Operetta merges with musical theatre, playfulness bumps into existential angst, and a little fact meets lots of fiction in Boojum!, a sometimes bamboozling work blending nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark and the life of its author, Lewis Carroll.

Commissioned by the Adelaide Festival and created by Peter Wesley-Smith (lyrics) and his twin Martin (music), it was first performed in 1986 by State Opera South Australia. The company revived Boojum! in 2019 when Stuart Maunder was Artistic Director.

Now in that role at Victorian Opera, he introduces Melbourne to the little known Australian work, and this time it’s very much his baby. Maunder directs a humble but colourful new production in VO’s rehearsal and occasional, intimate performance space, Hemstritch Studio at Horti Hall.

David Hobson and cast in Victorian Opera’s Boojum! Photo © Scott Whinfield

Apart from veteran David Hobson in pivotal dual roles, Boojum! is a showcase for emerging artists, who are supported by the Victorian Opera Youth Chorus Ensemble. It’s an oddly low-key finale for the company’s 2025 season (apart from the forthcoming community Christmas sing-along in Ballarat).

Hobson’s extensive...