# Reefer Madness, the musical! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690 "2005-04-16T23:36:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/1 "2005-04-16T23:36:21Z")
Is anyone planning to watch the musical adaptation of [Reefer Madness](http://www.sho.com/site/reefermadness/home.do) on Showtime tonight? Based on the 1936 anti-grass propaganda classic, _Reefer Madness_ enjoyed a new life as a campy stage musical in LA and Off-Broadway, and premieres on Showtime at 8:00 pm tonight. It features Alan Cumming (_Cabaret, X-Men 2_) and Christian Campbell (_Trick_) and has some catchy tunes, including my favorite, [Listen to Jesus, Jimmy](http://www.sho.com/site/reefermadness/media.do), a Tom Jonesesque Vegas production number sung by the Big Guy Himself. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/2 "2005-04-17T00:28:28Z")
I wonder if high school drama departments will want to perform this show. I can imagine that some people would have problems with this. (What would the DARE folks say?) ---
**Author:** ![Coulbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Coulbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coulbean)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/3 "2005-04-17T07:08:52Z")
I begged to order Showtime just to watch it and I was not disapointed. Although I bet it’s 10 times better on stage. I really wish I had gone to see it when they did it in St. Louis last summer. It was a very fun movie and the music was definitely catchy. “Little Mary Sunshine” and the title song were my favorites. It had a lot of things in common with Rocky Horror and I’ll bet it catches on with the same fan base. Same basic plot: 2 good kids turned to decadent behavior. What more could you ask of a movie? It had music, humor, sex, drugs, violence… all wrapped up in cheesy exaggeration with zombies. I love it! In regards to high school drama departments, as of right now only two theaters (aside from the original performances in L.A. and New York) have been given permission to perform it. And yes, I agree that there will be lots of people with a problem with it. Our high school wasn’t allowed to perform Grease because of the abortion reference. Granted this was a Catholic high school, but drugs are almost a universal no-no, whereas abortion is less of a cut and dry issue. ---
**Author:** ![Valerieblaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@Valerieblaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valerieblaise)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/4 "2005-04-17T07:29:46Z")
Definitely a fun musical - in general, I HATE musicals, but this one was a good time. It wasn’t perfection, but I’ll give Showtime some credit - it’s not bad, and they still showed it - that must mean something, since they cancelled ‘Dead Like Me’ and continued on with ‘Fat Actress.’ ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/5 "2005-04-17T12:21:55Z")
I loved it, I am sort of hoping to catch it on DVD. And I do agree, is sort of like Rocky Horror and a John Waters film cult vibe movie. I can see it being very popular. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/6 "2005-04-19T00:07:19Z")
It’s on in about 45 minutes on Showtime Too. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/7 "2005-04-19T01:18:17Z")
Ana Gasteyer has GOT to do more musicals! I absolutely love her voice! ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/8 "2005-04-19T01:27:20Z")
_Oh Crap!_ I don’t get Showtime anymore. Too much repeat junk. I’d love to be able to see this. I have foggy memories of the original movie in smoke-filled theaters during the Midnight Showing. Good times, good times. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it on DVD. Let me know if ya hear anyting on this please. ---
**Author:** ![Coulbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Coulbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coulbean)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/9 "2005-04-19T01:42:49Z")
See, here it goes… a national cult phenomenon in the making… Hooray! ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/10 "2005-04-19T01:53:29Z")
Anything that features extended dance sequences with Christian Campbell in a fleshtone thong has my vote for Best Picture. ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/11 "2005-04-19T22:08:21Z")
I really liked most of the show. I wasn’t too crazy about the Jesus scene, though, but that’s just me. Loved the zombies near the end. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/12 "2005-04-19T22:54:24Z")
I thought it was kind of meh. Sort of repetitive: song after song of “smoke it! no don’t!” over and over again. But then again, it has Kristen Bell in bondage gear. So maybe I need to give it another chance or ten. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/13 "2005-04-20T00:25:23Z")
Let’s play “Spot the 420 reference!” (420, in case you’ve been living in a cave for the last several years, is slang for marijuana) There was the address of Mae’s house, the hymns when Jimmy robs the church and the clock when Mae is out getting Chinese food. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/14 "2005-04-20T01:38:24Z")
420 is marijuana? Were the hell have I been? Now I’m the “They” we warned “Us” about! Did I get that right? Also, I’ve seen people use meh in a lot of posts. I can’t find a common context. Perhaps, too much 420 back then. Maybe it was just 390 or something back then. Was that out loud? ---
**Author:** ![Coulbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Coulbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coulbean)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/15 "2005-04-20T05:55:19Z")
Gotta agree with \*\*N. Sane \*\* about the Jesus scene, but it might grow on me. I hope you weren’t being sarcastic about the 420 thing, **Nicodemus2004** , because I’m going to explain it. The story goes that 420 was the police code somewhere in California for “marijuana smoking in progress” I’m pretty sure that’s been proven to be an urban legend, but nevertheless, the slang has caught on. Doodled by teenagers on notebooks all across America. To be cool, you should smoke at 4:20 every day. April 20th, which has incidentally just begun as I write this post, has become the Pot Smoking Holiday. The ultimate cool is to smoke at 4:20 on 4/20… For an age reference on all that… I graduated high school in 2001, but I’m pretty sure it started before my high school shenanigans. I think I need to get some people together and have a Reefer Madness party, sort of a midnight showing at my house. I just have to watch who I invite as some might take it a little too literally. I know some people that haven’t outgrown their high school shenanigans 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/16 "2005-04-20T06:43:41Z")
[Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/language/stories/420.htm) has the story on “420”. It originated as a time of day, not a police code. ---
**Author:** ![Coulbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Coulbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coulbean)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/17 "2005-04-20T06:53:33Z")
Snopes knows everything. I knew it was an urban legend. However, that was the story that explained it when I was in high school. Didn’t know about the other supposed origins… interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/18 "2005-04-20T23:36:56Z")
Whoa, Man. I was totally unaware. Thanks for the replies, both to **Coulbean** and **Walloon**. I’m afraid I wasn’t being sarcastic at all. See, I graduated in '74, man, and I’d heard a lot of terms but never 420. Also, thanks for the **Snopes** site. Also very cool. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/19 "2005-04-21T01:37:47Z")
The Jesus number was the best one. It was actually the only one I liked. Oh, and who ever played Joan of Arc was sexy as hell. Satan doing a spit take had me laughing so hard I almost did a spit take. ---
**Author:** ![Coulbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Coulbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coulbean)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reefer-madness-the-musical/299690/20 "2005-04-21T06:47:04Z")
Now that I think about it, the Jesus scene reminds me a lot of the Beauty School Drop-Out bit in Grease that I never really liked either. Oh well, variety is the spice of … um … a musical.