Camp Whitsit
Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group
Reviewed by Taylor Kass
Through July 8
If a tree falls in a forest and you can’t see it, does it still make a sound? In Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Company’s immersive piece Camp Whitisit, a gaggle of camp counselors create an imaginary forest using every sense except for sight as audience members are blindfolded and led through a series of initiation challenges to earn their 1st Class Scout status. New campers beware – you’ll touch some slimy stuff, you’ll feel critters run across your feet, and you’ll never know what’s coming next. Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Company is known for their engrossing immersive productions and for pushing the boundaries of what makes theater, theater. Director Brandon Slezak and the company have certainly developed a night at the theater unlike any other, but the lack of narrative and drawn-out reliance on blindfolds make the piece more confusing than thought-provoking.
The best part of immersive theater is the ability to participate in the piece and lose yourself in the process, but Camp Whitsit feels like it’s happening to you rather than happening with you. There’s no way to identify the characters, other than the sound of their voice or the touch of their hand guiding you to the next scouting challenge. There’s no storyline to follow or theme to mull over. Initially, losing your sense of sight is thrillingly disorienting, but spending the majority of the show being shuffled from place to place with hands on your fellow audience members’ shoulders makes the 30-minute piece feel much longer. While the choreography of creating an individual experience for each audience member is certainly impressive, it’s almost impossible to achieve the level of precision required to make every activity feel real and to eliminate awkward moments of standing around waiting to be led to the next one. The brief moments when you’re allowed to drop the blindfold are beautiful and a glimmer of something special begins to emerge as you see the counselors’ faces for the first time. But for the majority of the show, the audience is up a creek without a paddle.
Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Fri. – Sat., 8:30 p.m., 9:15 p.m., and 10:15 p.m.; through July 8. ZombieJoes.Tix.com. Running time: 30 minutes with no intermission.
