Check out this Q&A with Steve Underwood:

Writer and Star of The High Road

Q: What inspired you to remount this hit show?  
A: I knew there was much more fun to be had! There’s more Cannabis history in there, more relatable personal stories, and a lot more groove/rock-based music than the first time around. Here’s a quote from Groundlings founder Gary Austin, who I studied with in NYC. “The first time you do your solo show, you find out what it is. Then, if you’re willing to dive deeper, you find out what if can be.”  The High Road is so much MORE this time around. More emotional, more honest, and much more fun!

Q: What are the most surprising and ridiculous cannabis facts you discovered while researching this show?
A: The Marx Brothers smoked pot. Cannabis has been used as medicine for 10,000 years. Henry Ford built a “Cannabis car” made mostly from Hemp. “Brownie Mary” gave edibles to AIDS patients and was jailed three times for her acts of kindness.” That just four facts in an evening of hundreds. 

Q: What part of your own story inspired you to create The High Road in the first place?
A: For a kid who was thirteen in 1969, I “just said no” for a long time. I first got high at twenty and discovered… that I’m a total Lightweight! (Enjoy the oh-so embarrassing 4-foot bong story… I’m so glad phone video didn’t exist in 1976.) 

Q: What’s it like to perform such a personal, one-man show where you are the subject, the storyteller, and sometimes your own punchline?
A: It’s exhilarating! My director Nathan Gregory really challenged me to take the script from 2023 and dive deeper. At least a third of the material is new or updated and it feels much more complete this time. It’s emotionally deeper and at the same time a whole lot funnier. 

Q: What surprising things have you learned from people who’ve shared their “high times” stories? 
A: I’ve asked a lot of folks: “What was your first time, your best time and your WORST time? It seems that many who swore off Cannabis have a worst time story that boils down to YOU SMOKED WAY TOO MUCH in a social setting. So, I spend some time having fun with the “Heavyweight Lightweight” angle. We go to “Cannabis College” and other fantastical places. In a world where weed is ever stronger, it helps to know what you’re dealing with. “Start low, go slow…”

Q: You’ve worn so many hats at Good Theater. How does stepping on stage alone for this show feel different?
A: It’s daunting, for sure - but I can’t believe that I get to have all this fun just being myself, as well as  getting to play fifty different characters. All this happens in the span of seventy five minutes. For a kid who had severe stage fright and didn’t do theater until age thirty, it feels surreal to be recreating this solo show at the age of 68.

Q: What do you love most about performing the show in the new space that you had such a large hand in designing and renovating? 
A: The sight lines are amazing for the audience and it feels wonderful to connect with people from the redesigned stage. Plus, the sound is stellar… and the lights!  To use a “Crayon” analogy, we’ve moved from “8 Crayola Colors” to a full box of 64!  The show is eye-poppingly beautiful and the 100” TV used for video looks amazing. Plus, I’ve had a lot more time to add new, improved video visuals, new music and sounds effects. It’s totally immersive, dude…  

Q: If The High Road had to be summed up in three words that describes both the show and you, what would they be?
A: Playful. Heartfelt. Surprising! (Or six words… Start September on a HIGH note!)