TELL YOUR CHILDREN!
Reefer Madness – The Musical
premieres in Wisconsin!
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tickets from BrownPaperTickets.com
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By RENA ARCHWAMETY Special to The Capital Times
Short Description:
Wisconsin premiere of the ultra-camp hit musical based on the 1936 exposé movie "Reefer Madness," in which the Demon Weed turned all-American boys and girls into homicidal zombies. Expect grand silliness and great musical numbers. Produced by Mercury Players at the Bartell Theatre, Drury Stage. September 13-15, 20-22, 27- 29 and Oct 4-6 at 8 pm & Matinees September 22, 29 & Oct 6 at 3:30 pm. $18 / $12 Students & Seniors. 661-9696 x 5, www.mercuryplayers.com or www.brownpapertickets.com Keyword: REEFER.
TELL YOUR CHILDREN! Fight the menace! The real public enemy number one: Marijuana. Ganja. Mary Jane. Gigglesticks. Mercury Players presents the Wisconsin premiere of REEFER MADNESS – THE MUSICAL. See for yourselves how this menace turns all-American boys like Jimmy Harper from a God-fearing model citizen to a reefer fiend in only 30 days!
In 1936 a church group created a
movie called Tell Your Children to warn American youth of the dangers of
cannabis. The rights to the film was purchased by the infamous exploitation film
producer Dwain Esper, who recut the film to include scandalous shots of
half-dressed women and sexual innuendo. Reefer Madness was largely
forgotten until 1971 when Keith Stroup, founder of the lobbying group NORML
(National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), brought the film back
as a comedy. Now the award-winning musical adaptation is coming to Madison
September 13, 2007, just in time to steer incoming students away from the
influences of the demon weed.
REEFER MADNESS’ lyricist
Kevin Murphy (head writer of TV’s Desperate Housewives) and composer
Dan Studney, (writer for television shows like The Simpsons, Weird
Science and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids). They describe the film’s
irresistibly terrible appeal, saying: “In the black-and-white world of Reefer
Madness, one puff of the Demon Weed instantly transforms the smoker into a
horny, violent, cackling weed freak, twitching insanely with the spastic abandon
of Crispin Glover on a pancake griddle. It's a bad movie, but a gloriously bad
movie-thus the long-term appeal… And now it’s a musical!”
Mercury Players’s production of
REEFER MADNESS opens September 13th on the Drury Stage at the Bartell
Theatre and runs Thursdays, Fridays and doubles Saturdays thru October 6th.
The show is directed by Pete Rydberg, music directed by J.S. Fauquet, and
choreographed by Cindy Severt. REEFER MADNESS was awarded Best Production, Best
Direction, Best Adaptation, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, Best Music
Direction and best Ensemble cast at the 1999 Backstage West Garland Awards, as
well as Bests Production, Direction, Musical Score, Lead Performance, Sound
Design, Choreography, and Musical Direction at the 1999 LA Drama Critics Awards.
The 2001 New York Production closed in the aftermath of September 11th.
This is REEFER MADNESS’ Wisconsin premiere – one of only two productions
thus far in the entire Midwest. There will be 15 performances: September 13-15,
20-22, 27- 29 and Oct 4-6 at 8 pm & Matinees September 22, 29 & Oct 6 at 3:30
pm. General admission tickets will be $18 with a $12 Students & Seniors rate.
Reservations may be made by calling 661-9696 x 5, or at
www.brownpapertickets.com
Keyword: REEFER. More information available at
www.mercuryplayers.com
or www.madstage.com.
DISCLAIMER: Reefer Madness is
a highly stylized and satirical political commentary. It contains adult humor,
religious parody and drug use, as well as suggested violence and sexual
explicitness. WARNING: It may, therefore, prove TOO SHOCKING for some audiences!
