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At a ‘Reefer Madness’ Reunion Concert, Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell and Other Cast Veterans Retell the Satirical Show’s History Via Signature Songs and Cut Numbers

A 'Reefer Madness' 'reunion concert' had Kristen Bell and Christian Campbell reviving great excised numbers as well as the musical's signature songs.

Kristen Bell, who played the role of Mary Lane in the 2001 New York stage production and2005 Showtime movie version, and Christian Campbell, who joined her in the film adaptation as the weed-addicted Jimmy, both got substantial time in the reunion concert. Another marquee name who joined the intermingling of past and present cast members was Rachel Bloom, who has never appeared in “Reefer Madness” but came down to Hollywood to belt out “The Monkey Song,” a long-discarded number that dates back to the show’s earliest days at the Hudson Theater down on Santa Monica Blvd. Karris noted that “occasionally the cast would get a little punch drunk, and between Harry (Murphy) and I with our improvisational background, we’d do a little entertaining and maybe a little bastardization of the show.” With that, he offered a version of that song that devolved from baby bonnets into a “Tales From the Crypt”-style reading, complete with skeletal cackling.

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