Dance ensemble, slash drum corps, slash rave. “Stomp” plus the Blue Man Group. Band nerds meet dancers meet theater kids. Explaining Boomshaka is a bit like explaining Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: It can theoretically be done, but the plot isn’t really the point. What’s more important is that Boomshaka’s “This Ends Now” was a highly impressive, riotous good time and possibly the best show I’ve seen this quarter.
The show consisted of roughly two dozen short performances: a mixture of dance, drumming and skits skillfully interwoven in a myriad of combinations. Each element of the performance shone individually, and together they made the most satisfying hybrid since the Honeycrisp apple. The star of the show is the drumming. But the dance-based numbers were also excellent, giving the Graffiti Dancers a run for their money. Even the skits performed in the transitions between numbers were a pleasant surprise, with zombies, dancing trash barrels and a spoof on the gym scene in West Side Story that threatened to outshine the more structured performances.
Even the production values of this show were impressive. The skillful lighting was elaborate without being ostentatious, adding new dimensions to the performances without drawing too much attention to itself. There was an impressive diversity and creativity in the homemade drums, with overturned five-gallon paint buckets and empty Culligan water jugs joining the standard trash cans and tenor drums.
The highly charged show cultivated an intentionally harsh atmosphere. The performers were mostly clad in black; the music was dark, heavy and blaring almost without exception. The choreography reflected this almost anarchic atmosphere, with performers even climbing the lighting truss to bang on trash can lids hung from above.
As enjoyable as this badass front was, don’t be fooled. Underneath their devil-may-care attitude is an exhaustively rehearsed, finely tuned artistic group. The most daring stunts went off without a hitch, and even when drums went flying or notes went sour, Boomshaka barely missed a beat.
The highlight of the show came when performers shed their harsh personas in favor of old-fashioned kitsch in a clever number performed by Justin Lueker, Jed Feder and Aaron Faucher. Faucher, sporting heavy-framed glasses, acted as the geeky outsider trying to make his beats fit in with his cooler peers’, a situation to which most NU students can relate. It was fun, without the need for pounding backbeats or machismo to legitimize their skill.
“This Ends Now” is perhaps best described as a Northwestern-style rock concert. It may come off a little strong, but its high energy and hardcore edge only make it more enjoyable, however much the audience’s ears ring after the fact.
