Pubdate: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU) Copyright: 2010 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/letters.html Website: http://www.montrealgazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274 Author: Pat Donnelly REEFER IS THE RIGHT MADNESS Carlone directs a winner at Mainline Theatre Editor's note: This story has been corrected. See note below. Reefer Madness, the Musical, now playing at Mainline Theatre, is fast-paced, wacky, outrageous and thoroughly enjoyable. The songs are delightful, the talent is there, and so is the commitment. The company that calls itself Processed Theatre, led by this show's director, Nichole Carlone, clearly believes in rehearsal - -a creed that sometimes evaporates within improvisation-based groups. As Jimmy Harper and Mary Lane, the Romeo/Juliet teenagers led astray, Christopher Hayes and Emily Skahan are perfectly cast, strong in voice and acting skills. George Bekiarias is arresting as a bad, bad pusher who lures teenagers into his den of iniquity, then hilariously uplifting as a superstar Jesus backed up by a chorus of Ziegfield Follies angels (Emilie Barrette, Hannah Eichenwald, Julie Goldenberg). The show has an eye-catching look (flashy costumes and black-on-white cartoon sets), a distinct style, and, more important, a shared, consistent sense of irony. And the three-piece band (Melodie Rabatel on piano, Sebastian Rooney on drums and clarinet, and Shayne Gryn on bass) is top-notch. Joanne Sarrazen manages to make a battered woman poignantly funny. Helena-Marie Patte sends up the blond hooker role with Jean Harlow panache. Jade Hassoune is a scene-stealer as the falsetto-voiced, neglected baby when he's not playing a crazed addict. Christopher Pineda is amusing in multiple roles. Marc-Andre Poulin brings it all together as the sanctimonious lecturer who guides the story through loss of innocence into murder, mayhem and, of course, a (zany) redemption. When the film Reefer Madness (also known as Tell Your Children) was produced as a cautionary tale for teenagers back in 1938, marijuana was clearly perceived as evil -the first temptation on a slippery slope that led to the opium den, degradation and death. Perceptions, however, alter with time. By 1998, when Reefer Madness, the Musical (with book and lyrics by Kevin Murphy, music by Dan Studney) was launched in Los Angeles, the idea that "soft" drugs like marijuana could harm anyone was widely ridiculed. Stoner humour had become a genre, perfected by the likes of Cheech & Chong. The vintage Reefer Madness movie was a toker's in-joke. In 2001, the award-winning L.A. musical version transferred to New York had a brief off-Broadway run (2001), and was adapted into a film in 2005. Now, at Mainline, the reverse-preachy side of the satire does seem a bit dated. (Recent research has shown that early marijuana use can, indeed, trigger schizophrenia in teenagers, on the one hand, and on the other, the wicked weed has gone boringly legit as a pain-relieving medication.) And it's all very American (albeit anti-establishment), right down to Roosevelt and the Statue of Liberty. Like The Rocky Horror Show (1973), however, Reefer Madness, the Musical is likely to live long as a cult classic. Especially if groups like Processed Theatre keep taking it on. This vibrant production, with its delightful toe-tapping chorus that shakes the Mainline floorboards (the orgy number is hilarious), merits a transfer to a larger venue. This run will probably be sold out very, very soon. Reefer Madness, the Musical continues at Mainline Theatre, 3997 St. Laurent Blvd., until Sept. 25. Tickets $23. Call 514-849-3378. Correction: In the original version of Pat Donnelly's review of Reefer Madness, the Musical in Friday's Gazette, actor Christopher Hayes was incorrectly referred to as Christopher James. And bass player Shayne Gryn's first name was incorrectly spelled Shane. The Gazette regrets the errors. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt