Curtain Call Theatre Presents REEFER MADNESS, Now thru 11/23

Curtain Call Theatre will present the first show of the main season, the musical comedy Reefer Madness from tonight, November 13th-23rd at Flagler Place in Downtown Stuart. An ever current musical, Reefer Madness is a musical parody of the 1936 filmReefer Madness: Tell Your Children which takes on the sensationalism that engulfed the country at the onslaught of the War of Drugs.

With the topic of legalization sweeping the nation and medical marijuana on the ballot this November, Artistic Director Jake Sanders knew it was the perfect time to produce this sexy and hilarious parody. "Everyone is talking about the hot topic of marijuana legalization this election. While this show isn't really pro-marijuana, it still effectively highlights the way that people in the thirties were duped by a small group into believing things that we know now are just outlandish. A lot of the lines- even the most absurd ones, like one character's assertion that marijuana gives the user the ability to bend time-- come straight from the script of the original movie!"

Curtain Call and Sanders have achieved a reputation for pushing the envelope with their shows' content, tackling issues like mental health in 2013's Next to Normal and performing edgy material like last year's The Rocky Horror Show. "Reefer Madness is so much like Rocky Horror that it just perfectly fit into this slot this year. It's wild, campy and very smart in its humor," says Sanders. While Reefer Madness may be the perfect fit for ages 18 to 99, Sanders warns that the show contains mature content, and likens it to a Rated R movie.

Reefer Madness is a play -within- a- play story told by the enigmatic Lecturer (Mark Fetterly), who recounts the tale of innocent school kids, Jimmy Harper (David Wise) and Mary Lane (NYC Actress Jessica Hanson) as they experiment with the evils of Reefer. "I get to play 9 characters in this show as the Lecturer," explains actor Mark Fetterly, who reprises the role played by Broadway Legend Alan Cummings in the feature film. "He's a very unique character-equal parts insanity, charisma and passion." The cast also includes Corey Toussaint as Reefer Boss Jack/ Jesus (in a hilarious Vegas style number decrying marijuana), Mary Murphy as the matronly addict Mae, Alicia Almodovar as unwed mother and reefer addict Sally, Keith Lawson as a "past his glory days" former fraternity brother Ralph with Leah Santos, Alyssa McCalla, Andy Morejon, Rafael Gomez and Clarissa Knaff rounding out the ensemble.

The creative team is led by Clayton Phillips, who directed this season's Tick, Tick... Boom! and previously assistant- directed the Broadway productions of Kiss of the Spiderwoman and Parade and features choreography by Shayna Lanzetta, vocal direction by Mariano Garcia IV and a full live band led by Dr. Jimmy Autin. "Reefer Madness is really addicting music-everyone will leave the theatre humming the songs," says Garcia. "This is theatre you won't see anywhere else on the Treasure Coast."

Reefer Madness will play Flagler Place tonight, November 13-23 with performances at 8 PM on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays and at 2PM on Sundays at 201 SW Flagler Avenue, Stuart, FL-34994. The show runs approximately two hours including a 15-minute intermission. Tickets are priced from $17-$39 and available online at www.curtaincallfl.com or by calling 772-777-1596. Season tickets for Curtain Call's main series are available from just $100 online or by phone.

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