Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney sure do know their "Horrors"--as in ROCKY and LITTLE SHOP OF..., and they prove it with this quirky and fun if somewhat derivative send up of, well, musical send-ups, based on a goofy 1930's cautionary relic that has become in and of itself a cult classic, kind of the granddaddy of "gonzo cinema." What was a goofily earnest diatribe against the dangers of "wacky tobakky", has been transformed into a tuneful rant against the dangers of fascism, media manipulation and religious zealotry, while "borrowing" freely from the aforementioned musicals, (with slapdashes of everything from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, to George Romero, to John Waters for good measure!) Its Frankensteinian heart worn sewn firmly on its sleeve and seed-peppered tongue planted firmly in cheek, MADNESS charts the story of "two innocent kids," Jimmy Harper (Christian Campbell of "TRICK") and Mary Lane (Kristen Bell, who created the role in the Off-Broadway version), and their fall from the grace of Good Clean American Living once they encounter the insidious embrace of "Mary Jane," thanks to the assorted lowlifes who are already ensnared in her wicked thrall.
That includes Jack Stone (WINGS' Steven Weber), the ringleader who seduces the kids into his den of iniquity, hysterically masochistic Mae Coleman (SNL alum Ana Gasteyer), Jack's partner-in-puffing and personal punching bag, and the bong-brained second bananas Sally deBains (Amy Spanger) and Ralph Wiley (John Kassir, who looks like nothing less than a live-action, fleshier version of the character he's famous for giving life to, HBO's Cryptkeeper from "TALES FROM THE...").
Although it is one of those musicals where you can virtually trace the point of origin of each song back to its source, ("Mary Jane/Mary Lane" combines bits of LITTLE SHOP'S "Suddenly, Seymour" and "Rose Tint My World" from ROCKY), the good news is that the musical as a whole is certainly more in keeping with a linear sense of storytelling, rather than ROCKY which gets downright "Theater of the Absurd" at times, and has a deeper message than LITTLE SHOP, though in some ways it shares some of that musical's glaring anachronisms (though FDR is supposed to be the president, a calendar in one scene is for the year 1956).
However, even when the book, music and lyrics are less-than-complementary (which is not the case here), a musical can only be as entertaining as the cast who performs it, and REEFER has one of the gamest, energetic ensembles ever. Campbell and Bell have great chemistry together, and could just as easily be transposed into any of the other cult musicals with ease (Seymour/Audrey or Brad/Janet, anyone?) It's also nice to know that John Kassir can warble a twisted tune and cut a rug with the best utility character actors, while Amy Spanger, who I hadn't heard of before seeing this, certainly comes as a pleasant surprise. I had also not seen movie/TV vet Weber out of his element, although I understand he has played the Billy Flynn role in CHICAGO, and he certainly makes a good case for his casting here.
But the standouts from the ensemble would have to be three particular players worth noting. Alan Cumming as the insidious "Lecturer", who presents the "educational film" that frames the dastardly, daffy doings in REEFER (think of Riff-Raff crossed with The Criminologist by way of CABARET'S Emcee), Gasteyer who is so spot-on as Mae, that you wish some smart producers would hire her more often for more comedies, and in a hallucinatory sequence that cribs from no less than Jesus Christ SUPERSTAR, Robert Torti (the original Jack Off-Broadway), in a showstopping number, in which he plays the Son of God as a Vegas-style headliner. (And do watch for a surprise cameo from a certain sibling who shares a song-and-dance background with Christian Campbell.)
Thankfully, even if the numbers do borrow from the best, the tunes are catchy and the lyrics just as clever, (when was the last time someone actually rhymed "transubstantiation" in a musical number successfully?) and it all comes together much better than a cable-produced cult movie-musical probably has a right to.
Definitely about as PC as the time period in which the source material was set, (with references to some unpretty racial stereotypes amidst the crazed carnality, mass cannabis consumption and cannibalism), REEFER MADNESS may not appeal to those with more delicate sensibilities, (especially if you've never heard of ROCKY HORROR or LITTLE SHOP). For those of us vets who have, though, have a blast with it. In spite of yourself, you may not be able to get enough of "The Stuff."
That includes Jack Stone (WINGS' Steven Weber), the ringleader who seduces the kids into his den of iniquity, hysterically masochistic Mae Coleman (SNL alum Ana Gasteyer), Jack's partner-in-puffing and personal punching bag, and the bong-brained second bananas Sally deBains (Amy Spanger) and Ralph Wiley (John Kassir, who looks like nothing less than a live-action, fleshier version of the character he's famous for giving life to, HBO's Cryptkeeper from "TALES FROM THE...").
Although it is one of those musicals where you can virtually trace the point of origin of each song back to its source, ("Mary Jane/Mary Lane" combines bits of LITTLE SHOP'S "Suddenly, Seymour" and "Rose Tint My World" from ROCKY), the good news is that the musical as a whole is certainly more in keeping with a linear sense of storytelling, rather than ROCKY which gets downright "Theater of the Absurd" at times, and has a deeper message than LITTLE SHOP, though in some ways it shares some of that musical's glaring anachronisms (though FDR is supposed to be the president, a calendar in one scene is for the year 1956).
However, even when the book, music and lyrics are less-than-complementary (which is not the case here), a musical can only be as entertaining as the cast who performs it, and REEFER has one of the gamest, energetic ensembles ever. Campbell and Bell have great chemistry together, and could just as easily be transposed into any of the other cult musicals with ease (Seymour/Audrey or Brad/Janet, anyone?) It's also nice to know that John Kassir can warble a twisted tune and cut a rug with the best utility character actors, while Amy Spanger, who I hadn't heard of before seeing this, certainly comes as a pleasant surprise. I had also not seen movie/TV vet Weber out of his element, although I understand he has played the Billy Flynn role in CHICAGO, and he certainly makes a good case for his casting here.
But the standouts from the ensemble would have to be three particular players worth noting. Alan Cumming as the insidious "Lecturer", who presents the "educational film" that frames the dastardly, daffy doings in REEFER (think of Riff-Raff crossed with The Criminologist by way of CABARET'S Emcee), Gasteyer who is so spot-on as Mae, that you wish some smart producers would hire her more often for more comedies, and in a hallucinatory sequence that cribs from no less than Jesus Christ SUPERSTAR, Robert Torti (the original Jack Off-Broadway), in a showstopping number, in which he plays the Son of God as a Vegas-style headliner. (And do watch for a surprise cameo from a certain sibling who shares a song-and-dance background with Christian Campbell.)
Thankfully, even if the numbers do borrow from the best, the tunes are catchy and the lyrics just as clever, (when was the last time someone actually rhymed "transubstantiation" in a musical number successfully?) and it all comes together much better than a cable-produced cult movie-musical probably has a right to.
Definitely about as PC as the time period in which the source material was set, (with references to some unpretty racial stereotypes amidst the crazed carnality, mass cannabis consumption and cannibalism), REEFER MADNESS may not appeal to those with more delicate sensibilities, (especially if you've never heard of ROCKY HORROR or LITTLE SHOP). For those of us vets who have, though, have a blast with it. In spite of yourself, you may not be able to get enough of "The Stuff."