Brown and White Vol. 127 no. 24

              The Brown and White
Vol. 127 No. 24
Friday, December 5, 2014
‘All the Lehigh News First’
#BlackLivesMatter
Chris Barry/B&W Staff
Francisca Onyiuke, ’15, shields a candle from the wind at the “Black Lives Matter” event Wednesday, a memorial held to honor Michael Brown and to support equal justice for all. The event’s title comes from a hashtag that has circulated social media in the days following the Ferguson decision. Members of the Lehigh community lit candles in memory of Brown and other lives lost.
If clever satire and catchy music weren’t enough to convince you to see the Mustard and Cheese Drama Society’s newest show, “Reefer Madness,” then maybe a plot line centered around marijua­na will do the trick.
For the first time in 20 years, the Mustard and Cheese Drama Society is producing a show entire­ly run by students. Founded in 1884, the Mustard and Cheese Drama Society is Lehigh’s old­est club and one of the oldest drama societies in the country. For 130 years, it has been a constant source of entertainment, imagina­tion and comedy within the Lehigh community.
While the society was consid­ering possible shows, “Reefer Madness” was an obvious favorite among its members. Made in the 1930s, “Reefer Madness” was orig­inally a propaganda film warning Americans about the dangerous effects of marijuana.
Now widely recognized as one of the worst films of its generation, “Reefer Madness” was resurrected in the 1970s and has been a cult classic ever since.
The script was eventually adapt­ed into a musical satire, premier­ing in Los Angeles in 1998. It opened off-Broadway in 2001, and since then, the show has trav­eled internationally to Canada, Australia and London. The musi­cal even hit the big screen in 2005, starring actors Kristen Bell and Alan Cumming.
“Reefer Madness” follows the downfall of Jimmy Harper from a wholesome boy in love to a degen­erate drug addict. After his first hit of marijuana, the most ridic­ulous of chaos ensues — there is an orgy, cannibalism and murder. There are also appearances from Jesus, Uncle Sam and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Adrienne Chodnowsky, ’17, the show’s assistant costume designer and a member of its ensemble, admits that although it is a very fun show, “Reefer Madness” proved to be a formidable show to produce.
“We chose this show because we thought it would be fun and a great experience,” she said. “This was actually the hardest show we considered, but we were all up for the challenge, and thankfully, it’s lived up to all of our expectations.”
Emma Gifford, ’15, the president of the Mustard and Cheese Drama Society and the show’s director, agreed with Chodnowsky.
“It’s taken a lot of time and a lot of effort, but above all, it’s been a lot of fun,” Gifford said.
In addition to being an upbeat and unpredictable ride, “Reefer Madness” is very relevant to America’s current trend of legal­izing marijuana. Alexander Stanislawski, ’15, who plays the role of Jesus Christ in the produc­tion, said the recent legalization of marijuana in many states contrib­utes to the show’s hilarity.
“The show is based on a propa­ganda film made to warn the pub­lic of how detrimental marijuana can be to one’s health, and mean­while, it’s being legalized all over the country,” Stanislawski said. “The irony is what makes it so funny.”
Stanislawski’s character appears to Jimmy Harper in the hope of saving him from the villainous drug.
“Reefer Madness” made its debut performance in the Black Box Theater at Zoellner Arts Center on Thursday and will be running until Sunday afternoon. Tickets
Michael Brown. Tamir Rice. Trayvon Martin. These names — read aloud by members of the Black Student Union — are just a few of those young black men who were killed, while unarmed, by law enforcement officers.
In response to the recent grand jury decision to not indict Officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, the Black Student Union hosted a memorial service to honor Brown and raise awareness for other black youth “who unwillingly faced the same fate,” according to the event’s Facebook page.
The event, titled “Black Lives Matter,” drew more than 100 mem­bers of the Lehigh community to the University Center front lawn Wednesday evening, where executive board members of the Black Student Union shared stories, poems and tes­timonials related to issues of racial inequality in the United States.
“We realized something needed to be done and we decided a memorial, because we believe all people can honor the lives of those who died,” said Lyasha Bishop, ’16, president of the Black Student Union. “I feel like one thing is a unanimous thing, which is that people realize that it’s sad that somebody so young had to die.”
Student-run ‘Reefer Madness’ musical comes to Black Box
By DANIELLE DISTEFANO
News Editor
By EMILY WARD
B&W Staff
See LIVES Page 4
See REEFER Page 3
Black Student Union hosts memorial for Michael Brown