Photo Flash: REEFER MADNESS Opens at Brown Paper Box Co.

The Brown Paper Box Co. presents Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney's award-winning spoof, REEFER MADNESS! THE MUSICAL, directed by M. William Panek. Performances begin Thursday, October 14, 2010 at the Viaduct Theater's Studio, 3111 N. Western Ave. in Chicago's Roscoe Village. Tickets and information can be found at www.brownpaperbox.org or by calling (773) 296-6024.

Inspired by the original 1936 film of the same name, this raucous musical comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the hysteria caused when clean-cut kids fall prey to marijuana, leading them on a hysterical downward spiral filled with evil jazz music, sex, and violence. Wrought with punchy musical numbers and biting political commentary, REEFER MADNESS! THE MUSICAL is a hilarious and highly stylized satirical spoof.
 
Set at a 1936 PTA meeting, the show-within-a-show's Lecturer uses scare tactics, song, dance, and a little heavenly persuasion to band his audience against a leafy green assassin - "the real public enemy #1." In its own subversive way, REEFER MADNESS! shows the consequences of blindly obeying edicts without questioning the "whys" of decision making. "We are thrilled to bring REEFER MADNESS! to the Viaduct's Studio," says Panek, The Brown Paper Box Co.'s founding member. "We're reconfiguring its already intimate space into a cozy thrust, placing the audience as close as possible to the mayhem and fun. And while the title focuses specifically on marijuana, REEFER MADNESS! is about exploiting and twisting the American public - with a good deal of goofery baked in for good measure. "
 
The cast of 13 includes Zev Steinberg (The Lecturer); Tyler Davis (Jimmy Harper); Anna Schutz (Mary Lane); David Geinosky (Jack Stone); Chelsea Paice (Mae Coleman); Michael Gardner (Ralph Wiley); Jillian Weingart, (Sally); and features Patrick Butterfield, Katherine Glavin, Jasmine Ryan, Sarah Sapperstein, Nick Shoda, Daniel Spagnuolo, and Katie Colby on piano.
 
This Emmy, Ovation, and Drama Critic Circle Award winning comedy features a production staff comprised of Chicago-based designers & collaborators: M. William Panek (Director); Katie Colby (Musical Direction); Whitney Havice (Choreographer); Steph Charaska (Set & Poster Designer); Austin Shapley (Lighting Designer); Eric Phillips (Assistant Lighting Designer); Samantha Smith (Production Assistant); Zev Steinberg (Fight Choreographer); Michelle Kritselis (Dramaturg); Aaron Pijanowski (Technical Director); and is produced by Gary & Tina Panek, Louis & Judy Schutz, Arlen Ruben, and Dean Loumbas.
 
Based in Chicago, The Brown Paper Box Co. focuses in scaled-down musicals, allowing for an elevated focus on performers' interpretation of the composer and playwright's work, rather than an overwrought spectacle. We strip away the layers of glam and show a more honest reflection to our audiences - striving for an accessible and thought-provoking theatrical experience without the fluff and glitz of overproduction.

Photo credits: Kamil Krawczyk

Tyler Davis

David Geinosky and Chelsea Paice

Daniel Spagnuolo

Jillian Weingart and Tyler Davis

Tyler Davis