Reefer Madness, the 1938 exploitation film about cannabis abuse, garnered a cult following within the cannabis culture in the 1970s. Reefer Madness was satirized into a stage musical in 1998 and into a movie musical in 2005. Now, Illinoisans can catch the latest iteration and performance of Reefer Madness: The Muscal (presented by The Dispensary Champaign) during its 3-day/4-show run at the Canopy Club in Urbana.

The raucous musical comedy about two lovable clean-cut and wholesome teens, Jimmy Harper and Mary Lane, and their tragic (and hysterical) struggle with the evils of marijuana, is scheduled for the following showtimes:

Friday, July 11, 7pm (Opening Night)

Saturday, July 12, 2pm (Matinee)

Saturday, July 12, 7pm

Sunday, July 13, 2pm (Closing Matinee)

Tickets can be purchased online at the above links or in person at The Dispensary, located at 1826 Glenn Park Dr. in Champaign. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the performance.

In an example of how far cannabis has come, a church group financed the original 1938 Reefer Madness movie, and now, The Dispensary will be the first licensed cannabis-retail store to produce a musical. The Canopy Club, located at 708 S. Goodwin Ave in Urbana, is set to host all four showings. Other sponsors include Aerīz, GTI, and Nature’s Grace. For more information, contact Director and Production Manager Jasmine Elam at jasminedoestheatre@gmail.com or by phone at 210-962-9398.

Kevin Murphy (River Forest, Illinois, native) and Dan Studney wrote the book for the stage and movie musicals, with music by Studney and lyrics by Murphy. The film won the 2005 Emmy Award for Music and Lyrics (for Mary Jane/Mary Lane), written specially for the film. The film also received Emmy nominations for Choreography and Make-Up Effects.

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