At a ‘Reefer Madness’ Reunion Concert, Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell and Other Cast Veterans Retell the Satirical Show’s History Via Signature Songs and Cut Numbers
variety.comChris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic If you were cataloging the signs of a stage musical that has had a robust life over a period of not just years but decades, here are two things that might be included on that list: A) The show engenders such a sense of family among those who’ve performed it that even members of casts from different times and places mix well together, and… B) You could practically create an entire alternate version of the musical just by doing a separate assemblage of the very good songs that were cut as the show went through different incarnations.
Both these signposts came to the fore in “Reefer Madness: The Musical Reunion Concert,” a one-time performance bringing together actors and creatives who’ve been a part of different productions of the cult show “Reefer Madness” over the past quarter-century-plus.
The retrospective concert was produced as a benefit last week at the Whitley Theatre in Hollywood, where the currently revival has just been extended through Sept.
15. (Read Variety‘s enthusiastic review of the current production here.) Kristen Bell, who played the role of Mary Lane in the 2001 New York stage production and2005 Showtime movie version, and Christian Campbell, who joined her in the film adaptation as the weed-addicted Jimmy, both got substantial time in the reunion concert.
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