PORTLAND, Maine — Ten years ago, Steve Underwood, the co-founder of Good Theater in Portland, and a veteran actor and comic entertainer, dictated a note to himself about a project he thought might have potential.
The note said: “When weed is finally legal, or I turn 65, I want to write a show about weed.”
The idea became reality, and that show, “The High Road,” is being presented at Good Theater through Feb. 19. Why did it take 10 years?
“It was the stigma about doing drugs,” Underwood said with a smile. “I figured my parents’ friends would be dead by then.”
“The High Road” is a one-man show written and performed by Underwood, who mixes little-known facts and humor in examining the arc of cannabis starting long before weed shops in Portland started to sprout like, well, weeds.
“We look at the history of hemp from 10,000 B.C.,” he said, casually rattling off one historical reference after another. “In the 1800s there were hashish parlors in every major U.S. city. In the 1930s the Marx Brothers smoked weed.”
The aim of the play is to both entertain and educate, to make you think about cannabis in a fresh way, and the response from patrons has been gratifying. According to Underwood, “People of all ages are saying, ‘I learned so much—and I had no idea!’”
A comment passed along by a 92-year-old playgoer was especially memorable. He said the show was fascinating and that people had to see it. Then he added, “I can’t wait for my first puff of the magic dragon.”