John Hinton is on a one man mission to make science cool. Quite an easy mission really, as science was very cool long before John got his musical hands on it. Nevertheless, it is a noble cause. Hinton’s passion is undeniable and provides the energy that makes this show so accessible for all ages, even when sometimes the concepts behind it aren’t.
Parents with a background in science will absolutely love taking their kids to see this show – and the kids might like it too.
The Ensonglopedia of Science is a whirlwind tour of scientific concepts. Using the alphabet, 24 songs are performed (V, W and X were combined), each concerning a concept beginning with the given letter. On top of this, the songs were also performed in a musical style that began with the same letter. You could play along as a game guessing the styles. The songs themselves were endlessly fun and catchy, providing interactive moments for the audience to dance and sing along.
Children will have fun at this show due to the high energy songs and the excellent rapport Hinton creates with them from the offset. However, don’t necessarily expect them to have learnt anything by the time the hour is up. The show is so fast paced and, with the information coming in thick and fast, it’s unlikely that they will leave any wiser than when they entered. On top of this many of the ideas being sung about are quite advanced, at a level that even adults without much scientific knowledge may struggle to grasp. This may confuse some children and families who have attended the show as an interesting way to learn about science, but it turns out that the show is not really designed for teaching. It's mainly just some fun songs, but if that’s all you’re there for, then it’s great!
The songs used were diverse and surprising including some dubstep DNA as well as an unexpectedly genuinely touching moment of the songs featuring home videos of his new born. This was a welcome surprise, unlike the bizarre nihilistic ending about how we will all return to ‘Zero Land’ (before and after time when there is simply nothing), so I hope you don’t have anything too long term planned! This will likely pass over the heads of little ones without much thought, but it certainly felt like an uncomfortable moment out of step with the rest of the otherwise upbeat show.
The idea behind this show is strong enough that, regardless of some slightly off moments, it holds up as a good show. Parents with a background in science will absolutely love taking their kids to see this show – and the kids might like it too.
