BWW Interviews: It's a 'Hit'! Being Revived Theater Company to Perform REEFER MADNESS, 4/4

Coming soon to an All-American theater near you! It's the "evil downward spiral filled with sex, violence and evil jazz music", Reefer Madness, a hilarious musical spoof of the 1936 public service film of the same name.

"The show is really a parody of just about everything-but it does especially attack right-wing politics and paranoia. The musical is based on a 1930's propaganda movie also entitled "Reefer Madness" which was made to warn school children about the evils the "new drug menace"-marijuana. That movie was intended to be serious-but it truly is almost as outrageous as the musical!" sad David Porterfield, who plays the Lecturer.

Directed by David Norman and musically directed by Jonas Dawson, Reefer Madness is the third full-scale musical produced by the Frederick-based theater company, Being Revived and, for the first time, is a "joint" production with Frederick Community College. The musical is a very tongue-in-cheek parody of the 1930's propaganda against marijuana and its hysterical effects on the clean-cut, All American boys and girls next door.

"It is challenging to sustain the heightened energy and "over the top" acting style that is required throughout the show. The aspect that is the most fun is spoofing a lot of the current and past musicals that exist" added Porterfield.

Because of the unusual subject matter, Reefer Madness is not a musical which is performed very often. After opening Off-Broadway in 2001, the show was rarely performed, with the most recent performance in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area occurring at the Studio Theater in 2008. So, this makes Reefer Madness an ideal choice for the Being Revived Theater Company.

Being Revived, a newly opened theater company, performs musicals which are often over looked, rarely performed, or, as some may consider, "flops". The creative team strives to avoid mainstream musicals frequently performed and instead, expose area audiences to newer or lesser-known musicals. The company recently performed Closer Than Ever for their fall production, after their debut production of It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman! last spring.

Reefer Madness is a unique musical where no person or idea is left unscathed when it involves satire or over-the-top musical comedy.

"Anyone who truly enjoys parody, satire, and is not afraid to laugh at just about anything (nothing is off-limits in this show) should come and enjoy it!" said Porterfield.

The Reefer Madness cast features Steve Custer as Jimmy, Samantha Eyler as Sally, Karilee Grossnickle as Mary, Eric Jones as Jack/Jesus, Lauren Kuhn as Mae, Thomas Schultes as Ralph and Brittney Bartlett, Mel Beatty, Trey DeRaimo, Anthony Marchese, Maggie O'Grady, Karen Paone, Annelyse Santos, Scott S. Turner and Tori Weaver as ensemble members.

Reefer Madness will run April 4, 5, 11 and 12 at 8:00 pm, with matinee performances on April 6 and 13 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $10 general admission and $7 for students and seniors. All performances occur at the Frederick Community College Studio Theater in Frderick, Maryland. Due to limited seating, only 420 seats are available for the entire run of the show, so please arrive early in order to ensure tickets. This show is not appropriate for children. No advance reservations are accepted, so you don't want to miss this "hit" of a musical.

Photo Credit: Being Revived Theater Company

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