Light relief in Amsterdam (Boom Chicago)

Member Name: tartlette

Product:	Boom Chicago
Date:	31/03/06 (343 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very funny, good price

Disadvantages: None

Boom Chicago was a gem in Amsterdam. We went there on a recommendation and we were so glad that we did.

BACKGROUND AND ACCESS:

Boom Chicago is a comedy show which is run by Americans living in Amsterdam. It was founded 13 years ago and is going from strength to strength from what I saw. They have shows every night and they are basically all improvised. This is great as it means that you can visit again without seeing the same material over and over. It is not just a theatre, you can eat and drink during the show.

The theatre is located in Leidseplein. It is bigger than it looks from the outside but it is not a huge venue. I thought it was just the right size to make the show intimate. You sit at long tables, so you have to turn to face the stage. Leidseplein can be reached by trams 1, 2 or 5 from Central Station or Dam Square and also by trams 6, 7 and 10.

I found the cost very reasonable. We paid to have dinner and the show, which was 36 Euros. Ticket prices for the show on its own vary between 19.50 and 22 Euros. You can also buy dinner seperately which costs 24.95 Euros for 3 courses or 19.95 for 2. The dinner and show combination is cheaper, but you get less choice (although it is still adequate) and you can only have the 2 courses. When you get the combination you also have a drink (wine, beer or soft) thrown in - bargain! If you have the I Amsterdam card and just want the ticket for the show you get a 25% discount. To eat you need to arrive about 6.15-6.30. The show starts about 8.15 and lasts about 2-2.5 hours.

THE EXPERIENCE:

Firstly the food. I thought it was delicious and so did the rest of my group. I chose not to have the starter and go for the main and dessert. I had steak as my main course, which came with veg, and then apple pie with cream for dessert. It was lovely. My friends had the crepe filled with bourbon vanilla ice cream which they were still talking about on the way home. You can order drinks throughout the show and they are averagely priced.

The show itself was absolutely hillarious. Audience participation was required for suggestions throughout. I won't go into too much detail about the show because even though its different every night I imagine that it the same basic format and it will spoil it i think. I will just go over the highlights for me. The funniest part of the evening had to be when one of the performers came into the audience and spoke to a man and woman sitting next to each other. He proceeds to ask them how long they have been together etc and the answer comes back that they are father and daugther! I really don't think it was a set up. They then revealed that they had been filming the pair when they came in and showed the film on the big screen, together with imporvised voice overs from the performers. It was so clever and so funny. Another funny moment was when they declared their intention of joining some countries together so that eg France and Italy would become 'Fritaly' and Sweden and Finland would become 'Nokea'. Mostly it was asking the audience for their suggestions and then the performers would act out scenes relating to them. They even made up a sitcom on the spot, in which they played members of the audience that they had just interviewed.

The only non-funny part was the Boom Chicago News segment, mostly about George Bush, which went down like the proverbial balloon.

VERDICT:

I thought that this was well worth a visit. It meant that we had our entertainment, food and drink all in one place, which was very convenient. It was very, very funny.

Summary: Absolutely hillarious - a must see