CHI, IL LIVE THEATRE: Chicago Improv Festival Finds The Funny

Chi-Town's 15th annual Improv Festival is in full swing with a multicultural medley of improvisors from around the world.   Check out an array of great acts through this Sunday.   I came from an improv background and founded and directed a troup at Miami University (No, directing improv is not an oxymoron, contrary to popular quips!).   So, I know how challenging, fresh and fun the genre can be.   Check in soon for our review of the highly recommended, hilarious Improv Play at DCA Storefront Theatre through May 20th. 

We also have an exclusive video interview we'll be running soon, from the CIMMfest opening of High Road.   ChiIL Live Shows interviewed the director, Matt Walsh, who was a founding member of Upright Citizens Brigade.   We also spoke with actors and caught the Q & A.   So check in with us like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often for great entertainment news!


High Road:  Director, Chicago native Matt Walsh (The Hangover, Upright Citizens Brigade, HBO’s upcoming Veep), joined by actors Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls, Bachelorette), Joe Lo Truglio (Wanderlust, Superbad), Joe Nunez (Bridesmaids, Neighborhood Watch), James Pumphrey (Players) and Zach Woods (NBC’s The Office, Damsels in Distress)…
 

This year’s CIF is themed 

“Celebrating the Art of Play”

We've got friends incoming from that state that's hi in the middle and round on both ends.   Don't let their name fool ya.   ChiIL Live Shows will be documenting See You Thursday's daring dramatics SATURDAY night at The Playground.

We're jazzed that more than 75 improv groups from 16 U.S. cities and countries as far away as Russia and Norway are descending on Chicago from April 23-29 for the 15th annual Chicago Improv Festival. But we're also setting our sites a little closer to home.  See You Thursday will be the only Ohio troupe represented on the 2012 CIF performance roster, a program that includes Eastbound & Down's Ike Barinholtz and Comedy Central’s Key & Peele. See You Thursday will perform 8:30PM Saturday, April 28 at Chicago’s Playground Theater, 3209 North Halsted Street.  2012 Show Dates: through April 29 , Tickets: $10-$20

 

We're particularly jazzed for Thursday night at Annoyance Theatre

**@ Annoyance Theater, 4830 N. Broadway, 10:30PM, $15/$10
1) Messing with a Friend (Chicago) [special guest Lance Baker]
Tickets are available at Annoyance (773.561.4665) or ONLINE

 

@ The Playground Theater, 3209 N. Halsted St.
7pm, $15/$10
1) Harri Olli Improvised Theatre (Zurich)
2) WiseSnatch (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the Playground (773.871.3793) or ONLINE
9pm, $15/$10

1) pH Productions (Chicago)
2) Mullaney Chain (Chicago/New York)
Tickets can be bought at the Playground (773.871.3793) or ONLINE

Friday, April 27
 
ImproTOP - Mexico City

@ Athenaeum Theatre, Studio 1, 2936 N. Southport Ave.
7:30pm, $20/$15
1) Curtains (New York)
2) BASSPROV (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
9pm, $20/$15
1) Classy D (Chicago)
2) Matt Naas & The Sing-a-long Singers (Detroit)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
10:30pm, $20/$15
1) Claymore (Chicago)
2) Last Action Movie (Minneapolis)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE

@ Athenaeum Theatre, Studio 2, 2936 N. Southport Ave.
7pm, $20/$15
1) SAM (Chicago)
2) The Mighty They (Detroit)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
8:30pm, $20/$15
1) Improv Stands Up! (Chicago) [w. guest comic Dan Telfer]
2) The Amie and Kristen Show (Philadelphia)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
10pm, $20/$15
1) Out of Character (Chicago)
2)North Coast (New York)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE

@ Athenaeum Theater, Studio 3, 2936 N. Southport Ave.
7:30pm, $20/$15
1) Almost ATLANTA (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
9pm, $20/$15
1) Awkward (Kansas City)
2) New England (New York)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
10:30pm, $20/$15
Jorak and Jorak Do Movie (Austin)
Pimprov (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE

@ Chemically Imbalanced, 1420 W. Irving Park Rd., 10:30pm, $15/$10
1) Dead Parrots Society (Bellingham)
2) Droppin’ $cience (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the CIT (773.865.7731) or ONLINE

@ Laugh Out Loud Theater, 601 North Martingale Road, Schaumburg
7:30pm, $19/$12
1) Border Patrol (Bellingham & Edmonton)
2) Laugh Out Loud (Schaumburg)
Tickets can be bought at LOL (847.240.0386) or ONLINE
9:30pm, $19/$12
1) Border Patrol (Bellingham & Edmonton)
2) Laugh Out Loud (Schaumburg)
Tickets can be bought at LOL (847.230.0386) or ONLINE

@ The Playground Theater, 3209 N. Halsted St.
7pm, $20/$15
1) King Friday (Philadelphia)
2) Weekend of Regret (New York)
Tickets can be bought at the Playground (773.871.3793) or ONLINE
8:30pm, $20/$15
1) The Bully Union: Local 128 (Baltimore)
2) Magnet Theater Touring Co. (New York)
Tickets can be bought at the Playground (773.871.3793) or ONLINE
10pm, $20/$15
1) Danger Snack (Los Angeles)
2)My Grandma's a Fat Whore in Jersey (Chicago & Los Angeles)
Tickets can be bought at the Playground (773.871.3793) or ONLINE

@ The Second City Skybox, 1618 N. Wells, 4th Floor
7pm, $20/$15
1) Process (Chicago)
2)Twinprov (Oklahoma City)
Tickets can be bought at the SC Skybox (312.337.3992) or ONLINE
8:30pm, $20/$15
1) We're From Here (Toronto)
2)TBA (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the SC Skybox (312.337.3992) or ONLINE
10pm, $20/$15
1) 2-Man No-Show (Toronto)
2) ImproTOP (Mexico City)
Tickets can be bought at the SC Skybox (312.337.3992) or ONLINE

---

Saturday, April 28
 
Hello Laser - New York


@ Annoyance Theater, 4830 N. Broadway, 11:59pm, $10/$5
1) Mullaney Chain (Chicago & New York)
Tickets can be bought at the Annoyance (773.561.4665) or ONLINE

@ Athenaeum Theatre, Studio 1, 2936 N. Southport Ave.
7:30pm, $20/$15
1) B.F.F. (New York)
2) BASSPROV (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
9pm, $20/$15
1) Border Patrol (Bellingham & Edmonton)
2) JR Varsity (New York)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
10:30pm, $20/$15
1) Hello Laser (New York)
2) Pimprov (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE

@ Athenaeum Theatre, Studio 2, 2936 N. Southport Ave.
7pm, $20/$15
1) Improv Nerd (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
8:30pm, $20/$15
1) Rapid Fire Theatre (Edmonton)
2) The Minneapples (Minneapolis)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
10pm, $20/$15
1) Local Honey (Dallas)
2) Stage Fright: A Tribute to Hitchcock (Philadelphia)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE

@ Athenaeum Theatre, Studio 3, 2936 N. Southport Ave.
7:30pm, $20/$15
1) Maat Naas & The Sing-a-long Singers (Detroit)
2) Bootsy Collins (Los Angeles)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
9pm, $20/$15
1) Harri Olli Improvised Theatre (Zurich)
2) The Shelter (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE
10:30pm, $20/$15
1) Brick (New York)
2) Skinny Jeans (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the Athenaeum (773.935.6860) or ONLINE

@ Chemically Imbalanced 1420 W. Irving Park Rd., 10:30pm, $10/$5
1) Indie Cage Match UCB (New York)
Tickets can be bought at CIT (773.865.7731) or ONLINE

@ Laugh Out Loud Theater, 601 North Martingale Road, Schaumburg
7:30pm, $19/$12
1) 2-Man No-Show (Toronto)
2) Laugh Out Loud (Schaumburg)
Tickets can be bought at LOL (847.240.0386) or ONLINE
9:30pm, $19/$12
1) 2-Man No-Show (Toronto)
2) Laugh Out Loud (Schaumburg)
Tickets can be bought at LOL (847.240.0386) or ONLINE

@ The Playground Theater, 3209 N. Halsted St.
7pm, $20/$15
1) DMNK (Chicago)
2) The Garys (New York)
Tickets can be bought at the Playground (773.871.3793) or ONLINE
 

**8:30pm, $20/$15
1) See You Thursday (Columbus)
2) Kiss*Punch*Poem (New York)
Tickets can be bought at the Playground (773.871.3793) or ONLINE

 

10pm, $20/$15
1) Ted Dangerous (St. Louis)
2) Chet Watkins (New York)
Tickets can be bought at the Playground (773.871.3793) or ONLINE

@ The Second City DeMaat, 1618 N. Wells, 3rd Floor
7pm, $20/$15
1) Formal Apology (Chicago)
2) The Era (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the SC DeMaat (312.337.3992) or ONLINE
9pm, $20/$15
1) Just Ben (New York)
2) The Playboys (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the SC DeMaat (312.337.3992) or ONLINE
10:30pm, $20/$15
1) Simply Coney (Detroit)
2) Twinprov (Oklahoma City)
Tickets can be bought at the SC DeMaat (312.337.3992) or ONLINE

@ The Second City Skybox, 1618 N. Wells, 4th Floor
7pm, $20/$15
1) Improv Boston (Boston)
2) Sheila’s Sister (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the SC Skybox (312.337.3992) or ONLINE
8:30pm, $20/$15
1) Mayor Karen (Philadelphia)
2) The Improvised Shakespeare Company (Chicago)
Tickets can be bought at the SC Skybox (312.337.3992) or ONLINE
10pm, $20/$15
1) STACKED: All Girl Musical Improv (Chicago)
2) ImproTOP (Mexico City)
Tickets can be bought at the SC Skybox (312.337.3992) or ONLINE


About CIF: The Chicago Improv Festival, founded in 1998 promotes and teaches improv as a true form of art. Over the last 15 years, the festival has featured some of the biggest names in comedy today: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers (SNL), Horatio Sanz, Neil Flynn (The Middle) and more. CIF is now seen as the largest and most prestigious improv festival in the world and has already presented more than 850 acts from 15 nations and 45 cities; had improv workshops taught by more than 50 instructors; and has given various awards to 45 improv artists.

Click here for all the 2012 acts.


Click here for tickets and performance schedule.

Click here for Chicago Improv Fest's main site, full schedule, tickets and more.

Follow CIF on Facebook here.

Act Out-Opening Tonight: The Ghost Is Here-Vitalist Theatre at DCA Storefront

The Ghost is Here
Written by Nobel Prize nominee Kōbō Abe
Translated by Donald Keene

Presented by Vitalist Theatre in association with DCA Theater
 
DCA Storefront Theater
66 E. Randolph St.
www.dcatheater.org

Written in 1957 by Kōbō Abe, “The greatest avant-garde Japanese writer” (The Independent, London), The Ghost is Here is the story of an alarming and preposterous con-artist promoting a grim scam: selling the dead. Constructed in the manner of a Japanese graphic novel, the play has moments of stylized song and dance, gallows humor and surprising poignancy woven around stark themes that resonate in America today. Vitalist Associate Artistic Director Jaclynn Jutting directs.

We'll be checking out opening night tonight and we'll have a full review up shortly.  We've been familiar with Vitalist Theatre's work since the mid 90's.  A long time friend of ours did the set design for this production, so we're particularly interested to see the show.   Not to mention, the plot sounds intriguing!   Here's the scoop:

VITALIST THEATRE PRESENTS U.S.A. PREMIERE OF KŌBŌ ABE THE GHOST IS HERE, JANUARY 12 – FEBRUARY 19
 
Rarely-Performed Kōbō Abe Masterpiece Comes to the DCA Storefront Theater in the Heart of Chicago’s Downtown Theater District 

“Bring out your dead!” In a vision reminiscent of Monty Python, Samuel Beckett, Franz Kafka and Joseph Heller, Vitalist Theatre, in association with DCA Theater, presents the U.S.A. premiere of The Ghost is Here, the story of an alarming and preposterous con- artist promoting a grim scam: selling the dead. Written in 1957 by one of Japan’s most revered modern dramatists, Nobel Prize nominee Kōbō Abe, The Ghost is Here runs at the DCA Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph St., in the heart of Chicago’s downtown theater district, from January 12 through February 19, 2012.

With flair and panache, con-artist Oba – played by returning Vitalist actor Jamie Vann – develops an increasingly absurd scheme whereby war-weary and financially stressed villagers sell him pictures of their dead, only to be charged exorbitant prices when they seek to retrieve them. The wrinkle in the racket is the “agent” who represents the ghosts. Eventually, the prospect of sellers’ remorse prompts a stampede on the market, thereby seeming to assure Oba’s fortune in the best wheeler-dealer, robber-baron tradition.

The Ghost is Here is set in the ruins of occupied, post-WWII Japan when the war-ravaged empire was forced to grope its way toward national redefinition. Suffering a loss of tradition, a devastated economy and a realignment of global power brokers, the villagers teeter on the edge of a plunge into unregulated and rapacious capitalism.

Constructed in the manner of a Japanese graphic novel, the play has moments of stylized song and dance, gallows humor and surprising poignancy woven around stark themes that resonate in America today. With echoes of Brecht, The Ghost is Here is deadly serious while witnessing the ludicrous flim-flam man and the innocents caught in his web.

As Vitalist Artistic Director Elizabeth Carlin Metz suggests, “It’s as if Kōbō Abe, writing in the 50s, foresaw the American (and world) financial and cultural crisis of the past decade: Enron, WorldCom, unemployment, poverty, Wall Street, Bernie Madoff.... The list seems endless.”

Vitalist Associate Artistic Director Jaclynn Jutting directs a multicultural ensemble of 11 actors, bringing Abe’s cautionary tale to life with an award-winning design team: original music by Kevin O’Donnell, sound design by Gregor Mortis, set design by Craig Choma, lighting design by Lee Fiskness, costume design by Rachel Sypniewski, and musical direction by Ethan Deppe. Vitalist co-founders Elizabeth Carlin Metz and Robin Metz serve as Artistic Director and Executive Producer. The Ghost is Here is translated by Donald Keene.

Kōbō Abe (1924-1993) was a critically acclaimed Japanese writer, playwright, photographer and inventor. Nominated multiple times for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Abe’s novels and plays are characterized by calm observations and avant-garde techniques. Central themes in Abe's work are loss of identity, alienation, isolation of the individual in a bizarre world, and the difficulty people have in communicating with one another. 

In the West, Abe is best known for his novels, such as The Woman in the Dunes (1962), one of the premier Japanese novels of the 20th century that garnered Abe the Yomiuri Prize in 1962, and The Face of Another (1964). In the 1960s, Abe adapted several of his novels to film including Woman in the Dunes (Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film), The Face of Another, The Pitfall and The Ruined Map. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1977.

Donald Keene is an award-winning scholar, teacher, writer, translator and interpreter of Japanese literature and culture. Keene was University Professor Emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature at Columbia University, where he taught for more than 50 years. He has published 25 books in English on Japanese topics, and more than 30 books in Japanese. Keene has received numerous accolades including the Yomiuri Prize in 1985 (Keene was the first non- Japanese to receive the honor). In 2008, Professor Keene received one of Japan’s highest honors, the Order of Culture (Bunka Kunsho), presented by the Japanese Government, and became the first foreign national to receive such an award.

About Vitalist Theatre
Now in its 15th year of award-winning Chicago productions, Vitalist Theatre has a commitment to plays of international scope, compelling ideas, muscular language, visceral performances and lyrical design. For information, visit vitalisttheatre.org.

Schedule & Ticket Information 
The show runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through February 19. (No performance on February 10; an added performance will take place on February 11 at 3 p.m.) A post-show discussion will take place after the Thursday, January 19 performance.

Tickets are $25 for general admission; $20 for seniors; $15 for students with a valid ID. Tickets are $15 for preview on January 12. Military personnel tickets are $20 and ADA accessible tickets are available for $12.50.

All tickets are available by calling 312.742.TIXS (8497), visiting www.dcatheater.org, or stopping by the Chicago Cultural Center Ticket Office in the Chicago Cultural Center at 78 E. Washington St., open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. When available, tickets go on sale one hour before each performance at the DCA Storefront Theater.  Additional discounts are available for theater industry affiliates and large groups. 

*Discounted parking is once again available at Wabash Randolph Self Park (Interpark) at 20 E. Randolph. Patrons can receive the $12 rate by validating their ticket at the Storefront Theater ticket office.

Vitalist Theatre Presents The Ghost is Here at the DCA Storefront Theater, Jan. 12 – Feb. 19, Page 3

Each season, DCA Theater accepts proposals from the city’s emerging and developing theater companies who wish to bring their innovative productions downtown. Presenting companies receive free performance space and resources, while theater-goers get an exciting glimpse into Chicago’s world-renowned theater scene. For more information and to apply to either space, visit http://www.dcatheater.org/yourshow/.
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to promoting an ongoing celebration of the arts; supporting the people who create and sustain them; and marketing the city’s abundant cultural resources to a worldwide audience. DCASE, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, programs and promotes thousands of high-quality free festivals, exhibitions, performances and holiday celebrations presented each year at Millennium Park, Grant Park, the Chicago Cultural Center and other venues throughout the city.

Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture
The Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture (COTC) is dedicated to promoting Chicago as a premier cultural destination to domestic and international leisure travelers, providing innovative visitor programs and services, and presenting free world-class public programs. COTC supports local artists through grants and other resources and creates vital opportunities for artists of all levels. For more information please visit www.ExploreChicago.org.

 

Act Out: Ibsen's Classic, Peer Gynt Opens Tonight at DCA

Peer Gynt CHICAGO PREMIERE!

Written by Henrik Ibsen, translated by Robert Bly
Directed by Jeremy Wechsler

Presented by Polarity Ensemble Theatre

November 15, 2011 — December 18, 2011
Storefront Theater
$20 for general admission; $15 for seniors; $10 for students; $10 for preview (11/15, 11/16 & 11/17)

Please note there will be no performance on Thursday, November 24th (Thanksgiving Day). 

Audience Advisory: Theatrical hazers will be used during this production.

Current running time: 2 hours and 25 minutes including 1 ten-minute intermission

The wild, globe-trotting adventurer Peer Gynt barrels across the stage in the Chicago premiere of Robert Bly’s high-energy translation of this seldom-performed Ibsen classic. In this adaptation, unencumbered by morals or a sense of responsibility, Peer’s mythic journey is envisioned as that of America itself, from scrappy trickster to imperial power and beyond. The rustic settings and live music reminiscent of 19th and 20th century Americana accompany Peer on a 150-year whirlwind tour of the American psyche. 

Related events
Post-show Discussion
Thursday, December 1

Tale, Translation and Trajectory of Peer Gynt through a contemporary lens; a panel discussion

Monday, December 5
7pm, Chicago Cultural Center
Claudia Cassidy Theater, 2nd Floor

Read the Peer Gynt blog for behind-the-scenes updates!

ChiIL Mama will be checking out opening night tonight and we'll have a full review up shortly.

Boojum! A Delightful Bit of Stuff and Nonsense from The Land Down Under

Boojum!  Nonsense, Truth, and Lewis Carroll, was every bit as much absurdest fun as it's name implies.   Caffeine Theatre and Chicago Opera Vanguard's production is a great follow up to Lookingglass Theatre's fantastic interpretation of Alice, that ended in September.     We were entertained and impressed with this self described choral nonsense theater.


The production, featuring a book, lyrics and music by twin brothers, Martin Wesley-Smith and Peter Wesley-Smith was a hit in their native Australia. 
 This talented duo understand the fun, foibles, trials and treats of being twins.   They even include twin jokes in Boojum! like, "Is one of you a spare?"

In the show, the flamboyant, bald, tweedle dum and tweedle dee like twins were hilarious with their love hate ode to twin hood, and set the stage for so many psychological twin elements within Boojum!   Alice was twinned with her elderly and child self.   And of course Dodgson was twinned with the more outrageous Lewis Carroll.   

We especially liked the simple but effective use of neck wear to enhance the twinning illusion.   Alice, as a child, wore a candy necklace choker while her older self wore long, elegant strands of pearls.   Dodgson wore a rolled, black bandanna, reminiscent of a clerical collar, while Carroll alternately flaunted an irreverent pearl choker and a silk scarf.    

Snark Hunters: Sara Sevigny (Butcher/Clarrie), Heather 

Townsend (Beaver/Hargreaves), Michael Reyes (Bellman/Wally), Kevin Grubb 

(Barrister/Errol), Alex Balestieri (Dodgson), Laura Deger (Boots/Carrol), and Kevin 

Bishop (Billiard Marker/Carl). Photo by John W. Sisson, Jr. 

It was an amusing touch that the program unfolds into a giant, blank page labeled The Bellman's Map.   It was truly a pleasure to follow the intrepid explorers on their Snipe Hunt into the existential void.
   

Kevin Grubb (Barrister/Errol), Kevin Bishop (Billiard 

Marker/Carl), and Laura Deger (Boots/Cora).   Photo by John W. Sisson, 

Jr. 

The Australian butcher girl, The bearded Russian, The anarchist worker in her Doc Martin's boots and safety pin laden black, and the U.S. patriot, investor were all a treat to see.

Stephen Rader (Banker/Al) in Caffeine Theatre and 

Chicago Opera Vanguard’s “Boojum! Nonsense, Truth, and Lewis Carroll.” Photo by 

John W. Sisson, Jr.  

The over the top, playful costumes stood out even more in contrast to the minimalist set.   Aside from a ladder, a few bare wooden platforms, arched wooden beams, and a couple of white curtains that doubled as projection screens and sails, the set was stark. 

Jeremy Treger (Carroll) and Company in 

Caffeine Theatre and Chicago Opera Vanguard’s “Boojum! Nonsense, Truth, 

and Lewis Carroll.” Photo by John W. Sisson, Jr. 

Marielle de Rocca-Serra (Alice) and Jeremy Treger 

(Carroll) in Caffeine Theatre and Chicago Opera Vanguard’s “Boojum! Nonsense, 

Truth, and Lewis Carroll.” Photo by John W. Sisson, Jr. 

Our Favorite Characters:

Jeremy Treger (Carroll)-for his magnetism as the devious, yet endearing, sexy scoundrel.   He reminded me of Fight Club's Tyler Durden, as the darker, more adventurous alter ego of mild mannered genius math professor and ordained Anglican deacon, Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.   We also enjoyed his Cheshire cat and cat-terpillar incarnations.

Michael Reyes (Bellman)-for his energy, wacky repertoire of faces, and ability to cry on command while singing.

Michael Reyes (Bellman) and Alex Balestrieri 

(Dodgson) in Caffeine Theatre and Chicago Opera Vanguard’s “Boojum! 

Nonsense, Truth, and Lewis Carroll.” Photo by John W. Sisson, Jr. 

Sara Sevigny (Butcher/Clarrie), Heather 

Townsend (Beaver/Hargreaves), Kevin Grubb (Barrister/Errol), Michael Reyes 

(Bellman/Wally) Stephen Rader (Banker/Al), Laura Deger (Boots/Cora), and 

Kevin Bishop (Billiard Marker/Carl) in Caffeine Theatre and Chicago Opera 

Vanguard’s “Boojum! Nonsense, Truth, and Lewis Carroll.” Photo by John W. 

Sisson, Jr. 

So many of the Wesley-Smiths' songs had us laughing out loud.   And yet they didn't shy away from exploring (albeit gently and tastefully) the murky waters of Dodgson's less than holy hobby of photographing his child playmates in various stages of undress.   Maybe the 3,000 child photos he took were merely the pastime of an artist, committed to documenting childhood innocence, as he claimed.   Within the production, nudity is just hinted at playfully, and his subjects' lack of clothing was charmingly referred to as "undraped".

The true nature of his relationship with Alice and the other young girls, is lost to time, like the years of pages missing from his diaries.   Yet, it's indisputable that since his death, Dodgson's touched millions of children with his imaginative story telling and sparked numerous creative projects.   His characters have taken on a life of their own, and as Lewis Carroll, he has achieved immortality.  

Despite all the upbeat choral numbers, the deeper subject matter is convoluted and intricate.   DCA Theatre has self rated the show PG and recommends it for children 12 and over, but there's no violence or scary stuff, just a few risque bits.  The themes just may go over the heads of kids much younger.

I would recommend hitting the 2pm or 3pm matinees instead of the night shows, if you plan to bring anyone young.   I brought Du Jay, who was engaged and loved the first half, then faded fast after intermission.   By 10:00pm when we left, he was too exhausted to meet the cast and authors at the opening night reception.   Overall, we enjoyed this philosophical glimpse inside the diary and mind of the genius popularly known as Lewis Carroll and highly recommend it.

Hunting the Snark

By Daniel Smith, Dramaturg for Boojum! and Caffeine Theatre Associate Artistic Director

Boojum! is loosely based on Lewis Carroll’s mock epic poem “The Hunting of the Snark.” This poem, written in 1874 and published in 1876, details the adventures of a ragtag group of Snark-hunters who have set sail with the Bellman.  Each member of the Crew has an occupation that beings with the letter “B.” Their world is inhabited by jubjub birds and bandersnatches, fabulous monsters that appear in Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky”. 

Literary critics have variously interpreted the Snark Hunt as an allegory: it may represent the search for happiness, the search for monetary wealth, a failed business venture, or even a Hegelian philosopher’s quest for truth.  Carroll famously rejected all interpretations of this poem, and of his other literary work.  Having received an inquiry about the meaning of “The Hunting of the Snark,” he wrote back: “I’m very much afraid I didn’t mean anything but nonsense.  Still, you know, words mean more than we mean to express when we use them.  So a whole book ought to mean a great deal more than the writer means.  So whatever good meanings are in the book, I’m glad to accept as the meaning of the book.”

If you would like to read “The Hunting of the Snark” in its entirety, you can find it online HERE 

  

BOOJUM! NONSENSE, TRUTH, AND LEWIS CARROLL CHICAGO PREMIERE!

Written by Peter Wesley-Smith
Lyrics by Peter Wesley-Smith
Music by Martin Wesley-Smith

Presented by Caffeine Theatre and Chicago Opera Vanguard

November 16, 2010 — December 19, 2010 
Storefront Theater
$25 general admission; $15 for seniors and students; $10 for previews (11/16 & 11/17)

Running time: 2 hours, including one ten minute intermission.
Theater Advisory: This production is intended for ages 12 and up and contains mature themes.

“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.

Related events
Post-show Discussions
Saturday, November 20 and Sunday, November 21
Post-show discussions with playwrights Martin Wesley-Smith and Peter Wesley-Smith

Thursday, December 2
Post-show discussion with the cast and crew

Lewis Carroll Coffeehouse
Monday, November 29 at 7:00 pm

Read the BOOJUM! blog

In the event of a SOLD OUT PERFORMANCE, a waitlist will begin at the door of the theater one hour prior to curtain.  You must arrive in person to be placed on the waitlist, no phone calls or emails will be accepted.  Approximately five minutes prior to curtian, any seats available due to cancellations or no shows will be released to the wait list.

LEWIS CARROLL COFFEEHOUSE

Presented by Caffeine Theatre with Chicago Opera Vanguard

Monday, November 29
7:00 PM — 8:30 PM 
Storefront Theater
FREE, Reservations Encouraged

Caffeine Theatre and Chicago Opera Vanguard bring together local and international performers, writers, composers and choreographers to celebrate and respond toLewis Carroll’s work.  “Winning entries of Old Father William’s Frabjous and Curious Poetry Contest will be performed.  Refreshments will be provided.