You enter a cramped bar in the back of The Botanic, you sit upon a barstool and then science. Owen Collins is the captain of this vessel which explores six creative ways to combine alcohol and science.
Previously a demonstrator at the Questacon Collins walks the fine line between humour and science. These two things, like grapes and age, work exceptionally well together. Over the course of the hour Collins demonstrates several tricks incorporating science at each step of the way. These tricks were interesting but there was a feeling that more could have been done. The tricks were simple in nature and while impressive left a nagging feeling of wanting. Perhaps I had an over achieving high school science teacher, but I recognised the majority of the stunts as things I had personally performed years ago. There was probably a reason for this, possibly not wanting to alienate the audience with demonstrations and jokes that sail over the heads of the viewers or perhaps simply not wanting to set the bar alight. However this would have been a larger draw factor (more science, not an on fire bar), I think more in depth demonstrations and an increase in the total number of demonstrations would yield a more distilled show.
Collins owns the audience, he is a master of controlling the pace and nature of the show. Appropriate timing, a good sense of humour and an excellent scientific base knowledge make this a show definitely worth seeing. For science advocates and masters, you won’t learn much, but the showmanship involved and the manner of performance will still make it worth viewing.
2.5K
Recent Comments