Kristen Bell Brings ‘Reefer Madness’ to Hollywood Boulevard, Putting The Spotlight On LA’s Theater Scene

The 77th annual Tony Awards were this past weekend, which means that musical numbers from NYC were broadcast across the nation. But, theater-loving Angelenos, there’s no need to feel like you’re missing out.

Thomas Dekker, Claire Crause, Bryan Daniel Porter, Alex Tho, and more of the cast of “Reefer Madness: The Musical” during a musical number.

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Andrew Patino

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A cult classic

In a recent interview with How To LA about the revival of Reefer Madness: The Musical on Hollywood Boulevard, actress and producer Kristen Bell noted that “people, when they think of theater and musical theater, they always think of New York,” but that “there is this undercurrent of people performing here in Los Angeles that just has not gotten enough attention.”

Angelina Jolie, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt and Kristen Bell attend the opening night performance of "Reefer Madness: The Musical" at The Whitley on May 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

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Reefer Madness first premiered as a 1936 black and white film, originally financed by a church group to warn parents about the “danger of marijuana” to their teens. Eventually cut in the style of an exploitation film, with its over-the-top style, it became a cult classic and favorite midnight movie. That campy status led to an off-Broadway musical adaptation in 2001, starring Kristen Bell as Mary Jane, the all-American squeaky clean lead, who is accidentally tempted by a joint. “I really can identify [that production] as the fork in the road that changed my life,” Bell says.

Her director pushed her to move to L.A., and she reprised the starring role in a 2005 Showtime film adaptation of the show. “I would not have my career, I would not have met my husband, I would not have had my kids if it hadn't been for the sort of love and affection and family energy that was thrown at me by this group of goofballs,” she says about the cast and crew of that original production of “Reefer Madness”

Actors John Kassir, Kristen Bell and Alan Cumming attend the premiere of "Reefer Madness" at the Eccles Center for the Performing Arts during the 2005 Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2005 in Park City, Utah.

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That communal energy and excitement about the arts is what Bell is hoping this production brings to LA.

The theater scene

L.A. is practically littered with theaters, from the small to the grand. Many of these spaces have had lives as something else. Reefer Madness takes place in the Whitley Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, a spot named for the “father of Hollywood” H.J. Whitley. But before it was a theater space, it was a series of nightclubs, most notably the King King (which was also home to the LA production of “Rock of Ages”) and the iconic Cinespace.

As a theater, it’s an intimate space, with much of the show’s action taking place around and among the audience, instead of feet away, tucked behind a proscenium arch. Bell says the unconventional space is an advantage. “Here in L.A., we like to make it a little bit more interactive and a little bit more immersive,” explains Bell. “The second you step in, the space has a vibe.”

Ensemble member Alex Tho moves through the audience during a number in "Reefer Madness: The Musical"

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Andrew Patino

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Reefer Madness: The Musical, and its speakeasy style “reefer den” afterparties, will be running at the Whitley through July 21st. You can find more information here.

Other theater happening in LA, from big to small

THE AHMANSON:

The Center Theatre Group consistently has a wonderful slate of shows, and this is the last week audiences can catch Tony Award winning musical “A Strange Loop” right here in DTLA. A groundbreaking show about a young, gay, Black theater usher writing a musical about a young, gay, Black writer writing a musical, you won’t regret stepping into this strange loop.

ATWATER VILLAGE THEATRE:

The Circle X Theatre Company at Atwater Village Theatre is presenting a free series of play readings from emerging playwrights starting this weekend. Take a look at the offerings, swing by, and discover something new.

THE ELYSIAN:

Julia Masli’s award winning one-woman clown show “Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha” comes to Los Angeles. A limited engagement of five shows at the Elysian Theater in Frogtown, Masli is here to engage with the crowd and solve their problems the way only an absurdist clown can.

GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE:

You can catch “The Hope Theory” at the Geffen Playhouse for another month — a blend of storytelling and sleight-of-hand magic, this show started on Zoom in 2020, when online tickets came with a shipment of magic tricks for audiences to perform alongside star Helder Guimarães. The story of culture, immigration and home translates wonderfully to the stage. And Guimarães is doing a few shows entirely in Spanish.

PASADENA PLAYHOUSE:

This Tony Award winning theater has a few more performances of “Jelly’s Last Jam,” an electrifying show about jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton. If you can’t make it out before June 23rd, check out their fall season here.