Wacky Tobaccy

The exploitation movie Reefer Madness (a.k.a. Tell Your Children) was released in 1936 to freak kiddies out about the dangers of marijuana, which, according to the film, included manslaughter, rape, suicide, and a certifiable descent into madness. More than 70 years down the line, almost everyone knows the only things Mary Jane will do are make you hungry, pleasantly sleepy, inconveniently forgetful, and sluggish to, y’know, do stuff. Significant medical benefits have been proven and summarily ignored by the FDA, and incredibly enough, this relatively benign herb remains illegal eons after the prohibition against alcohol was repealed. Now that’s what we call madness. The hysteria that led to the prohibition of weed in the Twenties and Thirties seems laughable in light of what we’ve learned within the past half-century. So much so that the old propaganda classic has been revived and now plays to crowds of cackling audiences. Join them tonight as the Key West Players present the Ovation Award-winning Reefer Madness: The Musical.

The original film is hilarious enough, but the addition of song and dance really amps up the laugh factor. Starring characters like Jesus Christ and Sally the Reefer Slut, the play will have you cracking up even if you don’t take a toke beforehand. See it tonight at 8 at the Waterfront Playhouse in Key West. The show runs through March 22.
March 12-22, 2008