1930’s-cautionary-film-turned-cult-classic Reefer Madness (Tell Your Children), the tale of good kids turned bad by the evil “marihuana.” The film is not for the faint of heart: as the opening credits warn, “the motion picture you are about to witness may startle you.” The earnest filmmakers were perhaps a bit too earnest, going over the top—way over. The introduction continues: “it would not have been possible, otherwise, to sufficiently emphasize the frightful toll of the new drug menace which is destroying the youth of America in alarmingly increasing numbers.” (Coincidentally, the whole film can be viewed here at Google Video. Just make sure you can stomach all that madness.)So, what better way to celebrate this overblown tale than to add in some song and dance? The 1936 film Reefer Madness sunk into obscurity until it was rediscovered by tokers in the 1970’s, and has since enjoyed cult status. In the 21st Century, Reefer Madness was made into a musical, thanks to the genius of comedy writers including Dan Studney and Mystery Science Theater 3000’s Kevin Murphy. The musical was in turn made into a film (Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical), which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and aired on Showtime.
Lucky for those of us in Iowa City, The University of Iowa is bringing the madness to Iowa City with their very own production of the musical.
Reefer Madness: The Musical opens for Iowa audiences at 8 p.m., Friday, November 13, in E.C. Mabie Theatre of the University of Iowa Theatre Building. Third-year Master of Fine Arts directing student Brandon Bruce is directing. There will be additional performances at 8 p.m., Saturday, November 14, and Tuesday–Friday, November 17–20, and at 2 p.m., Sunday, November 15. Tickets for UI students with a valid ID are only $5 ($17 for the general public, $12 for seniors, $10 for youth).
Images from Wikipedia and The University of Iowa.
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