Friday, June 1, through Sunday, June 17
QC Theatre Workshop, 1730 Wilkes Avenue, Davenport IA
Davenport's QC Theatre Workshop will conclude its 2017-18 season with high spirits, and spirited performers acting high, in the June 1 through 17 run of the camp-classic musical comedy Reefer Madness, a tune-filled blast that the Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones called “very fresh and funny” and “clever enough to get me giggling verily, merrily withough any external aids whatsoever.”
Inspired by the notorious 1936 public-service documentary, the raucous Reefer Madness 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. Meanwhile, the addictive and clever musical numbers composed by Dan Studney and Desperate Housewives writer Kevin Murphy range from Broadway-style show-stoppers to swing tunes to Vegas crooning, all proving a perfect complement to the show's highly stylized and satiric political commentary. “With a sweetly charming retro-rock score,” wrote Variety magazine, “Reefer Madness offers plenty of entertainment on its own appealingly unpretentious terms.”
Serving as Reefer Madness' director is the QC Theatre Workshop's artistic director Aaron Randolph III, whose previous credits for the venue include appearing in the comedy 'Art' , directing and adapting the drama Inheritors, and writing the world-premiere scripts for A Green River and last summer's Broken. Making their first appearances in a Workshop production are Michael Alexander, Becca Brazel, Michael Byrne, TJ Green, and Sara Kutzli. And completing the musical's nine-person cast are four performers returning to the Workshop stage: Andy Curtiss (Peter & the Starcatcher), Becca Johnson (Bat Boy: The Musical), Joe Oliger (Almost, Maine), and Jo Vasquez (Love, Loss, & What I Wore).
Reefer Madness will be performed Fridays at Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., admission is “Pay What It's Worth” ticket pricing, and more information and reservations are available by calling (563)823-8893 or visiting QCTheatreWorkshop.org.
