The following two plays are parodies of certain parts of American history. The first, Reefer Madness, is a comic retelling of a 1936 public service announcement about the evils of marijuana use. I saw the original in one of my classes in college, and it is pretty funny to today's audiences (so many facts are incorrect, and the story is outrageous). The musical finds great way to point out not only the inaccuracies of the film, but also satirizes the 1930s as a time of rampant fear-mongering (sound a little familiar?) and supposed conformity, somewhat like the 1950s.
The other is The Drowsy Chaperone, billed in Chicago as "the funniest musical you've never seen", and that description isn't far off. Making fun of the 1920s and the Jazz Age, the show is the story of a pathetic man who doesn't like modern life and takes solace in a cliche-ridden play from the roaring 20's. The show expresses the idea that life was a party (for the rich) and everything turned out happily ever after for everyone involved.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment