BOOJUM!: Post your review
November 16 - December 19
Storefront Theater
“For the Snark was a Boojum, you see,” sets the stage for this fun-filled romp through the mind of writer Lewis Carroll. Part existential musical theatre and part fantasy adventure story, this riff on Carroll’s epic poem ”The Hunting of the Snark” examines the psychological life of Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the man behind the Lewis Carroll pen name. As his poem warns, “catching Snarks is all well and good, but if your Snark is a Boojum, you will softly and suddenly vanish away.” But while the hunting party moves towards its fateful catch, they discover with Carroll and his Alice that Nothing is quite what it seems. Caffeine Theatre and Chicago Opera Vanguard collaborate on the US stage premiere of this hit Australian musical.
View photos by John W. Sisson, Jr.
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Centerstage recommends BOOJUM! as a “Must see show” Click here to see their listing.
BOOJUM! is a pick in Chicago Tribune’s Classical Corner Click here to see their pick.
Chicago Sun Times picks BOOJUM! as one of their “Cool Things to Do”. Click here to see their choices.
Boojum is a theatrical exploration equal in intensity to any Victorian geographical expedition. If you are a Carrollian, you had better have a good dose of caffeine before coming to the show. There is so much going on that you must be vigilant every second and even then you will probably miss something. The foreground of the show is a telling of the Hunting of the Snark or thereabouts. The backstory is the relationship between Alice Liddell/ Alice Liddell-Hargreaves and Lewis Carroll/ Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. To illuminate the backstory there are references to Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, Throough the Looking-Glass, and Dodgson’s diary entries. This is a long strange trip indeed.
If you’re not a Carroll aficienado, you will enjoy the show for it’s pure entertainment value, and you will be less exhausted when you leave. The use of comedy (both physical and cerebral) will make you (forgive me for using the term) laugh out loud. The diverse musical styles, long poems with a single rhyme, puns, and wordplay will keep you amused for the entire two hours.
Having an in-depth knowledge of Dodgson’s life, I feel that the staging decision in the second act to present the relationship between Carroll and Alice by having them stare at each other in a sexual manner was a mistake. This doesn’t detract from the appeal of the show, but sends people with the wrong idea of said relationship.
My wife (non-Carrollian) and I (avid Carrollian) enjoyed the show and recommend it highly. Go see it!
Bonnie Kenaz-Mara of ChiIlMama.Blogspot.com calls BOOJUM! “A delightful bit of stuff and nonsense… highly recommended”: Click here to read the full review.
Albert Williams of the Reader recommends BOOJUM! and says “tenor Alex Balestrieri and baritone Jeremy Trager deliver remarkable performances as the repressed Dodgson as [sic] his darkly flamboyant alter ego.”: Click here to read the full review.
Katy Walsh of ChicagoNow calls BOOJUM! “high-energy high jinx” and says the “talented ensemble wears crazy-on-their-sleeve tailored to perfection”: Click here to read the full review.
Kris Vire of TimeOut Chicago says “4 stars… BOOJUM! makes Carroll’s unimaginable nonsense unimaginably human”: Click here to read the full review.
Monica Westin of NewCity says “Recommended… imaginative embodying of the characters… gloriously campy in a post-Tim Burton way”: Click here to read the full review.
What a delightful surprise! I love Carroll but was not sure what to expect.
This is a truly engaging and amazing experience. The cast is superb. The acting, the singing, the energy!
Do not miss this show.
Kerry Reid of Chicago Tribune gives BOOJUM! 3 and a half stars! “This gloriously inventive and long overdue U.S. premiere...boasts an exceedingly gifted ensemble.”: Click here to read the full review.
Jonathan Abarbanel of Windy City Times says “the company for Boojum! is outstanding...”: Click here to read the full review.
NewCity picks BOOJUM! as one of their “5 Shows to See Now”.
Hedy Weiss of Chicago Sun-Times calls BOOJUM! “HIGHLY RECOMMENDED… haunting and imaginative U.S. premiere...director Jimmy McDermott’s superbly polished and ingenious production… draws you into its dark, brainy, eccentric world.”: Click here to read the full review.