THE CAST
13 performers bring the musical to
life, including actors from Madison, Janesville and Whitewater. Newcomer
Jordan Jackson (Janesville), recent graduate of the American BLAH BLAH BLAH
plays nearly a dozen roles as “The Lecturer,” who acts as meta-theatrical Master
of Ceremonies for the musical. Jesse Fey (Madison), last seen in
Mercury’s REVENGE OF THE MINI-MUSICALS! plays Jimmy Harper, the all-American boy
whose life is torn apart by the deadly marihuana, opposite Kelly Murphy
(Madison), last seen in THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME as the tragic heroine Mary
Lane. Callie Johnson (Janesville) joins Mercury for the first time
directly from the touring company of CATS in the role of Mae, the reefer den
mother with a heart of gold, opposite Daniel Graupner (Madison) last seen
in MTG’s TOM FOOLERY as both the weed-pushing Jack and as an interventionist
Jesus Christ. John Gustafson (Madison) who last appeared on the Mercury
stage in WALMARTOPIA plays the burnt-out college boy Ralph, and Jessica
Witham (Madison) of Veronica’s Peach Pies Cabaret plays the libidinous
Sally. The six-member ensemble consists of Veronica Raulin (Madison),
Ruel Mundth (Janesville), Anthony Brown (Madison), Amy Stantis
(Madison), Morgan Foley (Whitewater) and Corrianne Wilson
(Madison).
THE DIRECTORS
Stage Director Pete Rydberg served as artistic director for Mercury Players from 2004-2007, and directed Rob Matsushita's THE MENDOZA LINE (2003), Jill Morley's TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A GO-GO GIRL (2003) , Jane Martin's CEMENTVILLE (2005), Lee Blessing's CHESAPEAKE (2005) featuring Marcy Weiland, and Paula Vogel's critically acclaimed play-with-puppets THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME (2007) for the company.
He also directed the sold-out run of
CORPUS CHRISTI for StageQ (2004) assisted Tony Simotes on University Theatre's
production of Aphra Behn's THE ROVER (2006).
Music Director John-Stuart
Fauquet has served as both director and musical director for numerous shows,
but is proud to have Mercury's REEFER MADNESS be his first show as musical
director in Madison. J.S. received a BA in music and theatre from Valparaiso
University in Indiana and an MA in theatre from UW-Madison. Currently, he is
completing a PhD in theatre at UW-Madison. J.S. has also worked for the Georgia
Ensemble Theatre's Conservatory Program teaching acting, voice, movement, and
musical theatre to elementary through high school students.
Choreograher Cindy Severt’s specialty dance roles range from the sublime – an Angel in the world premiere of the rock opera Everyman, to the ridiculous: a unicorn in toe shoes for an original British pantomime – and everything in between including FOLLIES ON BROADWAY (Greg Thompson Productions), Sheila (A CHORUS LINE), Katalin Hunyak (CHICAGO), Lina Darling (NINE), Tintinabula (FUNNY THING/FORUM), Liat (SOUTH PACIFIC), Tessie Tura (CTM’s GYPSY), Eliza (CTM’s KING & I), and featured Tango specialties in MATC’s EVITA, JEKYLL & HYDE, and University Theatre’s THE BOYFRIEND as well as dance roles for the Guthrie’s ROMEO & JULIET, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and the Minnesota Opera’s KISS ME KATE. Recent performances include Portland’s Oregon Symphony production of CAMELOT (Morgan le Fay); Frank Productions’ TONY ‘N TINA’S WEDDING (Madeline Monroe); CTM’s CHRISTMAS CAROL (Ghost of Christmas Past); and Madison Ballet’s CINDERELLA (The Tailor). As part of the creative team of dugodug productions, Cindy co-produced TRAPPED, an original aerial dance/theatre show for the 2005 MN Fringe Festival.
Coincidentally, the director, music director and choreographer are all tied to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Both Rydberg and Fauquet are pursuing their PhDs in Theatre Research, and Severt is a Senior Special Librarian who manages a collection of social science datasets for the Data & Information Services Center – also known as “the dancing librarian.”
REHERSAL PHOTO GALLERY (Click to Enlarge)
Photos by Colm McCarthy