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CANNABIS! A VIPER VAUDEVILLE is a genre-defying, time-traveling theatrical concert that explores the complex and storied relationship between cannabis and American culture. Blending music, dance, spoken word, and immersive design, the piece is rooted in the Hip-Hop tradition of remix and mashup, inspired by Martin A. Lee’s acclaimed book, Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana.
The production moves fluidly through eras and movements—from Congo Square to Jazz Age speakeasies, from the revolutionary happenings of the ’60s to the AIDS activism of San Francisco’s Buyers Club—weaving together the music of Louis Armstrong, Bob Marley, The Beatles, and other cultural icons with stories of real-life activists such as Dennis Perron and Brownie Mary, alongside deeply personal narratives of healing, criminalization, and resistance.
Come for the stories. Stay for the party.
"A CALL-TO-ACTION AMERICAN HISTORY LESSON"
New York Times
"PURE POWER"
Honeysuckle Magazine
"A SEDUCTIVE, TIME-TRAVELING THEATRICAL CONCERT"
Forbes
"GRACE GALU IS A MAGNETIC, POWERHOUSE VOCALIST"
New York Times
"THE SHOW'S MULTI-SENSORY APPROACH, COMBINING MUSIC, DANCE, AND THEATRICAL SPECTACLE, MIRROS THE MULTIFACETED NATURE OF CANNABIS CULTURE ITSELF. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT GETTING HIGH; IT'S ABOUT THE COMMUNITIES THAT FORMED AROUND THE PLANT, THE MUSIC THAT WAS CREATED UNDER ITS INFLUENCE, THE INJUSTICES COMMITTED IN ITS NAME, AND THE ONGOING FIGHT FOR EQUITY AND LIBERATION."
The Other Magazine
FRESH PRESS:
OCTOBER 8, 2025
JULY 10, 2025
JULY 7, 2025
CORE CREATIVE TEAM:
BABA ISRAEL
Concept, Writer,
"Mystical Magical M.C."
GRACE GALU
Composer
"Sativa Diva"
NIC BENACERRAF
Co-Director, Environment Designer
CHANON JUDSON
Choreographic Direction
TALVIN WILKS
Co-Director, Dramaturg