Review: REEFER MADNESS at The Reefer Den

REEFER MADNESS, an outrageously funny musical comedy, returns to Los Angeles for the first time in 25 years in an immersive form with new material, an electrifying cast, dynamic choreography, and brisk direction. Based on the campy cult classic of the same name, a histrionic 1936 morality tale that warned of the “dangers” of cannabis use and how it can lead to death, the devil, and … SEX, the stage musical launched in LA in 1998 at the Hudson Theater on Santa Monica Boulevard, playing for a year and a half. In 2005, a filmed version of the show premiered on Showtime and took on a life of its own, reaching an even broader audience and winning an Emmy.

Now, three of the stars of that film, Christian Campbell, Kristen Bell, and Alan Cumming, have brought the show back to Hollywood, this time right on the Walk of Fame. The story of 16-year-old Jimmy’s (Anthony Norman) descent from Boy Next Door to pot-addicted sexpot is rife with comedy, especially through today’s lens when marijuana is legal in so many places and is used medicinally. The villains are villainous, the virgins are virginal (until they’re not), and everyone is phenomenal, from the performers to the musicians to the set director. Everyone is committed, embracing the camp. It’s manically goofy, laugh-out-loud funny, and sexy in its degradation.

Director and choreographer Spencer Liff has a light hand, placing his performers throughout the venue, twirling and kicking and pratfalling. The score and book by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney are vibrant as ever, cheeky and clever, now including new songs and material. The costume design by Pinwheel Pinwheel is quality, colorful and sexy. The set direction by Mark A. Dahl and the Reefer Den interior design by Peter Wafer transport audience members back to the 1930s with period-specific details and antiques like bird cages, bells, and pianos in the space of a speakeasy. Music direction by David Lamoureux is spirited, the band playing from a loft just above the stage.

The performers are ace, led by Bryan Daniel Porter who has significant range, playing three roles, including a maniacal right-wing lecturer and Sexy Jesus; Nicole Parker, who is phenomenal as Mae, the proprietress of the Reefer Den (the flophouse where the druggies all end up); and Norman as gee-whiz Jimmy who undergoes a dramatic transformation that his portrayer plays with aplomb and appeal.

The experience of the 90-minute show can be expanded with both curated cocktails and munchies served in the “Victory Garden,” an outdoor space with ’30s décor, and a post-show party with David Lamoureux & The Four Twenties performing after evening performances. Period cosplay is encouraged, and while there are mature themes, some language and innuendo, it’s so broad, it still plays as PG-13. This is an inventive show that is wildly entertaining, wacky and smart and skewed. Just the potion we need to take us away from the real madness of the world even if only for an evening.

REEFER MADNESS is performed at the Reefer Den, 6555 Hollywood Boulevard, through July 21. Tickets are available at ReeferMadness.com/#tickets.

Photos by Andrew Patino

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