New Line Theater's Premiere of "Jesus and Johnny Appleweed's Holy Rollin' Family Christmas

It's 1959 and there's pot in the Christmas cookies. What could go wrong?

What happens when a family’s secrets are all revealed on one outrageous, pot-fueled Christmas Eve in 1959? Poor Harry Goodson is about to find out, as he’s visited overnight by his dead brother, Jesus Christ, Sandra Dee, and Johnny Appleweed, and he finally learns what his family already knows, that the answer to all his problems is marijuana! A wacky companion piece to the unintentionally hilarious 1936 scare film Reefer Madness, this new musical is a tongue-in-cheek response to the War on Drugs and the Culture Wars, a comic look at what a little pot and a little truth can do to a normal, average, Midwestern, American family at mid-century, just as America plunges into the chaos of the 1960s. The New Line production will be directed by Scott Miller, with choreography by Tony Marr Jr., music direction by Mallory Golden, scenic design by Rob Lippert, lighting design by Matt Stuckel, and sound design by Ryan Day.

Book, Music and Lyrics by Scott Miller Nov. 30-Dec. 16, 2023 Grandel Theatre, Grand Center Arts District

CASTING:

HARRY GOODSON: TERRELL THOMPSON

BESS GOODSON / JOHNNY APPLEWEED: KAY LOVE

CHIP GOODSON / JESUS: TAI DAVIS

TAMMY GOODSON / SANDRA DEE: MARLEE WENSKI

UNCLE HUGH / HARRYS DEAD TWIN: TAWAINE NOAH 

THE CAROLERS OUTSIDE:

ROBERT DOYLE,

MATT HiLL, STEPHANIE MERRITT,

LAUREN TENENBAUM