(Editor’s note: The date 4/20 serves as a global day of awareness, celebration, and advocacy for cannabis. To find out why, you’ll have to search Wikipedia.)

The new musical, with book and lyrics by Kevin Murphy and music by Dan Studney, leans into the unintended humor of the story of drug dealers who tempt high school students to try marijuana, leading them, almost instantly, into a life of addiction, sex, crime, dancing and major munchies.

As with the film, the story is framed as the re-creation of a true story presented by a lecturer (Tim Ostendorf). The opening lecture transitions into the entertaining opening titular number with reefer zombies slinking through the audience.

Throughout the show, the lecturer returns to moralize, and a placard girl (Tracy Orlando) walks across the stage with cards that say things like “Reefer makes you sell your baby for drug money.” Ostendorf also plays other characters, including a goat man, which is as amusing and absurd as it sounds.

The plot: Jimmy Harper (Jack Downey) is a good kid destined for big things. He is dating the sweet if somewhat dimwitted, Mary Lane (Zoe Daigle). During the song “Romeo and Juliet,” they sing how they hope they’ll be like Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers only because they haven’t finished reading the play. This becomes a funny recurring gag.

After a visit to the local five-and-dime, Jimmy wants to learn how to dance to impress Mary Lane. Pusher Jack (Ryan Orlando) promises to teach Jimmy, but instead takes him to his reefer den. Jimmy is tempted to try the devil’s lettuce by Sally (Corinne Stanley), who is so perpetually high she hasn’t named her 11-month-old baby yet.

Jimmy becomes immediately hooked. Not even a visit from Jesus (Ryan Orlando again) during the song “Listen to Jesus, Jimmy” can get him back on the straight and narrow.

Orlando is good as Jack, but he’s hilarious as Jesus.

Other inhabitants of the den include the burned out former college student Ralph (Darin Brown) and Jack’s girlfriend Mae (Mackenzie Hester), who has a conscience and wants to leave the abusive Jack but can’t resist the giggle sticks.

The cast is filled out by Frank Thompson, Kelsey Hare, Summer Smith-Hemeon and Eathen Gould. Under music direction from Joshua Stevens, this ensemble does a nice job of filling out the vocals of the larger musical numbers.

Downey clearly understood the assignment. He is overly earnest, bright and cheery as pre-weed Jimmy and a wide-eyed giggling fool after just one puff. It’s a funny performance, with “The Brownie Song” being his stand out moment.

Daigle has to stay squeaky clean for most of the show but gets to let loose on “Little Mary Sunshine.” She is rewarded with one of the biggest laughs of the night with the unexpected use of an expletive.

The set design by Deb Jasien is one of the more stylistic M&D has done in recent years. All of the sets and props are black lines on white, which gives the production the appearance of a comic strip. It’s a cool visual motif that is a clever visualization of the recurring line, “See you in the funny pages.”

The lighting design by Michael Wonson uses bright greens, reds, blues and pinks to portray the various freak-outs and trips.

“Reefer Madness” is silly fun. If anything, I wanted it to push the campiness even further. The production ends on a high note, pun absolutely intended, with the song “Tell ‘Em the Truth,” which makes a satirical statement about propaganda that strengthens the entire show.

Performances are Thursday through Sunday until Sept. 13. Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for 16 and under and can be purchased HERE or by calling (603) 733-5275.