LASALLE — Stage 212 closes out summer with a blast from the past as they present their 2017 off-season production, “Reefer Madness, The Musical,” the raucous musical comedy by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney.
Inspired by the 1936 film of the same name, “Reefer Madness, The Musical” takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the hysteria caused when clean-cut kids fall prey to marijuana, leading them on a hysterical downward spiral filled with evil jazz music, sex and violence.
Cast members include Andrew Paden as the Lecturer, Joey Beavers as Jimmy, Kaitlin Ernst as Mary, Matty Pursell as Jack, Abby Bertrand as Mae, Josh Fullerton as Ralph and Michele McClane as Sally. Featured in the ensemble are Cheyenne Sunken as the Placard Girl, Alison Fauth, Yvette Lucas, Jennifer Walk, Bella Brooker, Caryn Brown, Marco Gutierrez, Ian Ellis, Thomas Bickel and Kyle Foley.
Production staff includes director Tyler Reviglio, producers Abby Bertrand and Megan Cullinan, assistant director/costume designer Melanie Maskel, choreographer Deana Brown, stage manager Perla Escatel, head seamstress Pam Houghwat, light operator Nik Frig, sound operator Adam Paden, lighting designers Yvette Lucas and Kyle Foley, and stagehands Jenna Glassman, Zoe Piano and Jessica Gray.
Playing in the pit band are Mary Cornwall on piano, Jeff Hatzer on drums, Rudy Wilson on bass guitar, Christopher Clarner on electric guitar, Tony Grundstat on flute and Ann Darwish on alto sax and clarinet.
"Reefer Madness" will be presented Sept. 15-17 at Stage 212, 700 First St., LaSalle. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday matinee begins at 2 p.m. Tickets are available to the public beginning Aug. 28 for $20 each, and may be purchased by visiting the box office on Mondays from 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, or by calling 815-224-3025 during the same hours. Tickets may also be purchased online by visiting www.stage212.org.
"Reefer Madness" contains adult humor, religious parody and drug use, as well as suggested violence and sexual explicitness, and may be inappropriate for younger audiences. "Reefer Madness" is presented through special arrangement with R & H Theatricals: www.rnh.com.