. He is married to actress America Olivo.-Personal life:Campbell was born in Toronto, Ontario. Campbell's mother, Marnie , is a yoga instructor and psychologist from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
as Jimmy, Ana Gasteyer
Ana Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.-Early life:...
as Mae, Steven Weber
Steven Weber (actor)
Steven Robert Weber is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the television show Wings which aired throughout the 1990s on NBC.-Early life:...
as Jack, Amy Spanger
Amy Spanger
-Biography:A graduate of Triton Regional High School in Byfield, Massachusetts, Spanger made her Broadway debut in 1995 in the musical Sunset Boulevard, following a half-year run in the pre-Broadway national tour of Jekyll & Hyde...
as Sally, John Kassir
John Kassir
John Kassir is an American actor, voice artist, and comedian who is best known as the voice of the Crypt Keeper in HBO's, Tales from the Crypt franchise...
as Ralph, with Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
as The Lecturer and Neve Campbell
Neve Campbell
Neve Adrianne Campbell is a Canadian actress. After beginning her career on stage, and on numerous commercials, she starred on the Canadian television series Catwalk. She then rose to international fame on the Golden Globe-winning 1990s television series Party of Five, playing the role of teenager...
as Miss Poppy.