Ever found yourself sat in the audience for a stand-up and thought: ‘This is all very well and good, but I don’t think they know much about physics’? If you’re the sort that likes to laugh and learn at the same time, then this is the show for you. An hour of science-themed fun with our comically qualified hosts Helen Arney and Rob Wells is an hour well spent.
Combining a comedy showcase with some amusing experiments and educational skits, Arney and Wells provide a smartly written and well-balanced show in the Canon’s Gait. Much of the science involved is the sort that you might also find on Blue Peter – our experimental equipment for one test included bicarbonate soda, turmeric, washing powder and noodles – but this was a show brimming with intelligent humour. Arney and Wells are both witty, likeable hosts and are self-deprecating to make the whole experience a funny and entertaining one.
Peter Buckley Hill, the first act brought on stage, provided a rare treat. The head of PBH’s Free Fringe is often overlooked as a musical comedian in his own right, but this afternoon he received a warm reception from the audience with his repertoire of cosmologically correct comedy tunes. It’s not easy to make equations rhyme, and I only wish I had the requisite grounding in mathematics needed to comprehend some of the lyrics.
Chella Quint followed, with an excellent short routine of spoken-word comedy. Her love letters between the planets (Uranus writing formally to Pluto to remove him from the planets’ club was particularly amusing) were both funny and endearing, and her characterisation of Earth as the messy hoarder in the shared house of the solar system was excellent. Quint is a clever comic, and it would be interesting to see how she performs with a larger set-time.
For scientists and science-lovers alike, Arney and Wells’ show is a welcome reprieve from the unscientific standard fare offered at the rest of the Fringe.
