I WISH I’d seen the good Doktor before embarking on trying to teach my Primary 4 kids science in my probationer year two years ago.
The man effortlessly combines education and entertainment – something I endeavour to do in the classroom, to my head teacher’s dismay – in a glorious hour of madcap science and my message to all Edinburgh primary schools is to take your kids along to the Pleasance before the end of the Fringe!
Doktor Kaboom is a madcap German boffin mit der crazy accent – let’s just go with the artifice and suppress any awkwardness we may have with stereotypes, even if seeing a theatre full of kids fling their hands in the air and shout “Ja!” might a bit too Nuremburg-y for some!
This is a children’s show but as Herr Kaboom says, “Ve do not haff to shush zer little vuns today!”
Not that you could. When not shouting “Ja!” or “Kaboom!”, the younger members of the crowd – the vast majority – are screaming at the explosions, gasping at the electrical experiments or hooting with laughter at the good Doktor’s patter.
There are gags for the grown-ups, too, and part of the joy for those of use that accompanied the kiddyvinkles is listening to the random things that made certain of them crack up.
What tickled me most as that he hadn’t been able to get basic white spirit vinegar for one experiment in chi-chi Edinburgh and had had to settle for red wine vinegar instead!
This is a sort of medley of the mad scientist’s greatest hits so you’ll see his famous hovercraft, an electric pickle light and hair-raising electricity stunts – the 30-something American gent behind me was genuinely losing his mind at the stream of scientific tomfoolery on show, shouting “No way!” at the climax of each stunt. Sorry, experiment…
As well as being educated without even knowing it, the children are hearing Doktor K’s message of personal empowerment.
He firmly believes, “Science iz for everyvun, science is not hard, it just takes effort but zat’s just life!”
Doktor Kaboom captivated a theatre full of kids for a full hour. And I was as sad as they were when our time with the world’s greatest science teacher came to an end.
Doktor Kaboom: Man Of Science! 13.30 Pleasance Courtyard – Beyond, Until August 26
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/doktor-kaboom-man-of-science
