Reefer Madness question

[jasonf]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 5:36pm

DOes anyone know if Neve Campbell and Steven Webber actually did their own singing in the movie? I just watched it, and LOVED it. I have no idea what the POINT of Neve's character was, and I didn't even RECOGNIZE Steven Webber till half way through, but I had no idea either of these people sang...

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 5:38pm

Yes, they did their own singing.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 5:38pm

Yes, they both did.

Neve is Christian's sister, of course. Her character was a guy in the stage play...the only point was to prove that Steven Webber's character can dance well.

Webber also played Leo in THE PRODUCERS - I believe he took over for Matthew, or very soon after.

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 5:39pm

Steven Webber played Leo Bloom for a while on Broadway in The Producers so I am pretty positive he did his own singing in the movie. I also think Neve did as well...I don't remember reading anywhere that she didn't. In the Off-Broadway version the five and dime owner is also played by the Narrator/Lecturer and the name is "Mr. Poppy".

[jasonf]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 5:57pm

Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that about Steven Webber in The Producers. I (embarassingly admit) I used to watch Wings and didn't even know that was him!

I really enjoyed this movie - just ordered the OCR from Footlight.

Where has Robert Torti been all this time? I remember seeing him in Joseph - well - way, way back....he needs more roles...

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 6:03pm

I love the movie.

I never got to see Webber in The Producers, but I remember watching him on TV during BROADWAY ON BROADWAY perform "I Wanna Be a Producer"

He wasn't bad.

He was also in Hair.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 6:09pm

i wanna see that movie!

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 6:38pm

Weber was the first replacement for Leo, he was quite good, I got to see him with Goodman, for the short time he was in it.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 6:39pm

Sorry you had to see Goodman.

[danstudney]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 7:25pm

As co-author and executive producer, and most importantly to this thread composer of Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, I can tell you without a doubt that Neve and Steven did their own singing. Everyone did.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 7:30pm

it's a WONDERFUL movie-musical. Dan, perhaps you can solve a mystery.....why does the case it comes in smell like chocolate?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 7:35pm

why was the show so much better on stage? that's my first question...

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 7:39pm

Welcome Dan!

(Welcome sort of)

No, my question is when will this show come back! I love it!

You know - it's a lot of fun to sing "The Orgy" on a "Midsummer Night's Dream" set

[danstudney]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:21pm

Thanx, Elphaba, for your kind words.

The DVD case smells like chocolate because brownies do. Believe it or not, it was something the marketing people came up with; we had nothing to do with it.

Still confused? Then I'll quote Greg Edelman's Lecturer from the New York production:

"How could an innocent brownie possibly have lured Jimmy back to the Reefer Den? It turns out... that persons of ill repute have been known to actually bake marihuana into the brownies by chopping up the dried leaves into small bits and mixing them into the batter."

Weird, I know. But, so I'm told.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:23pm

Wow. Who'd have thought...

Do you know how to get that chocolate smell?

So are you saying that the chocolate used was mari-jew-ana chocolate?

And yes, of course, the music is fantastic!

[arykahmarye]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:30pm

That's actually a pretty inspired marketing idea, to make the DVD case smell like chocolate. Think how much better it'd sell if made of hemp...

Of course the movie stands alone in it's brilliance. I can't remember laughing so hard in my life. As a fan of the sheer campiness of the original movie, i was pleased to see how well it transcribed to the musical.

[danstudney]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:37pm

CATSNY...,

Perhaps it's because we suck as screenwriters, but are awesome at stage writing? Or it could be that Andy Fickman, director of both stage shows, is a far superior director than the Andy Fickman who directed the movie.

Seriously, I prefer the movie slightly more, for reasons I won't go into now. But an honest question deserves an honest answer:

It may have to do which one people saw first. I know a lot of people who like one cast album over this or the other version of the same show. Me, I was a big Ian Gillen and Murray Head fan (original JCS concept album), but my old roommate Michael Cunio loved Superstar too and was partial to Ted Neely and Carl Anderson, I think, because the movie album is the one he grew up on first.

Same thing happened with people who saw the original LA production vs. New York version of Reefer Madness. Even people who saw understudies in LA and came back and saw the original sometimes prefered the understudy. So it might be that.

Perhaps also it has to do with the audience participation possible in the stage show, which can't happen with a standard movie. There's been talk, though, of releasing it on the midnight movie circuit a la Rocky Horror, so (if what happened with the LA stage show is any indication) that might become something else entirely. We get a lot of requests for "shadow cast" prints.

In the end, who knows? It probably *is* because we suck.

[jasonf]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:38pm

Wow - the actual composer answered my question. That's so cool.

I did really enjoy the movie. Are you working on any other shows?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:40pm

I thought the movie was awesome - although I didn't see the musical.

But I wish it would open - even for a limited time - so I could see the stage show!

[danstudney]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:49pm

BSoBW2,

My partner Kevin Murphy and I had been pretty strict about releasing the stage version rights while we were making and marketing the movie. The latter is something that's still going on a bit, as it's playing/about to play in foreign markets. In fact, I *think* it opens on the big screen in France in just a couple of months. It was interesting that the night we won the Emmy here in the U.S., we won the premiere audience award in France at the Deauville Film Festival -- it was like, wow, same night, two different continents, two different media, two different awards. Our director was out in France while we were in Los Angeles. I'd say he got the cooler all-expenses-paid trip!

But... we *have* opened it up to amateur/stock/regional theatres on a case by case basis. We have over a hundred requests, so it's pretty difficult to manage on our own. In any event, we're in talks with some of the big publishing companies now to handle these things -- both for the rights and for the actual sheet music.

We're also making an "alternate version" of the stage show, because we get a lot of requests to include the song we won the Emmy for.

Finally, we're talking to a botique musical theatre label about releasing the movie soundtrack.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:49pm

mmm... I saw it toward the end of the LA run, but obviously I knew watching the movie that it would end up not being as good on film if nothing else then for the sheer rush and the experience of seeing that original production. I do adore "Mary Jane/Mary Lane" and if it weren't for the film I assume it would have never seen the light of day, but I'll always miss "Dead Old Man" and the "reefer experience" of seeing the show live. It deserved a much longer run in New York...

[MyMeredithMonster]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:50pm

Hey Dan!

As a total 'Reefer Zombie', I just wanted to tell you how much I admire your work. I adore Reefer Madness (it's my absolute favorite musical). That would be great if they did midnight showings.

Edit: My question was just answered! :)

Updated On: 12/12/05 at 08:50 PM

[Elphaba]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:51pm

people thought I was crazy when I said it smelled like chocolate......good to know I'm not......

I would love if this turned "rocky-horror-esque".....it is definately possible in my opinion.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:52pm

Which was the Emmy song? "Mary Jane/Mary Lane"?

[MyMeredithMonster]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:54pm

Yes, it was "Mary Jane/Mary Lane". What a wonderful addition!