Domestic Science is a free show from Helen Arney and Rob Wells that explores every day science. I was there last year and the 2013 is very similar but enjoys perhaps some more spit and polish. It’s also fair to say that last year Rob didn’t get me up on the small stage, pretend to be Helen and dunk noodles in different forms of fizz to see what colour they took. That happened this year and as a result this reviewer spent the show wearing a hat that said “Helen”.
Domestic Science is, for geeks, loads of fun. There’s the educational element and the banter. It’s one thing to learn about bee’s waggledance and it is altogether different proposition to watch Rob Wells dressed as a bee, bimble around the stage to try and demonstrate it.
There is a real challenge with Domestic Science. It’s free. That sounds good but that means there are no tickets. The Canon’s Gait aren’t handing out tokens to those who arrive early for the show and so the only thing to do is get into the queue, wait and hope that British will holds the integrity of the queue together when the theatre room downstairs opens for seats.
It’s not a bad space below the Canon’s Gait. It’s not as cramped at many of the Fringe venues and pretty much it doesn’t matter where you sit because you’ll get a good view of the antics.
The antics are broadly science in nature – I’ve already mentioned bees, for example, so it’s not just chemistry. You’ll learn about planets and stars and might get to play with cake.
What Domestic Science does to ensure each iteration is a little different is to make us of guest stars. As with last year; this year we had two guest acts (for a total of three people). I’m torn on this. Rob and Helen pick well but it’s a proper challenge for performers to give a micro act as a sampler and I’m very well aware that for every minute they over run that it means we’re going to lose a minute of Domestic Science. I like the samplers but I wish they had been touch a shorter.
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