The 2005 critically acclaimed musical remake of the cult classic “Reefer Madness” faced a shadow cast at the Avon Theater midnight on Saturday, April 20.
“Reefer Madness,” the satirical musical of epic proportions performed at Pipe Dreams Studio Theater last year has taken on a life of its own. The theater program at Millikin University plans on turning this sensual show into an annual event similar in performance to the “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” complete with prop bags and suggestive shouting.
Junior Nick Throop, the producing manager, has been involved with theater performances all three years that he has been at Millikin. Throop is impressed with the success of the musicals re-vamp from last year’s performance.
“We liked it a lot and so had toyed around with the idea of bringing it back in some way,” he said. “I think we had a really great production and I think we adapted our live show to the movie very well. We put in a lot of time and it looked really, really good.”
With bits and pieces taken from the musical performed last year, students were accurately equipped to handle the revamped shadow cast. It truly showed in their daringly accurate performance.
Freshmen Emma Wright, who played Mary Lane, was extremely glad to participate in this event, which she believes to be a very unique opportunity.
“It’s very different from a regular performance,” she said. “[There’s] the idea that people can just come in and think about having fun. It’s not so much about the extremeness of the performance, but just the atmosphere of it all. Just the freedom of it, it’s just very low pressure. It’s super fun.”
However, despite the chilling atmosphere and the amazing performances by Wright, Ryan Armstrong (Jimmy Harper) and the entire cast, Throop says that the show itself brought in less attendance figures than was expected.
“We wanted it to sell really well, to be something new like ‘Rocky Horror,’” Throop says. “And it still has the potential for that. But those who came out really enjoyed it.”
However, there is still hope. For those students who missed the show, you can be excited for next year’s event. The “Reefer Madness” crew are expected to put on an even more grandiose display next year, turning this brand-new event into a Millikin University tradition.
“If they can get a partnership with the Avon again, I think that’d be great,” Throop said. “I think it’s a really interesting collaboration, but if not I hope that even if they put it up in a basement somewhere that they keep the tradition going because there’s a very strong group of people who really enjoy doing it. I just wish more people could have been there to experience it.”
Hopefully next year, the new crew and Throop, who is set to graduate in December, will be granted that exact with. Ladies and gentlemen, this will be a show you do not want to miss.