It takes just a few puffs of marijuana to turn well-mannered teens into raging, violent punks who spend all their time having rough sex, listening to wild jazz music and, oh yeah, killing people. At least that’s the way the comedy Reefer Madness, The Musical plays it. Originally a 1936 film that was funded by church groups who wanted to warn parents and their teenage children about the dangers of marijuana use, it was soon lost to obscurity, only to be resurrected years later as a comedy classic, finding a loyal audience among stoners. While the original film was sorely serious, the show Reefer Madness, The Musical goes for the laughs, with a biting satirical message (that is, teens getting high is not the end of civilization as we know it.) Packed with over-the-top characters, Reefer features a pusher, his girlfriend who’s constantly high, a couple of well-mannered kids who get hooked by the pusher and an assortment of other sad characters. The group spirals into madness as they continue to partake of the drug, engaging in beatings, attempted rapes, murder, infidelities, crimes and frame-ups, all the while singing and dancing (one song, a Vegas-style “Listen to Jesus, Jimmy,” features a chorus of showgirl angels led by J. C. himself). 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. May 16 and 23. Through May 23. Theater LaB Houston, 1706 Alamo. For information, call 713-868-7516 or visit www.theaterlabhouston.com. $25 to $30.
Wed., April 14; Fridays, Saturdays; Sundays. Starts: April 14. Continues through May 23, 2010
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2010.