Two Dorchester-based actors, Amanda Leigh and Larissa Lessard, have featured roles in the wild, genre-bending musical “Reefer Madness” that Moonstruck Theater Company will be producing at The Rockwell in Somerville from Aug. 14 through Aug. 23.
“The main character, Jimmy, is like a good little school boy, and he has this love interest, Mary Lane,” said Leigh, who will appear in the show as the Placard Girl. “They’re at a little dancing club, and Jimmy gets approached by this gentleman who is part of the reefer den crew. He promises he’s going to give Jimmy dance lessons, lures him into his reefer den, and then gets him to smoke weed for the first time. It goes crazy after that.”
The musical, which is based on a 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film of the same name and features swing era dance numbers, dark comedy, and satire, will run on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“Because weed is legal in Massachusetts, I feel like everyone can relate to the show a little bit,” said Leigh, who has lived in Dorchester for the last five years. “It’s hilarious, it’s silly, it’s got some great music, the cast is totally stacked, it’s very, very talented group of individuals. It’s going to be a great time.”
She is excited to be bringing local pride to the production. Her favorite neighborhood in Dorchester is Adams Village. Specifically, Scobies and Greenhills Bakery.
Lessard, who plays Sally, a fast-talking survivor of the reefer den, also lives in Dorchester. Like Leigh, she is a seasoned actor who said that Moonstruck’s satirical take on a film that was made some 90 years ago connects to the present.
“Even though everything is presented as this fear-mongering around marijuana and how it can ruin your life, there’s a different angle we can look at,” she said.
“It may not be marijuana that everyone is afraid of now, but there’s still this very persistent tactic of fear-mongering used politically and throughout this country. You can look at the show with a different lens.”
Regardless of how the audience interprets the show, the 33-year-old Lessard said that it will be “a heck of a good time. It’s just ridiculous. It doesn’t take itself seriously, the music is catchy, and we have such a talented cast taking on so many different roles within one small show. That in itself is just something to see and experience.”
Tickets are being sold online at https://therockwell.org/calendar/reefer-madness/2025-08-14/ for $25 or $15 with a valid student ID. While an audience of all ages is welcome on Thursday nights, on Friday nights, guests must be 18 or older, and on Saturday nights, they must be 21 plus.
“I think it will leave you in good spirits, and that’s kind of a nice thing given the tough state of the world right now,” said Leigh. “I would guess the majority of people might have indulged in this substance one or twice before, and it’s kind of a funny reminder of the good old days.”
