“Denver has gone to pot!”
There couldn’t be a more timely or seductive marketing tagline than BurlyCute’s latest “vaudevillesque” stage oddity, “Reefer Mania!”
Tap-dancing cannabis, glitter-covered pot leaves and high-hoofing pot brownies: At a time when the world has come to perceive Denver as dispensing pot on every corner, I’m just guessing this is not exactly what the city had in mind when it took over operation of the Crossroads Theatre.
But it’s all in good, strange and haphazard fun. “Reefer Mania!” is the latest hodgepodge cobbled together by Reyna Von Vett, who’s been trying for two years to carve a new niche in Denver entertainment that’s more vaudeville than musical theater; more tease than striptease. It hasn’t helped that she’s done it in three homes and under three company names.
Now she’s back where she began, at the Crossroads in Five Points. And if you saw her “Leadville or Bust” there in 2008, the formula hasn’t much changed. She and her sexy chorus girls, the BurlyCuties, perform historically themed songs in outrageous costumes, interspersed with vintage video.
In this case, it’s hysterical clips from “Reefer Madness,” the 1936 propaganda film that set out to strike fear in every heart in its campaign to wipe out a scourge it called greater than heroin. Pot: “The real Public Enemy No. 1.”
Clearly public attitudes about ganja have never been more lax, which makes the fact that the state’s smoking ban would make it illegal for the BurlyCuties to light up even fake grass all the more ridiculous.
“Reefer Mania” is not out to impress discerning theater audiences, who will rightly dismiss it as an under-rehearsed and flimsily plotted piece of weirdness. No matter. Von Vett celebrates her show as “illegitimate theater” for fans of the hootin’, the hollerin’ and the nearly nakedin’.
It opens with an old Chong- like stoner (Smoky Joe) scoring back-alley dope from a dispensary and settling into his La-Z-Boy, where he goes into a pot-induced hallucination. He’s tiptoeing through something, all right, but it ain’t tulips.
Into this smoky haze pops Von Vett as her goddess-in- green alter ego, “Mary Jane.” She is our emcee for an evening of vintage reefer tunes from the ’20s through ’40s, like “That Cat Is High,” “Reefer Man” and “When I Get Low, I Get High.” The songs have been found, dusted off and arranged by on-stage piano man David Nehls, the Arvada Center’s music director.
All the costumes are handmade by Von Vett and span the green color wheel from muted to lime to kelly. They start out classic and get, well, crazier. Foam-cockroach crazy (anything for a visual pot pun, in this case on the word “roach”). Sparkle, boas and vinyl abound, from the glitter- covered velvet curtains to thousands of rhinestones — 1,400 on Mary Jane’s shoes alone. And her BurlyCuties find more creative ways of wearing a leaf than Eve ever imagined.
Not to be a buzz kill, but a whole night dedicated to pot songs gets to be a drag. The evening is extended by a 20- minute intermission to allow patrons to cross the street for a drink at Cervantes’ (there have been delays in issuing a liquor license for Crossroads).
I wish I could say this is all mellow gold, but despite its unusual theme, it comes off as far too recycled from the last go-round. And if BurlyCute is ever to be taken seriously as a legitimate member of the theater community, it will have to address the basics of storytelling, like character and plot progression.
In case pot’s not your bag, be advised that BurlyCute also presents a weekly Wednesday amusement called “Moulin Rouge!” dedicated to dancing girls, torch singers, comedy and striptease.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Reefer Mania!” ** (out of four stars)
A “pot” opera presented by BurlyCute at Crossroads Theatre, 2590 Washington St. Written by Reyna Von Vett and starring her alter ego, “Mary Jane.” Music arranged by David Nehls. Through July 3. 1 hour, 50 minutes. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. $18. 303-295-1883 or . No one under 16 admitted.
Best bet: Modern Muse’s New Play Festival
Modern Muse is highlighting new works by local women at its second New Play Festival. Remaining readings include Friday’s (June 11) “Lost Creatures,” by Melissa Lucero McCarl, and Saturday’s (June 12) “Breslin Rayhope,” by Judy GeBauer. The former follows a gifted high-school student whose cushy future is threatened when she witnesses a horrific crime The latter iconic British theater critic Kenneth Tynan arriving at the door of silent-film star Louise Brooks, with whom he has been obsessed for years. Following Friday’s June 11 reading, Modern Muse will present “The Facebook Dialogues” – five original, adventurous playlets by local writers that incorporate the exploding phenomenon of social media, followed by a panel discussion about the social media’s influence on art. Both evenings start at 7 p.m. at the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St., 303-780-7836 or or
Best bet: Shadow’s “The Life and Times of Good Ol’ Alfred”
A tumultuous year for Denver’s only black theater company may begin to right itself Friday (June 11) with the opening of Shadow Theatre’s “The Life and Times of Good Ol’ Alfred.” The play, written by Jon Ian Sayles, son of newly named Shadow artistic director Hugo Jon Sayles, tells the tale of an African-American family as seen through the eyes of their mutual ancestor, Alfred Sayles. It plays through June 27 at 1468 Dayton St. in Aurora. 720-857-8000 or
This weekend’s theater openings
“Aloha Boriqua” Denver’s only Chicano theater company, Su Teatro, welcomes the Bronx company El Teatro Pregones for performances of this bilingual musical, which combines the rhythms of traditional Puerto Rican music with urban reggaeton. This song-driven tale recounts the historic migration of Puerto Ricans to Hawaii. Through Saturday. At the Denver Civic Theatre, 721 Santa Fe Drive, 303-296-0219 or
“Carousel” The venerable Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre opens its summer season with one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most dramatic stories. Set on the New England coast in the 1870s, it centers on Billy Bigelow, a rough barker for a carousel, and Julie Jordan, a young girl who works at the local mill. Songs include “If I Loved You” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Through Aug. 13. 1025 Grand Ave., Grand Lake, 970-627-3421 or
“Tintypes” Colorado’s oldest theater company, the Little Theatre of the Rockies, has been a summer tradition since 1934 at the University of Northern Colorado. “Tintypes” is a nostalgic but somewhat subversive revue that chronicles the growing pains of a nation in pre-World War I America. Songs include “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Stars and Stripes Forever” and “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Through June 23. At the Norton Theatre in Gray Hall, Eighth Avenue and 19th Street, 970-351-2200 or
Complete theater listings
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