Horrible Science – review by Georgia Brown
As I walked into the Pavilion and saw the bright posters on the walls for Horrible Science, I started to wonder if this was going to be fun or quite gory, but I took a long breath out as I saw quite a few children finding seats that were a lot younger than me. We waited for the show to start. Everyone was chatting with excitement and it was great to see whole families coming together to see the show.
As the music began, three ‘scientists’ came on stage. They all had very different characters; one being the ‘brain-box’, another, the ‘silly one’ and another, the ‘funny one’. They were all trying to involve the audience as much as they could, so there was never a point when anyone was bored. Then they started to look for a volunteer and of course, all the younger children shot their hands up and shouted, “Me, me, me, me, me!” though it was clear that a certain someone had already been selected. It was funny to see the looks on some of their faces when they realised that no one was actually picked, it was part of the show that this person was chosen! I liked how it was made very clear what was going to happen and what we were going to learn. It was great to have such a good time, but learn so much at the same time!
The moving background of the stage was absolutely amazing. It was so believable that the team were walking into different rooms or falling through space, even talking to giant human germs! Then, in the second half, where we were all given 3D glasses to wear, or ‘bobble goggles’ as they were called, the whole scenery moved and objects flew into the audience. I thought this was fantastic, though sometimes quite alarming with some of the younger children screaming in fright. Others however swatted at the air, trying to fend off the flying creatures and rocks. This, together with the different sound effects and lighting really brought the whole show alive and there was never a point when I felt it was starting to get a bit boring. The way the actors involved the audience, and got them helping and joining in, really did brighten up the theatre.
As far as the learning side of the show was concerned, I actually found myself totally absorbed. Considering my age, I had learnt most of the science topics already, but I know that if I was younger I would definitely benefit from the way different aspects of science were featured and in such creative ways. The most important thing was that I had fun and as I looked around it was easy to see that the whole audience did too, young and old. This show is great for school groups and I hope that lots of days out of the classroom will be arranged to see the cast of Horrible Science because it really is worth it! I personally recommend this show to children from about 5 upwards, only because there were a few very much younger ones in the audience that became quite scared with, at times, shouts of, “I DON’T LIKE IT!” It is also a really fun experience for a fabulous family evening out.
I was amazed at how such a small cast of just 4, could pull of a successful show as Horrible Science. It was their strong characterisation and clear love for science that shone through. It was very enjoyable and a really good laugh! Though there was one point when the digital background went blank and ‘no signal’ came up in the right corner. The actors were unaware of it and I am sure most of the audience was too as it only lasted for about three seconds. On the whole, a really fantastic performance and I really did have a good time!
