By Caroline Skelton
Victoria Times Colonist, August 29, 2004, p.B4.

The Reefer Man is a studied look at Canada's pot laws - from the other side of the joint.

The play follows the tormented life of Charlie Kovacs - all he really wants to do is bring pot to the people, spreading the plant like Johnny Appleseed, but somehow he ends up in the dual life of lawyer with a grow-op in his basement.

Written by Russell Bennett and Gillian Stevens-Guille, this one-man play features a hilarious cast of mothers, fathers and pothead friends that colour Kovacs' life. Bennett plays them all, even when head-spinning phone tag scenes have him playing several in one conversation.

The Reefer Man's first Victoria performance was made even quirkier by screeching sounds coming from a nearby parking garage and audience members who entered and exited the theatre during the show.

But despite a few flustered moments, Bennett persevered, even inserting province-sensitive jabs.

And he couldn't have picked a more receptive audience, as crowd-participation questions like "I love pot, is that wrong?" received enthusiastic answers from a nearly-packed theatre.

There were some one-line groaners ("I'm going to overgrow the government!") and some scenes - William Lyon Mackenzie King's supposed opium dreams, for instance - seemed to go a little over the top.

But this is Fringe the way it's meant to be: raw, passionate and delivered with a sweaty, breathy energy.