Strong cast carries 'Reefer Madness'

"REEFER MADNESS," Dark Horse Company Theatre, through March 28, Egyptian Theatre, Park City (435-649-9371); running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (one intermission)

PARK CITY — In 1936, a film was made for parents warning them about the dangers of smoking marijuana, encouraging them to teach their children to stay away.

The movie was rediscovered in the '70s and quickly turned into a cult classic — as a comedy.

In 2001, an off-Broadway musical version of the lurid tale opened for a short time.

It's not a great piece of theater. But the Dark Horse Company Theatre production, which opened Friday night, has some redeeming qualities — most of which have everything to do with the cast, assembled by director Christopher Glade.

But first, the thin plot: A lecturer warns the audience of the drug's dangers. His comments are punctuated by a girl carrying signs stating the moral lesson.

Jimmy and Mary are the epitome of wholesome teens. But Jimmy gets lured to the dark side, the reefer den, and soon begins a downward spiral, much to the dismay of Mary. Throw in some great characters and a seamy scene or two, and you have it.

With dimpled grins and rows of pearly white teeth, leads Bryan Matthew Hague (Jimmy) and Ashley LaRue Grant (Mary) are so perfectly wholesome and perfectly darling you'll want to take them home and place them on your mantle.

Add wonderful vocals from both and a fun chemistry, and it makes the drug-induced descent that much more painful to watch.

In the reefer den, fun characters help soften the smoky underbelly, which includes physical abuse, plenty of sexuality and a neglected baby who eventually gets sold for drug money. (That's supposed to be a joke, but the audience didn't laugh much on Saturday night.)

The smarmy pusher (Danny Tarasevich) and his abused wife (Stefanie Dean) both deliver fun numbers and are ALMOST likable, even as they bring down our youth. And Kerstin Davis also turns in a fun character performance as a druggie who seduces Jimmy.

Dark Horse used several choreographers for the show, so it's unclear who did "The Orgy," a dance number that happens right after Jimmy first smokes. In a show that is over-the-top, even silly, it seemed strange that this number was so graphic. The cast was dressed in ill-fitting, basically see-through, skin-colored unitards. But the women were in any number of suggestive positions that made me wince. It all seemed a bit too much, and I was worried about seeing a bit too much in a number that went on a bit too long.

The microphone for the lecturer, played nicely by Justin Olson, also had many sound pops, adding to the poor sound mix, which wasn't balanced.

One small note — I was disappointed to see that the band, led by JD Dumas, was not acknowledged during the curtain call.

If you're a fan of the cult movie, or you're just interested in shows that, well, aren't done very often, make this trip to Park City.

Sensitivity rating: drug use, physical abuse, sexuality, smoking.

e-mail: ehansen@desnews.com